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Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi species-specifically affect induced plant responses to a spider mite

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Population Ecology

Abstract

It is widely recognized that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) improve plant growth and nutrient conditions, but their effects can vary from negative to positive depending on AMF species. Since the performance of herbivorous arthropods varies with plant quality, different AMF species should differently affect the density of herbivorous arthropods on plants and the herbivore-induced plant responses. We examined the indirect effects of AMF on the number of spider mites (Tetranychus urticae) and the number of damaged leaves in an outdoor glass-chamber experiment, using Lotus japonicus plants inoculated with one of four different AMF species (Gigaspora margarita, Glomus etunicatum, Gl. intraradices, and Acaulospora longula). Plants with Gi. margarita and A. longula had significantly fewer female mites than plants with Gl. etunicatum and Gl. intraradices, and plants with Gi. margarita had the fewest damaged leaves, followed by plants with A. longula, Gl. intraradices, and Gl. etunicatum. To examine species-specific effects of AMF on herbivore-induced plant responses, we carried out a bioassay with eggs laid by spider mites, and analyses of leaf chemicals (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and total phenolics) using plants subjected or not subjected to herbivory. The bioassay showed that mite egg production and its changes following mite herbivory changed depending on the AMF species. In addition, Principal component analysis for leaf chemicals revealed not only mite-induced changes in leaf chemical composition, but also AMF effects on the herbivore-induced response in a species-specific way. Thus, we need to pay more attention to the species identity of AMF as an important factor in determining the strength of effects of belowground AMF on the performance and/or preferences of aboveground herbivores.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Drs. Tomoko Kojima, Hideki Kagata, Yasuyuki Choh, Masayoshi Uefune, Takeshi Miki, Shunsuke Utsumi, and Yoshino Ando for their valuable comments on the experimental design and an earlier version of this paper, Miss Aiko Izumino for laboratory assistance and encouragement, and Dr. Elizabeth Nakajima for English correcting of this text. This study was supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A-15207003 and B-20370010) to T. Ohgushi, the twenty-first Century COE program (A14) and the Global COE program (A06) to Kyoto University, and JSPS Research Fellowships for Young Scientist to T. Nishida and N. Katayama.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, 509-3 Hirano 2-chome, Ohtsu, Shiga, 520-2113, Japan

    Takaaki Nishida, Noboru Katayama & Takayuki Ohgushi

  2. Department of Forest Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyoto Prefectural University, 1-5 Nakaragi-cho, Shimogamo, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8522, Japan

    Naoyuki Izumi

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  1. Takaaki Nishida
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  2. Noboru Katayama
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  3. Naoyuki Izumi
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  4. Takayuki Ohgushi
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Correspondence to Noboru Katayama.

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Nishida, T., Katayama, N., Izumi, N. et al. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi species-specifically affect induced plant responses to a spider mite. Popul Ecol 52, 507–515 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10144-010-0208-7

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