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The effect of forest soil and community composition on ectomycorrhizal colonization and seedling growth

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Abstract

Plant–soil feedbacks have been observed in many forest communities, but the role of the mycorrhizal community in perpetuating feedback loops is still poorly understood. Mycorrhizal community composition is closely linked to soil properties and host plant composition, which highlights their potential importance in plant–soil–fungus loops. Eastern hemlock (hemlock; Tsuga canadensis) seedlings were grown in soil bioassays in growth chambers and transplanted under closed forest canopy to examine the effect of hardwood and hemlock forest soil on seedling growth, survival, and ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) colonization. Seedlings propagated in hemlock forest soil had greater height growth compared with sterile control soil and achieved greater mycorrhizal colonization than seedlings grown in hardwood forest soils after 9 months in a growth chamber. Outplanted seedlings grown in hemlock communities achieved significantly greater increment growth than those seedlings grown in hardwood communities (mean height difference (95% CI) = 0.39 cm (0.14–0.63 cm)), although final survival and EMF colonization was similar between forest types. EMF diversity (Shannon-Wiener index (SE) = 1.88 (0.28) and 1.23 (0.44) for hardwood and hemlock, respectively) and community assemblage (Jaccard index (SE) = 19.0% (4%)) differed between the two forest communities. EMF community assemblage was associated with both the forest type (i.e. plant community/microsite effects) and initial soil type (i.e. soil characteristics/resistant inoculum). The results support previously observed positive feedbacks between conspecifics under hemlock forest communities and provides evidence for the role of the EMF community within this feedback loop. Alternatively, the reduced growth of hemlocks under hardwoods may be attributed to the different EMF community associated with that forest.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Mianus River Gorge Preserve, a TA fellowship from SUNY-ESF, Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, and the SUNY-ESF Zabel award. Thanks to all those who helped with field work and analyses, especially Joseph Vineis. We would also like to thank the Mianus River Gorge Preserve for providing a study site and assistance in the field especially Mark Weckel, Chris Nagy, and Rod Christie. We would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers and handling editor, Dr. Thom Kuyper, for their constructive feedback and revisions which have helped to clarify and improve the paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, State University of New York—Environmental Science and Forestry, 458 Illick Hall, 1 Forestry Dr., Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA

    Michael J. O’Brien, Courtney E. Gomola & Thomas R. Horton

  2. Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland

    Michael J. O’Brien

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  1. Michael J. O’Brien
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  2. Courtney E. Gomola
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  3. Thomas R. Horton
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Correspondence to Michael J. O’Brien.

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Responsible Editor: Thom W. Kuyper.

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O’Brien, M.J., Gomola, C.E. & Horton, T.R. The effect of forest soil and community composition on ectomycorrhizal colonization and seedling growth. Plant Soil 341, 321–331 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-010-0646-1

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