Abstract
Development of fine roots and formation of symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi represent two strategies for plants to acquire nutrient and water from soil. Here, we elucidated how fine root development and symbolized mycorrhizal fungi with Stipa purpurea responded to the precipitation change in Tibetan alpine steppe ecosystem across a precipitation gradient from 50 mm to 400 mm. As precipitation increased, the proportion of thinner fine roots (diameter < 0.4 mm) in total roots increased significantly; while the mycorrhizal colonization percentage, either associated with thinner or thicker roots, decreased. This phenomenon indicated that fine root development and symbolized mycorrhizal fungi are likely alternative, and plant preferred to develop fine root rather than build a symbiotic relationship with mycorrhizal fungi in more benign niches with higher precipitation. Also, root diameter was negatively correlated with specific root length (SRL), but positively correlated with AM fungal colonization percentage, indicating thicker-root species rely more on mycorrhizal fungi in alpine steppe. The complementarity between fine root and mycorrhizal fungi of S. purpurea is mediated by precipitation in Tibetan alpine steppe.
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Acknowledgments
This research was funded by the The National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFC0501802), the Key Projects in the National Basic Research Programs (2013CB956000), and Strategic Priority Research Program (B) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB15010201) of China. The authors acknowledge the contributions of the anonymous reviewers.
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Zhang, J., Wang, P., Xue, K. et al. Trait complementarity between fine roots of Stipa purpurea and their associated arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi along a precipitation gradient in Tibetan alpine steppe. J. Mt. Sci. 16, 542–547 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-018-5311-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-018-5311-9