Arbuscular Mycorrhizae Effects on Growth of Two Hawaiian Species: Indigenous Osteomeles anthyllidifolia (Rosaceae) and Invasive Psidium cattleianum (Myrtaceae)

Abstract

Two important plant species of Hawai'i, the indigenous Osteomeles anthyllidifolia (Sm.) Lindl., a component of Hawai'i's most endangered habitat, and the highly invasive Psidium cattleianum Sabine were grown with or without arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in a soilless mix at different soil-solution phosphorus (P) levels. At P levels similar to those in the field (0.007 mg P/liter), shoot biomass of inoculated plants of O. anthyllidifolia was 189% greater than that of controls, and that of P. cattleianum was 93% greater. Root weight of O. anthyllidifolia and leaf-tissue P of both species also were significantly higher in inoculated plants. At a higher concentration of soil-solution P (0.020 mg P/liter), inoculated plants of O. anthyllidifolia had 176% more biomass than controls, and those of P. cattleianum had 49% more. In a growth medium with soilsolution P equivalent to that of good agricultural soil (0.200 mg P/liter), inoculated plants of O. anthyllidifolia were 101% larger than controls. Results suggest that presence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi is of vital importance to establishment of O. anthyllidifolia in Hawaiian soils and that their absence may limit P. cattleianum invasion of sites that are highly deficient in available P.

Slight dependence of temperate-forest herbaceous plants, Geum urbanum and Senecio ovatus, on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) enables them to colonise soils with a low level of AMF abundance

“…Osteomeles anthyllidifolia (Rosaceae), inoculated with six AMF species simultaneously, achieved values of mycorrhizal dependency between 46% and 76%. Nevertheless, these values were related to P content in soils, being higher in soils with lower P content [ 46 ]. In the case of representatives of Asteraceae, mycorrhizal dependency of R .…”

“…However, ecologists also signalise that since AMF show functional diversity and their effects are within mutualism and parasitism spectrum [ 51 – 53 ], the key point is to select single effective AMF species than focus on species richness [ 54 ]. No without significance in plant-AMF relationships are also other factors, like soil physical and chemical properties [ 46 , 47 , 55 ] as well as presence of biotic and abiotic stresses. It was reported that AMF can have positive effects on plants in the presence of stressors, such as salinity and heavy metal toxicity [ 56 – 59 ], by both nutritional and non-nutritional mechanisms [ 57 , 58 , 60 , 61 ].…”

Coexistence of different intrathalline symbiotic algae and bacterial biofilms in the foliose Canarian lichen Parmotrema pseudotinctorum

“…Colonization of endemic plants by AM fungi has also been reported in Hawaii and the Galapagos, although the molecular diversity was not characterized (Schmidt & Scow, 1986;Koske & Gemma, 1996;Gemma et al, 2002). Although we have not studied the function of these mycorrhizal fungi in the Canary Islands, native mycorrhizas in Hawaii more than doubled the biomass and phosphorus uptake of a native shrub found in endangered dry forest habitat in Hawaii (Koske & Gemma, 2006). Thus, island mycorrhizas warrant further study in the context of plant conservation and management.…”

AM and DSE colonization of invasive plants in urban habitat: a study of Upper Silesia (southern Poland)

“…Many previous studies concerning invasion by non-native plant species were focused on aboveground features with little attention given to belowground soil organisms (Levine et al 2004 ; Pyšek and Jarošík 2005 ; Sala et al 2000 ; Vitousek et al 1996 ). A few recent studies demonstrated the role of AM in plant invasion however most of studies focused on greenhouse, pot or microcosm experiments not on field studies (Koske and Gemma 2006 ; Richardson et al 2000 ; Štajerová et al 2009 ; Stampe and Daehler 2003 ). Root endophytes like AMF and DSE are common colonizers of plant roots across wide range of habitats (Kauppinen et al 2014 ; Mandyam and Jumpponen 2005 ; Smith and Read 2008 ).…”