Create your own conference schedule! Click here for full instructions

Abstract Detail



Symbioses: Plant, Animal, and Microbe Interactions

Scott, Natalie [1], Karst, Justin [1], Pec, Gregory [1], Landhausser, Simon [1].

Shifts in community composition, but not richness, of ectomycorrhizal fungi are driven by host identity and cover soils on mine reclamation sites.

Natural mixed species forest stands have been shown to promote greater diversity in belowground organisms that interact with tree roots, such as ectomycorrhizal fungi. Ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) are an essential component to tree survival as they provide essential nutrient and water uptake in exchange for photosynthetically derived carbon from their living host trees. Along with increased aboveground tree diversity, the type of soil environment can also influence the richness and composition of EMF. Furthermore, mixed species stands may have overall additive or synergistic effects on EMF species richness, but this effect is difficult to test on natural sites due to difficulty in finding monospecific and mixed species stand comparisons with similar site conditions and history. Reclamation sites can address these study limitations and provide a platform to test these questions. Toward this goal, we compared the richness and composition of EMF fungi in single and mixed species stands on a recent reclamation area slated for forest ecosystem restoration. In May 2012, seedlings of three host tree species (Populus tremuloides, Pinus banksiana and Picea glauca) were planted to assay soils for EMF in single and mixed species stands. Within both stand types, placement of three different salvaged cover soil materials included (forest floor material, peat and subsoil). Subsets of the seedlings were harvested in August 2015 and EMF colonizing their roots were identified using molecular techniques. Four growing seasons after planting, there was no difference in total EMF species richness and composition in mixed species stands compared to additive effects of host tree species in single species stands. Total EMF species richness also did not vary between host tree species or cover soil material. However, there were composition shifts in fungal communities across both host tree species and cover soil materials. Fungal composition was similar across both conifer species though varied when compared to Populus tremuloides. Fungal communities on Populus tremuloides varied with cover soil material whereas fungi on roots of both conifer species were similar across the soil treatments. Overall, our results show that EMF composition was influenced by host tree species and cover soil material, but not stand composition. Thus, changes in fungal communities may be more driven by additive than synergistic effects on recently reclaimed areas for forest restoration.


Log in to add this item to your schedule

1 - University of Alberta, Renewable Resources, 751 General Services Building, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2H1, Canada

Keywords:
Ectomycorrhizal fungi
Plant species composition
symbiosis
Soil environment
Restoration.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 24, Symbioses: Plant, Animal, and Microbe Interactions
Location: Fort Worth Ballroom 5/Omni Hotel
Date: Tuesday, June 27th, 2017
Time: 11:15 AM
Number: 24006
Abstract ID:272
Candidate for Awards:None


Copyright © 2000-2017, Botanical Society of America. All rights reserved