Seasonality of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis and dark septate endophytes in a grassland site in southwest China

Abstract

Arbuscular mycorrhizal and dark septate endophytic fungal colonization in a grassland in Kunming, southwest China, was investigated monthly over one year. All plant roots surveyed were co-colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal and dark septate endophytic fungi in this grassland. Both arbuscular mycorrhizal and dark septate endophytic fungal colonization fluctuated significantly throughout the year, and their seasonal patterns were different in each plant species. The relationships between environmental (climatic and edaphic) factors and fungal colonization were also studied. Correlation analysis demonstrated that arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization was significantly correlative with environmental factors (rainfall, sunlight hours, soil P, etc.), but dark septate endophytic fungal colonization was only correlative with relative humidity and sunlight hours.

Influence of edapho-climatic factors on the sporulation and colonization of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in two Amazonian native fruit species

“…The positive correlation between the precipitation and AMF variables in the present study were opposite to the previous finding that mycorrhizal variables and rainfall had a negative correlation (Muthukumar and Udaiyan, 2002), but consisted with other studies (Braunberger et al, 1994;Lingfei et al, 2005). Soil moisture has been reported to be positively correlated with AMF colonization (He et al, 2002;Bohrer et al, 2004;Lingfei et al, 2005, Oliveira andOliveira, 2005), which might be a strong argument supporting the present results, as precipitation is an important element of soil moisture.…”

“…The influence of climatic variables on AMF colonization and spore numbers here registered corroborated several investigations (Saito and Kato, 1994;Udaiyan et al, 1996;Muthukumar and Udaiyan, 2002;Staddon et al, 2003;Lingfei et al, 2005) that also found the influence of climatic factors on AMF formation and development in natural ecosystems. The positive correlation between the precipitation and AMF variables in the present study were opposite to the previous finding that mycorrhizal variables and rainfall had a negative correlation (Muthukumar and Udaiyan, 2002), but consisted with other studies (Braunberger et al, 1994;Lingfei et al, 2005).…”

“…In this study, insolation was negatively correlated with AMF colonization and spore numbers, which implied that the relationship between this climatic variable and AMF did not seem simple and its mechanism still remained unknown (Lingfei et al, 2005). In relation to temperatures, average and maximum values were not correlated with AMF colonization; however, as previous studies have found (Muthukumar and Udaiyan, 2002;Liu et al, 2004), AMF spore numbers appeared to be negatively impacted by these climatic variables.…”

Arbuscular mycorrhizal colonisation of roots of grass species differing in invasiveness

“…Merryweather andFitter 1998, Sánchez-Castro et al 2012), thus an invasive plant associated with AMF having seasonal dynamics different from that of the AMF species of resident plant species can narrow the diversity of AMF partners available for the resident community. While Davison et al (2012) found no seasonal variation in the AMF community structure in forest soil, other studies (Lingfei et al 2005, Lugo et al 2003) detected marked seasonality in grassland soil. Certain invasive plants are able to connect to the local AMF network and through that can draw assimilates from resident species.…”

“…ischaemum (Shah et al 2009a, Wilson et al 2012, B. pinnatum (van der Heijden et al 1998, Endresz et al 2005, B. inermis (Turnau et al 2008, Shah et al 2009a, C. epigeijos (Rydlová andVosátka 2001, van der Staaij et al 2001) and C. dactylon (Cabello 1997, Lingfei et al 2005). …”