MYCORRHIZAL STATUS AND RESPONSIVENESS OF EARLY SUCCESSIONAL COMMUNITIES FROM CHAQUEAN REGION IN CENTRAL ARGENTINA

URCELAY, CARLOS; TECCO, PAULA; PEREZ, MARICEL; GRILLI, GABRIEL; LONGO, MARÍA SILVANA; BATTISTELLA, ROMINA

Mycorrhiza: Occurrence in Natural Environments.

Nova Science Publishers

Año: 2011; p. 147 - 163

Theoretical models suggest that early successional communities are dominated by non-mycorrhizal plant species and thus, assume that mycorrhiza interactions do not play an important role in structuring these plant communities. Here we test these classic models gathering data from Chaquean region in central Argentina. The evidence shows that, in contrast to model predictions, most of the studied ruderal species in these communities harbour arbucular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and dark septate endophytes (DSE) in their roots. In addition, data from synthetic experiment show that AMF have antagonistic effects on three abundant ruderal fast-growing pioneer species (growing alone and interacting with each other) and promote evenness in this simplified plant community. The effects of AMF on ruderal pioneers observed here mirror those attributed to herbivores and pathogens, suggesting a previous unrecognised mechanism by which AMF might promote secondary succession. Altogether, the evidence suggests that AMF and DSE should be included in models that predict the effects of fungal root symbionts in early secondary succession communities. The evidence so far suggests that AMF-ruderal species symbiosis has potential implications in agroecosystems management, ecological restoration and phytoremediation.