Abstract
Members of the soil bacterial genus Frankia are nitrogen (N2)-fixing actinomycetes that establish root nodule symbiosis with more than 200 species of angiosperms belonging to 25 genera in eight families (actinorhizal plants). All of the hosts are perennial dicotyledonous plants that, with the exception of the genus Datisca, are trees or shrubs. Frankia infects roots via root hairs in some hosts or by intercellular penetration in others. The root nodules are perennial clusters of modified lateral roots. Frankia is capable of N2-fixation in root nodules. A number of environmental factors affect not only the infection or nodulation of Frankia but also the N2-fixation of actinorhizal plants. Physiological and genomic analyses have provided an improved understanding of resistance among Frankia strains to heavy metals and the effects of inorganic compounds on the infectious pathways of the bacterium. Anthropogenic environmental changes, such as increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations ([CO2]), ozone pollution, and acid rain, potentially impact physiological properties of Frankia–actinorhizal symbioses. Many recent studies on the effects of elevated [CO2] on actinorhizal symbioses suggest that interactions among diverse environmental factors should be taken into consideration.
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Tobita, H., Kucho, Ki., Yamanaka, T. (2013). Abiotic Factors Influencing Nitrogen-Fixing Actinorhizal Symbioses. In: Aroca, R. (eds) Symbiotic Endophytes. Soil Biology, vol 37. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-39317-4_6
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