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

PLoS One. 2021 Oct 26;16(10):e0258862. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258862. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

While numerous studies have revealed that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) enhance plant performance, the influence of these symbionts on temperate-forest herbaceous species in relation to soil physical and chemical properties has been left largely unexplored. Therefore, two perennial herbs, Geum urbanum (Rosaceae) and Senecio ovatus (Asteraceae), were examined in a laboratory pot experiment to determine whether AMF influenced their growth, photosynthetic performance index, and N and P contents in biomass. The treatments, involving three widespread AMF species, were prepared in the soils of two habitats colonised by both plants, namely beech and riparian forests, as follows: (1) control-soils without AMF, (2) Claroideoglomus claroideum, (3) Funneliformis geosporus, and (4) Funneliformis mosseae. Neither shoot mass nor photosynthetic performance index of G. urbanum and S. ovatus was enhanced by AMF. Senecio ovatus root mass was increased compared to control only by F. geosporus. Inconsistent effects were observed in N and P contents in shoots and roots of both species. The direction and magnitude of these responses were dependent on the fungal species and soil type. Although the plant species belong to families whose representatives are usually regularly colonised by and highly responsive to AMF, our study indicates that AMF had only a slight impact on the performance of G. urbanum and S. ovatus at the early stages of their development. The plants being slightly dependent on AMF are thus adapted to colonise temperate-forest soils with a low level of availability of AMF propagules.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Forests*
  • Geum / microbiology*
  • Mycorrhizae / physiology*
  • Plant Roots / microbiology*
  • Senecio / microbiology*
  • Soil
  • Soil Microbiology

Substances

  • Soil

Grants and funding

Yes. S.Z. National Science Centre of Poland, project 2017/27/B/NZ9/01297, https://www.ncn.gov.pl/. S.Z. Institute of Botany, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University in Cracow, N18/DBS/000002, http://www.ib.uj.edu.pl/. No, funders did not play any role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, and preparation of the manuscript.