ROOTARMOUR Project
Roots in armour: Formation and functions of iron plaques at the root-soil interface of wetland plants
Wetlands are complex ecosystems having important functions that are driven by many physical, chemical, and biological processes with implications at local, regional and global level. Biogeochemical processes that occur at the interface between plant roots and the soil are widely recognized for their important role in the functioning of wetland ecosystems. In this context, ROOTARMOUR aims at providing novel insights into the involvement of root iron plaques (IP) – oxide coatings precipitated on the root surface under anoxic soil conditions – as hotspots of iron (Fe), phosphorus (P) and carbon (C) cycling in redox-dynamic environments.
By building on a conceptual model of element redox cycling in the rhizosphere and focusing on rice as a model wetland plant, we aim at elucidating how multiple biotic and edaphic factors are implicated in root IP formation and related functions.
The effects of changes in root traits induced by different P availability, in combination with the presence of soil or plant-derived dissolved organic matter, on the chemical, mineralogical and structural variability of these Fe oxyhydroxide coatings will be evaluated at an unprecedentedly high spatial and temporal resolution. This will be made possible by combining root trait evaluation, microsensor and imaging approaches, 13C-stable isotope tracing and X-ray microanalytical techniques in order to follow spatiotemporal changes in O2 and P gradients, and plant C allocation patterns in the rhizosphere, as well as the root morphology and distribution of Fe and P on the root surface.
Empirical evidence for the underlying processes will also be provided by utilising artificial root systems that will allow to study the effects of specific variables on the interactions between Fe, P and C cycling at the root surface through a reductionist approach. Furthermore, these effects will be linked with specific IP-related functions, namely P availability and plant uptake, microbially-mediated Fe cycling in the rhizosphere, as well as organic matter turnover and stabilization in the root detritusphere.
"The project is expected to shed light on understudied rhizospheric processes that could have important implications on the productivity, resilience and environmental sustainability of wetland ecosystems."
The project will be implemented thanks to the funding by the Italian Ministry for University and Research (MUR), starting from November, 1st 2023 and will last for two years. The partnership involves researchers from the University of Torino, the University of Udine and the University of Bari.
Partners:
PRIN: Progetti di ricerca di rilevante interesse nazionale - Bando 2022