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Colonisation by arbuscular mycorrhizal and fine endophytic fungi in four woodland grasses - variation in relation to pH and aluminium

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Author

Summary, in English

Acidic soils are harsh environments for plants. One of the major problems is the potential toxicity of aluminium (Al) and hydrogen ions at a pH below 5: another is the shortage of nutrients usually accompanying soil acidity. The aim of this study was to elucidate the relationship between arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonisation and soil acidity (measured by pH and Al concentration) in order to evaluate the possibility that AM fungi facilitate the existence of plants on acidic soils. We sampled tussocks of four grass species, Elymus caninus, Poa nemoralis, Deschampsia cespitosa and Deschampsia flexuosa, together with samples of the surrounding soil, in oak forests of varying soil pH in southern Sweden. We determined pH, easily reacting Al (Air), extractable Al (Al-BaCl2) and phosphate in the soil samples, analysed the shoots for Al and phosphorous and quantified the degree of AM and fine endophyte (FE) colonisation in the roots. E. caninus was found on the least acidic soils and had the highest AM colonisation of all the species studied, while D. flexuosa, which was found on the most acidic soils, had the lowest AM colonisation. P nemoralis and D. cespitosa were intermediate with respect to pH and AM colonisation. The colonisation of AM fungi exceeded FE colonisation for E caninus and P. nemoralis, while the opposite was true for the two Deschampsia species. Our results indicated a negative relationship between Air and the degree of AM colonisation at the within-species level. The low colonisation of AM fungi on acidic soils may to some extent be explained by a sensitivity of AM fungi to Air: this parameter showed a stronger negative association with AM colonisation than did pH and Al-BaCl2. We hypothesize that Al toxicity is a critical factor for plant nutrition in forest soils through the impact on symbiotic fungi. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Publishing year

2008

Language

English

Pages

2260-2265

Publication/Series

Soil Biology & Biochemistry

Volume

40

Issue

9

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Elsevier

Topic

  • Ecology

Keywords

  • vegetation
  • forest ground
  • fine endophytes
  • acid soil
  • arbuscular mycorrhiza
  • soil pH
  • aluminium

Status

Published

Research group

  • Genomics, Diabetes and Endocrinology
  • Plant Biology

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0038-0717