INVESTIGADORES
IRIBARNE Oscar Osvaldo
artículos
Título:
Burrowing activate mycorrhizal mutualism in saltmarshes
Autor/es:
DALEO, P; M.E. FANJUL; A. MENDEZ CASARIEGO; B. SILLIMAN; M. BERTNESS; O. IRIBARNE
Revista:
ecology letters
Editorial:
Blackwell Publishing
Referencias:
Lugar: New York; Año: 2007 vol. 10 p. 902 - 908
ISSN:
1461-0248
Resumen:
Theory predicts that ecosystem engineers should have their most dramatic effects when
they enable species, through habitat amelioration, to live in zones where physical and
biological conditions would otherwise suppress or limit them. Mutualisms between
mycorrhizal fungi and plants are key determinants of productivity and biodiversity in
most terrestrial systems, but are thought to be unimportant in wetlands because anoxic
sediments exclude fungal symbionts. Our field surveys revealed arbuscular mycorrhizal
associations on salt marsh plant roots, but only in the presence of crabs that oxygenate
soils as a by-product of burrowing. Field experiments demonstrate that fungal
colonization is dependent on crab burrowing and responsible for nearly 35% of plant
growth. These results highlight ecosystem engineers as ecological linchpins that can
activate and maintain key mutualisms between species. Our findings align salt marshes
with other important biogenic habitats whose productivity is reliant on mutualisms
between the primary foundation species and micro-organisms.