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Arbuscular mycorrhizal hyphae promote priming of native soil organic matter mineralisation

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Abstract

Background and aims

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) hyphae represent an important route for input of plant-derived C to soil, but impacts of these inputs on microbial communities and processes are poorly understood. In this study we characterised pathways of C-flow through microbial communities associated with AM hyphae and quantified impacts on mineralisation of native SOM.

Methods

Continuous, steady-state 13CO2 labelling was applied throughout the growth period (60 d) of Lolium perenne. Exclusion meshes were used to control access of roots and AM hyphae to soil, and plant-derived C was quantified within microbial PLFA and NLFA, and soil CO2 efflux was partitioned into plant- and soil organic matter (SOM) derived components.

Results

Pathways of C-flow through hyphosphere and mycorrhizosphere communities were distinct, as was the fate of plant-derived C from AM hyphae accessing soil through 37 and 1 μm meshes. Mineralisation of native SOM was increased in all treatments, relative to unplanted controls, and this priming effect was largest for AM hyphae accessing soil through the 1 μm mesh size.

Conclusions

We demonstrated that AM hyphae can strongly increase mineralisation of native SOM and identified distinct pathways of C-flow through hyphosphere communities. Our results suggest that, in addition to affecting rates of litter decomposition, AM hyphae may have a significant influence on turnover of native SOM.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Nia Gray for PLFA and NLFA extractions, to Barry Thornton and Maureen Procee for their expertise in 13C compound-specific analyses and to Shona Osborne for support in maintenance of the experiments. We would also like to thank Tim George for comments on an earlier version of the text, and two reviewers for their suggestions to improve the manuscript. The research was funded by the Rural and Environmental Science and Analytical Services (RESAS) division of the Scottish Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The James Hutton Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen, Scotland, AB15 8QH, UK

    Eric Paterson & Allan Sim

  2. The James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, DD25DA, UK

    Jane Davidson & Timothy J Daniell

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  1. Eric Paterson
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  2. Allan Sim
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  3. Jane Davidson
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Correspondence to Eric Paterson.

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Responsible Editor: Thom W. Kuyper.

Electronic Supplementary Material

ESM 1

Figure S1 Photograph illustrating the microcosm systems, and on the right hand side, separately, an exclusion cores with syringe barrel fitted for collection of soil CO2 efflux. (JPEG 1669 kb) (JPEG 1.62 mb)

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Paterson, E., Sim, A., Davidson, J. et al. Arbuscular mycorrhizal hyphae promote priming of native soil organic matter mineralisation. Plant Soil 408, 243–254 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-016-2928-8

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