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Responses of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbionts to contrasting environments: field evidence along a Tibetan elevation gradient

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Abstract

Plant adaptation to alpine ecosystems is not fully explained by plant physiological and morphological traits. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) associations may be involved in mediating plant performance in response to environmental differences. Little is known, however, as to whether or not a close relationship exists between plant performance and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus status across environmental gradients. We conducted a field investigation of the performance of six plant species and their associated AM fungi along higher and lower elevation gradients on Mount Segrila in Tibet. In most of our species, we observed higher shoot and inflorescence biomass production and a lower root-to-shoot ratio in the populations at those sites where the species was dominant (intermediate elevation sites) than in populations sampled at the limits of the distribution. The elevation pattern of root colonization differed with plant species on both gradients, and the extraradical hypha development of most species showed a unimodal pattern as did plant growth. The relationship between plant and fungus traits shows that AM fungus development generally matched host plant performance on the lower elevation gradient but not on the higher elevation gradient. This study provides evidence that plant distribution and productivity were significantly related to root and soil colonization by AM fungi, especially under less physically stressful conditions.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC, Projects 41071179 and 41271269) and the innovative group grant of NSFC (No. 31121062).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China

    Rong Yang, Shuming Li, Xiaolin Li, Peter Christie, Junling Zhang & Jingping Gai

  2. Tibet Agricultural and Animal Husbandry College, Tibet University, Linzhi, 860000, China

    Xiaobu Cai

Authors
  1. Rong Yang
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  2. Shuming Li
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  3. Xiaobu Cai
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  4. Xiaolin Li
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  5. Peter Christie
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  6. Junling Zhang
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  7. Jingping Gai
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Correspondence to Jingping Gai.

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Yang, R., Li, S., Cai, X. et al. Responses of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbionts to contrasting environments: field evidence along a Tibetan elevation gradient. Mycorrhiza 26, 623–632 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00572-016-0701-8

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