Asymmetric Interaction Between Two Mycorrhizal Fungal Guilds and Consequences for the Establishment of Their Host Plants
Arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) and ectomycorrhiza (EcM) are the most abundant and widespread types of mycorrhizal symbiosis, but there is little and sometimes conflicting information regarding the interaction between AM fungi (AMF) and EcM fungi (EcMF) in soils. Their competition for resources can be pa...
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Published in | Frontiers in plant science Vol. 13; p. 873204 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Frontiers Media S.A
09.06.2022
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) and ectomycorrhiza (EcM) are the most abundant and widespread types of mycorrhizal symbiosis, but there is little and sometimes conflicting information regarding the interaction between AM fungi (AMF) and EcM fungi (EcMF) in soils. Their competition for resources can be particularly relevant in successional ecosystems, which usually present a transition from AM-forming herbaceous vegetation to EcM-forming woody species. The aims of this study were to describe the interaction between mycorrhizal fungal communities associated with AM and EcM hosts naturally coexisting during primary succession on spoil banks and to evaluate how this interaction affects growth and mycorrhizal colonization of seedlings of both species. We conducted a greenhouse microcosm experiment with
Betula pendula
and
Hieracium caespitosum
as EcM and AM hosts, respectively. They were cultivated in three-compartment rhizoboxes. Two lateral compartments contained different combinations of both host plants as sources of fungal mycelia colonizing the middle compartment, where fungal biomass, diversity, and community composition as well as the growth of each host plant species’ seedlings were analyzed. The study’s main finding was an asymmetric outcome of the interaction between the two plant species: while
H. caespitosum
and associated AMF reduced the abundance of EcMF in soil, modified the composition of EcMF communities, and also tended to decrease growth and mycorrhizal colonization of
B. pendula
seedlings, the EcM host did not have such effects on AM plants and associated AMF. In the context of primary succession, these findings suggest that ruderal AM hosts could hinder the development of EcM tree seedlings, thus slowing the transition from AM-dominated to EcM-dominated vegetation in early successional stages. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 Reviewed by: Gabriela Woźniak, University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland; Rodica Pena, University of Reading, United Kingdom This article was submitted to Plant Symbiotic Interactions, a section of the journal Frontiers in Plant Science These authors have contributed equally to this work Edited by: Raffaella Balestrini, Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection (CNR), Italy |
ISSN: | 1664-462X 1664-462X |
DOI: | 10.3389/fpls.2022.873204 |