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Arbuscular mycorrhizas in phosphate-polluted soil: interrelations between root colonization and nitrogen

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Abstract

To investigate whether arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) – abundant in a phosphate-polluted but nitrogen-poor field site – improve plant N nutrition, we carried out a two-factorial experiment, including N fertilization and fungicide treatment. Percentage of root length colonized (% RLC) by AMF and tissue element concentrations were determined for four resident plant species. Furthermore, soil nutrient levels and N effects on aboveground biomass of individual species were measured. Nitrogen fertilization lowered % RLC by AMF of Artemisia vulgaris L., Picris hieracioides L. and Poa compressa L., but not of Bromus japonicus Thunb. This – together with positive N addition effects on N status, N:P-ratio and aboveground biomass of most species – suggested that plants are mycorrhizal because of N deficiency. Fungicide treatment, which reduced % RLC in all species, resulted in lower N concentrations in A. vulgaris and P. hieracioides, a higher N concentration in P. compressa, and did not consistently affect N status of B. japonicus. Evidently, AMF had an influence on the N nutrition of plants in this P-rich soil; however – potentially due to differences in their mycorrhizal responsiveness – not all species seemed to benefit from a mycorrhiza-mediated N uptake and accordingly, N distribution.

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Abbreviations

AM:

Arbuscular mycorrhiza

AMF:

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

% RLC:

Percentage of root length colonized

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by a grant from the German Research Foundation (GRK 266). We thank Sandra Schau and Boris Börstler for help in the field, Birgit Schulze for freeze-drying of plant samples at the MPI for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Nadine Merki and Karin Lühring for plant element analyses and Claudia Krüger for root staining. We also thank Christoph Scherber for help with statistical analyses, Karen Budge for improving the English of the manuscript and Stefan Hempel for reviewing the manuscript prior to submission. Further, we thank two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments. Scotts Deutschland GmbH provided the fertilizer for free.

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Author notes

  1. Verena Blanke

    Present address: Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon Research Station ART, Air Pollution/Climate Group, Reckenholzstrasse 191, 8046, Zürich, Switzerland

  2. Carsten Renker

    Present address: Natural History Museum Mainz, Reichklarastr. 10, 55116, Mainz, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Ecology, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Dornburger Strasse 159, 07743, Jena, Germany

    Verena Blanke

  2. Department of Soil Ecology, UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Theodor-Lieser-Strasse 4, 06120, Halle/Saale, Germany

    Verena Blanke, Carsten Renker & François Buscot

  3. NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK

    Markus Wagner

  4. Central Division of Analytical Chemistry (ZCH), Research Centre Jülich, Leo-Brandt-Strasse, 52425, Jülich, Germany

    Hannelore Lippert & Manfred Michulitz

  5. Institute for Phytosphere Research (ICG-3), Research Centre Jülich, Leo-Brandt-Strasse, 52425, Jülich, Germany

    Arnd J. Kuhn

  6. Institute of Biology, Chair of Soil Ecology, University of Leipzig, Johannisallee 21, 04103, Leipzig, Germany

    François Buscot

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  1. Verena Blanke
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Correspondence to Verena Blanke.

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Responsible Editor: Angela Hodge.

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Online Resource 1

Tissue element concentrations (other than N, P and N:P) of Artemisia vulgaris, Picris hieracioides, Poa compressa and Bromus japonicus for the different treatment combinations (averaged across blocks) (PDF 39 kb)

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Total soil element concentrations (other than N, P and pH) for the different treatment combinations (averaged across blocks) (PDF 20 kb)

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Blanke, V., Wagner, M., Renker, C. et al. Arbuscular mycorrhizas in phosphate-polluted soil: interrelations between root colonization and nitrogen. Plant Soil 343, 379–392 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-011-0727-9

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