Research finding papers: Notes on root colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

摘要

Mycorrhizal interactions, especially Arbuscular Mycorrhizal (AM) interactions, occur in a wide variety of plants (Smith and Read 1997). For plants engaged in these interactions, the cost is in the form of organic compounds derived from photosynthesis(Fitter 1991), and the benefit provided by the AM fungi is improved uptake of water and minerals (Varma 1995), particularly phosphorous (Koide 1991). A substantial body of experimental evidence shows that root colonization by AM fungi is generally lowerin nutrient-rich substrates than in nutrient-poor soils (Treseder 2004). Arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization of plants may depend on edaphic properties and environmental factors, such as precipitation and sunlight hours. Arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization is negatively correlated with total N, total P, available P and soil organic matter but positively correlated with soil pH (Lingfei, Anna, and Zhi-Wei 2005) (Kamareh, Shirvany, Matinizadeh, Etemad, and Khoshnevis 2011). However, studies that examine an array of AM fungal species from different taxonomic groups are lacking and life-history strategies for AM fungi are yet to be described (Hart and Reader 2002). A life-history strategy provides an ecological description of how an organism fulfils its life-cycle requirements (Hart and Reader 2002). A life history strategy can be described using a wide range of species traits but usually these include colonizing ability, dispersal ability, tolerance of stress and disturbance, investment into reproductionvs vegetative growth, and mode of reproduction (Grime 1977; Pianka 1970) (Hart and Reader 2002).