Abstract
Interventions with commercial inoculants have the potential to reduce the environmental footprint of agriculture, but their indiscriminate deployment has raised questions on the unintended consequences of microbial invasion. In the absence of explicit empirical reports on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) invasion, we examine the present framework used to define AMF invasion and offer perspectives on the steps needed to avoid the negative impacts of AMF invasion. Although commercial AMF isolates are potential invaders, invasions do not always constitute negative impacts on native community diversity and functions. Instead, the fates of the invading and resident communities are determined by ecological processes such as selection, drift, dispersal, and speciation. Nevertheless, we recommend strategies that reduce overdependence on introduced inoculants, such as adoption management practices that promote the diversity and richness of indigenous AMF communities, and the development of native propagules as a supplement to commercial AMF in applicable areas. Policies and regulations that monitor inoculant value chains from production to application must be put in place to check inoculant quality and composition, as well as the transport of inoculants between geographically distant regions.
Highlights
Increasing the genetic and functional diversity of soil microbiota is a sustainable strategy to improve the efficiency and resilience of the agricultural system
There are no convincing empirical data on Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) invasion to date, some studies have shown that introducing alien strains—isolates from different geographical ranges, or in vitro propagated strains that may be functionally divergent from their natural relatives [6]—into new agroecosystems can have far-reaching consequences on resident communities
We further provide suggestions on effective management practices and strategies that can help reduce the negative consequences associated with the deployment of commercial AMF
Summary
Increasing the genetic and functional diversity of soil microbiota is a sustainable strategy to improve the efficiency and resilience of the agricultural system. Commercial AMF inoculants are deployed as biofertilizers in the agricultural field to enhance crop growth, and the diversity and functions of indigenous AMF communities in nutrient-poor and degraded soils. Microorganisms 2022, 10, 404 negative consequences of AMF invasion on soil and plant biodiversity, as well as ecosystem functions, have been raised [9]. In this perspective, we view microbial invasion through the lens of the ecological frameworks proposed by Kinnunen et al, 2016 [10]. The community ecology concept described by Vellend (2010) [11] Through these frameworks, we ask whether the deployment of commercial inoculants promotes AMF invasion, and whether successful invasion always generates negative impacts.
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