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Mycorrhizal fungi affect plant growth: experimental evidence comparing native and invasive hosts in the context of forest fragmentation

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Abstract

Forest fragmentation and biological invasions modify plant–mycorrhizal fungal interactions, but how these variations affect native and invasive plant vegetative and reproductive growth in a fragmented forest remain unknown. To test the effects of soil fungi from different forest fragment sizes on native and invasive plants, we conducted a greenhouse factorial experiment combining soil source (i.e., small and large forest fragments) and fungicide application (with and without fungicide) on two ruderal congeneric Euphorbia (E. acerensis and E. dentata, native and invasive, respectively). Soil fungi from small forest fragments promoted lower rates of mycorrhizal colonization than soil from large forest fragments in both plant species. In general, the source of soil fungi had no effect on vegetative and reproductive growth of both plant species. Fungicide application positively affected plant height and dry mass of the native host, while the fungicide application negatively affected height and neutrally affected growth of the invasive plant species. Reproductive traits were in general positively affected by fungicide application, although in some cases, they were dependent on soil source. Forest fragmentation might promote changes in soil conditions that negatively affect mycorrhizal colonization at levels without functional consequences for plant growth. However, landscape modifications that contribute to a more severe reduction in Arbuscular Mycorrhizal (AM) fungal colonization might certainly have important consequences on native and invasive plant growth.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Julia Galetto for text editing and English advice, Secretaría de Ciencia y Técnica (Universidad Nacional de Córdoba) and Concejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) for financial support. CU and LG are researchers in CONICET, and MSL and GG are fellows of the same institution.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV), CONICET and FCEFyN, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina

    G. Grilli, C. Urcelay, M. S. Longo & L. Galetto

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  1. G. Grilli
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  2. C. Urcelay
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  3. M. S. Longo
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  4. L. Galetto
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Correspondence to G. Grilli.

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Communicated by G. Kernaghan.

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11258_2014_410_MOESM1_ESM.tif

Fig. S1. Soil nutrients (i.e., phosphorus, nitrate and ammonia) in soil of small and large forest fragments (i.e., 3 small and 3 large; n = 6). (TIFF 88 kb)

11258_2014_410_MOESM2_ESM.doc

Table S2. GLMM outputs of soil nutrients in soil of forest fragments (i.e., 3 small and 3 large; n = 6). P value indicates the statistical significance of fitting models with and without fixed factor “Forest Size.” (DOC 60 kb)

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Grilli, G., Urcelay, C., Longo, M.S. et al. Mycorrhizal fungi affect plant growth: experimental evidence comparing native and invasive hosts in the context of forest fragmentation. Plant Ecol 215, 1513–1525 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-014-0410-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-014-0410-3

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