Record ID No. |
1310 |
Author(s) |
Pietikainen A., Kytoviita M. M., Vuoti U. , 2005 |
Affiliation |
Department of Biology, P.O. Box 3000, FIN-90014, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland. |
Title |
Mycorrhiza and seedling establishment in a subarctic meadow: effects of fertilization and defoliation |
Source. Vol.(no):Page |
Journal of Vegetation Science. 16(2): 175-182p. |
Categories |
Arbuscular Mycorrhiza |
Subjects |
Soil plant relations |
Sub-subjects |
Manuring |
Host |
Deschampsia flexuosa, Solidago virgaurea, Gnaphalium norvegicum |
Organism |
AMF |
Country |
Finland, Europe |
Abstracts |
This study was conducted to investigate how changing resource availability induced by fertilizer application and defoliation affect seedling establishment and mycorrhizal symbiosis in a subarctic meadow (dominated by Deschampsia flexuosa) in Kilpisjarvi, Finland. A short-term full-factorial experiment was established, with NPK fertilizer application and defoliation of natural established vegetation as treatments. Seeds of two perennial herbs Solidago virgaurea and Gnaphalium norvegicum were sown in natural vegetation and their germination and growth followed. At the final harvest, we measured the response in terms of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi colonization, biomass and nitrogen concentration of the seedlings and the established vegetation. Germination rate was negatively affected by defoliation in the unfertilized plots. The shoot biomass of S. virgaurea seedlings was reduced by the defoliation and fertilizer application treatments, but not affected by their interaction. In G. norvegicum, the germination rate and the seedling shoot biomass were negatively correlated with moss biomass in the plots. In the established plants, the AM fungi colonization rate was low and defoliation and fertilizer application treatments either increased or did not affect the colonization by AM fungi. In the seedlings, the colonization rate by AM fungi was high, but it was not affected by treatments. Both seedlings and established plants were colonized by dark septate fungi. Reduction of plant biomass by herbivores can have different effects on seedling growth in areas of high and low soil nutrient availability. The weak response of AM fungi colonization to defoliation and fertilizer application suggests that AM symbiosis is not affected by altering plant resource availability under the conditions employed in this study. |