Local co-adaptation of plants and their microbiota to climatic stress

Global change is drastically altering the stress matrix for an ever-increasing number of wild plant species. Research into contemporary and evolutionary plant responses to such change is urgently required to predict and actively counter future retractions of their distribution ranges. There is mounting evidence that microbes can significantly contribute to plant stress resistance and its evolution in their hosts. Here, we investigate the local co-evolution of traits mediating heat and drought stress resistance in sea rocket (Cakile maritima) plants and their endophytic microbes across northern and southern Europe. We address latitudinal population divergence in a field study, a controlled greenhouse experiment and a reciprocal common garden experiment across Montpellier (FR) and Kiel (GE). Our focus is on i) phenological, morphological, physiological and metabolome traits broadly representing the host plants combined abiotic stress resistance; and ii) interactions with locally co-evolving microbiota causing positive or negative feedback on abiotic plant stress resistance. Our project integrates well replicated ecological experiments under both, controlled and near-natural conditions with cutting edge metabolomics and metagenomics to unravel the combined abiotic and biotic determinants of local adaptation. ​

Figure: Top-left: PhD student team in the natural dune habitat of Cakile maritima in Sankt Peter-Ordig. Top-right: Shoot sampling for microbe isolation and culture. Center-left: Alternaria infection on Cakile maritima. Center-right: Culture plate with isolated microbes. Bottom-left: Cakile maritima plants originating from Southern and Northern Europe exposed to benign control conditions and combined heat and drought. Bottom-right: Cakile maritima plants grown in climate chambers.