| Summary: | Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi usually improve plant performance yet our knowledgeabout their effects on seed germination and early plant establishment is very limited. Weperformed a factorial greenhouse experiment where the seeds from four low Arctic cooccurringmycorrhizal herbs (Antennaria dioica, Campanula rotundifolia, Sibbaldiaprocumbens, and Solidago virgaurea) were germinated alone or in the vicinity of an adultSibbaldia plant with or without AM fungi; given either as spores or being present in acommon mycorrhizal network (CMN). Three different AM fungal species were examined toassess species-specific differences in symbiont acquisition rate. Out of the four plant speciesinvestigated, the presence of AM fungi affected seed germination only in Campanula and thiseffect was dependent on whether the AM fungi were present in the soil as spores or as aCMN. Overall, after germination, developing seedlings showed AM fungal colonization intheir roots as soon as 2 days after cotyledon emergence. Our results show that CMN mayprovide germinating seedlings faster acquisition of the AM fungal partner in comparison toacquisition from spores. Furthermore, there were AM species-specific differences in thesymbiont acquisition rate highlighting the importance of species identity in AM interactions.These findings suggest that while AM fungi may not play a fundamental role during seedgermination, plant community composition may be affected by the species-specific AMfungal effects on seedling establishment and CMN acquisition.
|
|---|