Host plant quality mediates competition between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Abstract

Host plant quality mediates competition between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungiKnegt, A.J.; Jansa, J.; Franken, O.; Engelmoer, D.J.P.; Werner, G.D.A.; Bücking, H.; Kiers, E.T. General rightsIt is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), other than for strictly personal, individual use, unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons). Disclaimer/Complaints regulationsIf you believe that digital publication of certain material infringes any of your rights or (privacy) interests, please let the Library know, stating your reasons. In case of a legitimate complaint, the Library will make the material inaccessible and/or remove it from the website. Please Ask the Library: http://uba.uva.nl/en/contact, or a letter to: Library of the University of Amsterdam, Secretariat, Singel 425, 1012 WP Amsterdam, The Netherlands. You will be contacted as soon as possible. fungi, the intensity of this effect depended on the quality of the host, with the strongest differences found on low-quality (shaded) hosts. Our results suggest that environmental conditions for the host aboveground play a role in the competitive interactions among fungi belowground.

Tracking plant preference for higher‐quality mycorrhizal symbionts under varying CO2 conditions over multiple generations

“…An open question now remains how plant choice operates over different time scales when mycorrhizal networks connect multiple plant hosts that differ in relative carbon availability. A study where a mycorrhizal network was simultaneously connected to a shaded and an unshaded plant, found that in a single plant generation (8 weeks) the higher‐quality AM fungus performed relatively better in shaded than in unshaded plants (Knegt et al., ), in contrast to our results here. Potentially, carbon acquired from the unshaded plant allowed the higher‐quality AM fungus to outcompete its competitor in the shaded plants (Knegt et al., ).…”

“…A study where a mycorrhizal network was simultaneously connected to a shaded and an unshaded plant, found that in a single plant generation (8 weeks) the higher‐quality AM fungus performed relatively better in shaded than in unshaded plants (Knegt et al., ), in contrast to our results here. Potentially, carbon acquired from the unshaded plant allowed the higher‐quality AM fungus to outcompete its competitor in the shaded plants (Knegt et al., ). While in the current study, we focus on the potential for partner choice by a single plant, this highlights that fungal colonization dynamics may be affected by the wider mycorrhizal network in which it is embedded.…”

“…Potentially, carbon acquired from the unshaded plant allowed the higher-quality AM fungus to outcompete its competitor in the shaded plants (Knegt et al, 2016). While in the current study, we focus on the potential for partner choice by a single plant, this highlights that fungal colonization dynamics may be affected by the wider mycorrhizal network in which it is embedded.…”

“…(courtesy of Prof. B. Hause, Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Halle, Germany) seedlings with one of four mycorrhizal treatments (1) a monoculture of Glomus aggregatum , (2) a monoculture of Rhizophagus irregularis , (formerly known as Glomus intraradices [Krüger et al, ]), (3) 1:1 mixture of both species, or (4) without AMF (negative control). Previous research had shown that R. irregularis is a higher‐quality symbiont that is more beneficial to host plants, while G. aggregatum employs a less cooperative hoarding strategy (Knegt et al., ), which stores substantially more of its phosphorus in a poly‐P form inaccessible to plants and results in depressed growth of the host plant (Kiers et al., ). After inoculation, we grew plants for 12 weeks under three atmospheric CO 2 ‐levels: low CO 2 , ambient CO 2 , or elevated CO 2 (see Section ).…”

Plant carbon limitation does not reduce nitrogen transfer from arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi to Plantago lanceolata

“…Low [CO 2 ] did not reduce mycorrhizal root colonization in our study. Growth of mycelium under low carbohydrate levels and low soil nutrient availability was also observed by Olsson et al (2014) and in plants where C availability was reduced by shading (Knegt et al 2014). AMF are obligate biotrophs and colonizing and transferring N, even to low-quality hosts, secures a sustained C suply to fungi.…”