Xiaoke Xing

Publications (2)7.84 Total impact

• Article: Molecular approaches for AM fungal community ecology: A primer.

  Monika A Gorzelak, Taylor C Holland, Xiaoke Xing, Miranda M Hart
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  ABSTRACT: Molecular techniques are no longer optional for ecologists interested in arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) communities. Understanding the role of these soil fungi in natural systems requires knowledge of their abundance and identity but this is impossible to achieve without a molecular approach. Adapting molecular tools to AM fungi can be challenging because of the unique biology of the fungi. Moreover, many recruits in the field of mycorrhizal ecology have little or no experience with molecular biology. Here, we outline a conceptual framework for designing robust ecological experiments with AM fungi using molecular approaches.
  Journal of microbiological methods 04/2012; 90(2):108-14. · 2.43 Impact Factor
• Article: Mutualism breakdown in breadfruit domestication.

  Xiaoke Xing, Alexander M Koch, A Maxwell P Jones, Diane Ragone, Susan Murch, Miranda M Hart
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  ABSTRACT: During the process of plant domestication, below-ground communities are rarely considered. Some studies have attempted to understand the changes in root symbionts owing to domestication, but little is known about how it influences mycorrhizal response in domesticated crops. We hypothesized that selection for above-ground traits may also result in decreased mycorrhizal abundance in roots. Breadfruit (Artocarpus sp.) has a long domestication history, with a strong geographical movement of cultivars from west to east across the Melanesian and Polynesian islands. Our results clearly show a decrease in arbuscular mycorrhizas (AMs) along a domestication gradient from wild to recently derived cultivars. We showed that the vesicular and arbuscular colonization rate decreased significantly in more recently derived breadfruit cultivars. In addition, molecular analyses of breadfruit roots indicated that AM fungal species richness also responded along the domestication gradient. These results suggest that human-driven selection for plant cultivars can have unintended effects on below-ground mutualists, with potential impacts on the stress tolerance of crops and long-term food security.
  Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 09/2011; 279(1731):1122-30. · 5.41 Impact Factor