Bibliographic Details
| Title: |
Effects of ectomycorrhizal fungal identity and diversity on subtropical tree competition. |
| Authors: |
Nan-Nan Shi, Cheng Gao, Yong Zheng, Liang-Dong Guo |
| Source: |
Journal of Plant Ecology; Feb2017, Vol. 10 Issue 1, p47-55, 9p |
| Subject Terms: |
ECTOMYCORRHIZAL fungi, PISOLITHUS tinctorius, FOREST management, CENOCOCCUM graniforme, LITHOCARPUS |
| Abstract: |
Aims: Mycorrhizal fungi can re-distribute nutrients among plants through formation of underground common mycorrhizal networks and therefore may alter interspecific plant competition. However, the effect of ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi on interspecific plant competition in subtropical forests is poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the effects of EM fungal identity and diversity on the outcome of interspecific competition of plant species in relation to different successional stages in a Chinese subtropical forest. Materials and Methods: This study selected four woody plant species, i.e. a pioneer tree Pinus massoniana, a late-pioneer tree Quercus serrata, a midsuccessional tree Cyclobalanopsis glauca and a late-successional tree Lithocarpus glaber in a Chinese subtropical forest. The outcomes of interspecific competition were investigated in the seedlings of three plant pairs, i.e. between Cy. glauca and Pin. massoniana, between Q. serrata and Pin. massoniana and between Li. glaber and Q. serrata in a pot experiment. In the Cy. glauca-Pin. massoniana combination, plants in monoculture and two-species mixture were uninoculated or inoculated with EM fungi Paxillus involutus, Pisolithus tinctorius, Cenococcum geophilum, Laccaria bicolor and a mixture of these four fungal species. In the Q. serrata- Pin. massoniana and Li. glaber-Q. serrata combinations, plants in monocultures and two-species mixtures were uninoculated or inoculated with EM fungi Pis. tinctorius, Ce. geophilum, La. bicolor and a mixture of these three fungal species. EM root colonization rate and seedling biomass of each plant species were measured and the outcomes of interspecific competition were estimated using competitive balance index after 6-month cultivation. Important Findings: All EM fungal inoculation significantly promoted a competitive ability of the mid-successional tree Cy. glauca over the pioneer tree Pin. massoniana compared with the uninoculated control treatment and the extent to which EM fungi affected the outcome of interspecific competition was dependent on EM fungal identity in the Cy. glauca and Pin. massoniana combination. EM fungal inoculation had no significant effect on the outcomes of interspecific competition between the late-pioneer tree Q. serrata and Pin. massoniana combination and between the late-successional tree Li. glaber and Q. serrata combination, compared with the uninoculated control treatment. However, amongst the EM fungal inoculation treatments the competitive ability of Q. serrata over Pin. massoniana was significantly higher in EM fungi Ce. geophilum and La. bicolor treatments than in Pis. tinctorius treatment. EM fungal diversity did not show a complementary effect on the outcomes of interspecific competition in all three plant pairs. This study demonstrated that the effect of EM fungi on the outcome of interspecific competition was dependent on the plant pairs tested in the subtropical forest ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: |
Complementary Index |
