Record ID No. |
1663 |
Author(s) |
McGuire, K L., Henkel, T W., delaCerda, I G., Villa, G., Edmund,F ., Andrew, C , 2008 |
Affiliation |
University of California Irvine, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Irvine,CA 92697 USA |
Title |
Dual mycorrhizal colonization of forest-dominating tropical trees and the mycorrhizal status of non-dominant tree and liana species |
Source. Vol.(no):Page |
Mycorrhiza.18(4):217-222p |
Categories |
Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Ectomycorrhiza |
Subjects |
Biochemistry |
Sub-subjects |
Miscellaneous |
Organism |
n.a. |
Country |
Irvine, U.S.A |
Abstracts |
The contribution of mycorrhizal associations to maintaining tree diversity
patterns in tropical rain forests is poorly known. Many tropical monodominant trees form
ectomycorrhizal (EM) associations, and there is evidence that the EM mutualism contributes to the
maintenance of monodominance. It is assumed that most other tropical tree species form arbuscular
mycorrhizal (AM) associations, and while many mycorrhizal surveys have been done, the mycorrhizal
status of numerous tropical tree taxa remains undocumented. In this study, we tested the
assumption that most tropical trees form AM associations by sampling root vouchers from tree and
liana species in monodominant Dicymbe corymbosa forest and an adjacent mixed rain forest in
Guyana. Roots were assessed for the presence/absence of AM and EM structures. Of the 142 species
of trees and lianas surveyed, three tree species (the monodominant D. Corymbosa, the
grove-forming D. Altsonii, and the non-dominant Aldina insignis) were EM, 137 were exclusively
AM, and two were non-mycorrhizal. Both EM and AM structures were observed in D. Corymbosa and D.
Altsonii. These results provide empirical data supporting the assumption that most tropical trees
form AM associations for this region in the Guiana Shield and provide the first report of dual
EM/AM colonization in Dicymbe species. Dual colonization of the Dicymbe species should be further
explored to determine if this ability contributes to the establishment and maintenance of site
dominance. |