Wetland dicots and monocots differ in colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and dark septate endophytes

Abstract

As an initial step towards evaluating whether mycorrhizas influence composition and diversity in calcareous fen plant communities, we surveyed root colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and dark septate endophytic fungi (DSE) in 67 plant species in three different fens in central New York State (USA). We found colonization by AMF and DSE in most plant species at all three sites, with the type and extent of colonization differing between monocots and dicots. On average, AMF colonization was higher in dicots (58+/-3%, mean+/-SE) than in monocots (13+/-4%) but DSE colonization followed the opposite trend (24+/-3% in monocots and 9+/-1% in dicots). In sedges and cattails, two monocot families that are often abundant in fens and other wetlands, AMF colonization was usually very low (<10%) in five species and completely absent in seven others. However, DSE colonization in these species was frequently observed. Responses of wetland plants to AMF and DSE are poorly understood, but in the fen communities surveyed, dicots appear to be in a better position to respond to AMF than many of these more abundant monocots (e.g., sedges and cattails). In contrast, these monocots may be more likely to respond to DSE. Future work directed towards understanding the response of these wetland plants to AMF and DSE should provide insight into the roles these fungal symbionts play in influencing diversity in fen plant communities.

The role of macrophytes in wetland ecosystems

“…The relationship between http://jefb.org because wetland plants have the ability to oxygenate the rhizosphere (Armstrong et al 1994) and this may mitigate the negative impact of flooding on the rhizosphere associated AM fungi (Ipsilantis and Sylvia 2007). Generally, the fungal colonization is higher in dicots than in monocots, with Cyperaceae generally showing a low colonization (Weishampel and Bedford 2006), however, in extremely nutrient limited environments such as wetlands on the ultramafic soils in New Caledonia, Cyperaceae were found to be heavily colonized (Lagrange et al 2011).…”

Diversidad, ecología e importancia potencial de los hongos endófitos septados obscuros en México

“…presentan colonización por HMA y DSE (Fraccaro de Marins et al, 2009). La presencia constante de DSE en hábitats acuáticos sugiere que son importantes en este tipo de ambientes; sin embargo, existen pocas investigaciones de las interacciones entre éstos y los HMA en plantas acuáticas (Weishampel y Bedford, 2006). Ruotsalainen et al (2002) evaluaron la estacionalidad de la colonización por HMA y DSE en especies vegetales como Alchemilla glomerulans Buser, Carex vaginata Tausch, Ranunculus acriss subsp.…”

“…Horton et al (1998) encontraron que las raíces de plántulas de Pinus muricata D.Don estaban colonizadas simultáneamente por HECM, HMA y DSE después de un incendio natural; en el caso de los DSE se observó la abundancia de microesclerocios. En bosques de tierras bajas algunas especies vegetales monocotiledóneas y dicotiledóneas se asocian con DSE y HMA después de sufrir inundaciones, aunque la colonización por DSE estuvo negativamente correlacionada con la colonización de HMA (Weishampel y Bedford, 2006;Stevens et al, 2010). La colonización por HMA se reduce dependiendo de la magnitud de la inundación a la que esté sometida la planta; mientras que los DSE, al parecer, se adaptan a condiciones de inundación severa por lo que pueden persistir en el hospedante (Miller, 2000).…”

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and dark septate fungi in plants associated with aquatic environments

“…However, the ecological and physiological aspects of the interaction were not evaluated in any of these studies. Weishampel & Bedford (2006) pointed out that many studies may confuse colonization by DSF with colonization by AMF, or simply not reported it.…”

“…DSF have been observed in different countries of all the regions of the world, such as North America (the United States, Canada, Arctic and the Subarctic), South America (Argentina, Peru), Europe (Germany, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Czeck Republic, among others), Africa (South Africa), Asia (Japan, China, India), Oceania (Australia), and Antarctica Ohki et al 2002;Ruotsalainen et al 2002;Urcelay 2002;Barrow 2003;Chaurasia et al 2005;Muthukumar et al 2006;Weishampel & Bedford 2006;Li & Guan 2007;Menoyo et al 2007). In Brazil, DSF have been observed in a variety of biomes and ecosystems such as the Atlantic Forest in the states of Santa Catarina (Grippa et al 2007) and Sergipe (Souza 2003), Caatinga in the state of Pernambuco (Santos et al 2000), Campos Rupestres (rupestrian grasslands) in the state of Minas Gerais (Nogueira et al 2005) and wetlands in the state of Paraná (Marins et al 2009).…”