Soil propagule bank of ectomycorrhizal fungi associated with Masson pine (Pinus massoniana) grown in a manganese mine wasteland

PLoS One. 2018 Jun 5;13(6):e0198628. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0198628. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal propagule bank could facilitate the regeneration and plantation of seedlings in disturbed area. In this study, Masson pine (Pinus massoniana) seedlings were used to bait the ECM fungal propagule bank buried in the soils collected from a manganese (Mn) mine wasteland and a non-polluted area in China. After 6-month growth, we found the seedlings grown in the Mn mine soil (Mn:3200 mg kg-1) did not display any toxicity symptoms. Based on morphotyping and ITS-PCR sequencing, we identified a total of 16 ECM fungal OTUs (operative taxonomic units) at 97% similarity threshold, among which 11 OTUs were recovered in the Mn mine soils and 14 in the non-polluted soil. Two soil types shared 9 OTUs and both of them were dominated by a Tylospora sp. Based on those soil propagule banks in Masson pine forests reported in previous, we speculated that some Atheliaceae species may be preferred in the soil propagule bank of some pine species, such as Masson pine. In addition, NMDS ordination displayed geographical position effects on soil propagule banks in five Masson pine forest from three sites at regional scale. In conclusion, Masson pine ECM seedlings could grow well in the Mn wasteland as a suitable tree species used for reforestation application in Mn mineland, in addition, Mn pollution did not alter the dominant ECM fungal species in the soil propagule banks.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • China
  • Environmental Monitoring / methods
  • Forests
  • Fungi / isolation & purification*
  • Manganese / toxicity
  • Mining*
  • Mycorrhizae / isolation & purification*
  • Pinus / microbiology*
  • Seedlings / growth & development
  • Seedlings / microbiology
  • Soil Microbiology*

Substances

  • Manganese

Grants and funding

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (31300525, 41771548) and Cyrus Tang foundation to Dr. Huang(2017). The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.