Responses of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbionts to contrasting environments: field evidence along a Tibetan elevation gradient

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• 作者：Rong Yang ; Shuming Li ; Xiaobu Cai ; Xiaolin Li ; Peter Christie ; Junling Zhang…
• 关键词：AM fungal colonization ; Plant performance ; Elevation gradient ; Perennial grass ; Tibetan alpine communities
• 刊名：Mycorrhiza
• 出版年：2016
• 出版时间：October 2016
• 年：2016
• 卷：26
• 期：7
• 页码：623-632
• 全文大小：802 KB
• 刊物类别：Biomedical and Life Sciences
• 刊物主题：Life Sciences
  Microbiology
  Plant Sciences
  Ecology
  Agriculture
  Forestry
  
• 出版者：Springer Berlin / Heidelberg
• ISSN：1432-1890
• 卷排序：26

文摘

Plant adaptation to alpine ecosystems is not fully explained by plant physiological and morphological traits. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) associations may be involved in mediating plant performance in response to environmental differences. Little is known, however, as to whether or not a close relationship exists between plant performance and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus status across environmental gradients. We conducted a field investigation of the performance of six plant species and their associated AM fungi along higher and lower elevation gradients on Mount Segrila in Tibet. In most of our species, we observed higher shoot and inflorescence biomass production and a lower root-to-shoot ratio in the populations at those sites where the species was dominant (intermediate elevation sites) than in populations sampled at the limits of the distribution. The elevation pattern of root colonization differed with plant species on both gradients, and the extraradical hypha development of most species showed a unimodal pattern as did plant growth. The relationship between plant and fungus traits shows that AM fungus development generally matched host plant performance on the lower elevation gradient but not on the higher elevation gradient. This study provides evidence that plant distribution and productivity were significantly related to root and soil colonization by AM fungi, especially under less physically stressful conditions.