Traits of host and symbiont in growth chamber experiment.

<p><i>L</i>. <i>japonicus</i> hosts were inoculated with near-isogenic <i>M</i>. <i>loti</i> strains MAFF, STM30, and STM6 and host and symbiont phenotypes were measured at times indicated. (<b>A)</b> Symbiont effectiveness was measured as dried shoot biomass. (<b>B)</b> Host investment in symbionts was measured as average individual biomass of nodules (dry weight). (<b>C)</b> Rhizobial fitness was estimated based on CFUs from serially diluted extracts of crushed nodules. Error bars indicate one standard error from the mean. Horizontal lines <b>(A)</b> represent the mean dried shoot biomass for uninoculated controls at 6 (0.003g) and 8wpi (0.002g). Data points demarked with different letters indicate significant differences between strains at a given wpi. (one-way ANOVA, post-hoc Student’s t-test, α = 0.05).