Inoculation with Pisolithus tinctorius may ameliorate acid rain impacts on soil microbial communities associated with Pinus massoniana seedlings

Abstract

Human activities accelerate acidification, particularly as acid rain, which may have lasting impacts on soil abiotic and biotic parameters. However, the effects of acidification on aboveground vegetation, belowground communities, and carbon cycling remains unresolved. We examined the effects of long-term acidic treatments and Pisolithus inoculation on plants, soils, and microbial communities in pine plantations and found that exposure to severely-acidic treatments diminished plant performance, altered microbial communities, and decreased organic matter, nitrate, and available phosphorus. Although we did not detect any benefits of Pisolithus inoculation for Pinus seedlings impacted by severely-acidic treatments, when these severe treatments were inoculated with Pisolithus, both soil properties and microbial community composition shifted. We posit that inoculation with Pisolithus may alleviate stressful environmental conditions, and change the structure of mycorrhizal fungal communities. Although acidification may alter biogeochemical cycles and constrain aboveground and belowground communities, Pisolithus inoculation may provide benefits to some components of forested ecosystems.

Improved Tolerance of Mycorrhizal Torreya grandis Seedlings to Sulfuric Acid Rain Related to Phosphorus and Zinc Contents in Shoots

“…Furthermore, SAR has complex ecological consequences in plants, such as stunting their height, degrading root system growth, interrupting the accumulation of low-molecular-weight solutes, and obstructing the transportation of nutrients, which can adversely influence biomass accumulation, decrease plant resistance to unfavorable conditions, and induce mortality [ 11 , 12 , 13 ]. Therefore, physical, chemical, and/or biological approaches applied to remediate the detrimental effects of SAR or improve resistance to SAR have received increased attention [ 12 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ].…”

Crecimiento de plantas de Pinus arizonica Engelm. inoculadas con Pisolithus tinctorius y Astraeus hygrometricus en invernadero

“…Fr. (Maltz et al, 2019). Sebastiana et al (2018) señalaron que la inoculación con P. tinctorius tuvo efecto positivo sobre la altura de la planta, la biomasa de los brotes, el diámetro basal del brote y el crecimiento radicular de Quercus suber en condiciones de campo, también aumentó la concentración de nitrógeno y la tolerancia a la sequía en comparación con las plantas no inoculadas.…”

Global Trends of Acidity in Rainfall and Its Impact on Plants and Soil

“…The growth of plants and soil fertility are affected indirectly by deficiency of these nutrients (Mishima et al 2013). Nutrient deficiency inhibits nodulation in plants by limiting legumes' ability to transmit signals that attract the rhizobia (Sullivan et al 2017) and indirectly inhibits ectomycorrhizal fungal association with plants (Maltz et al 2019), which results in reduced plant vigor and productivity (Fig. 2).…”