Linking mycorrhizal fungi and soil nutrients to vegetative and reproductive ruderal plant development in a fragmented forest at central Argentina.

GRILLI, G.; URCELAY C; GALETTO L

FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2013 vol. 310 p. 442 - 449

0378-1127

We studied the actual links between mycorrhizal fungi, nutrient availability and plant development inseveral sites of fragmented Chaco forests. Specifically, we evaluated whether arbuscular mycorrhizalfungi (AMF) and dark septate endophytes (DSE) colonization and availability of soil nutrients are relatedto growth (biomass and plant height) and reproductive traits (pollen size and pollen and fruit production)of two ruderal, annual, congeneric Euphorbia species along a gradient of forest fragmentation. Weassessed relationships between forest fragment size and isolation, nutrient availability, mycorrhizal fungalvariables and plant development at eleven Chaquean forest fragments (0.5?1000 ha) immersed in anagricultural landscape in central Argentina. Mycorrhizal colonization was not related to forest fragmentisolation, positively related to forest fragment size and negatively related to soil nutrient availability inboth hosts along the fragmentation gradient. Plant reproductive and vegetative traits were related tomycorrhizal colonization. In general, plant height, biomass, and fruit production were negatively relatedto AMF, and pollen production was positively related to DSE, in both ruderal hosts (native and exotic). Wefound remarkable relationships along a forest fragmentation gradient that reliably link forest fragmentsize to lower nutrient availability and increased mycorrhizal colonization in native/exotic ruderal hosts,while negatively linking AMF colonization to plant development and reproductive success.