Abstract
Due to acid rain and nitrogen deposition, there is growing concern that other mineral nutrients, primarily potassium and phosphorus, might limit forest production in boreal forests. Ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungi are important for the acquisition of potassium and phosphorus by trees. In a field investigation, the effects of poor potassium and phosphorus status of forest trees on the production of EcM mycelium were examined. The production of EcM mycelium was estimated in mesh bags containing sand, which were buried in the soil of forests of different potassium and phosphorus status. Mesh bags with 2% biotite or 1% apatite in sand were also buried to estimate the effect of local sources of nutrients on the production of EcM mycelium. No clear relation could be found between the production of EcM mycelium and nutrient status of the trees. Apatite stimulated the mycelial production, while biotite had no significant effect. EcM root production at the mesh bag surfaces was stimulated by apatite amendment in a forest with poor phosphorus status. The contribution of EcM fungi to apatite weathering was estimated by using rare earth elements (REE) as marker elements. The concentration of REE was 10 times higher in EcM roots, which had grown in contact with the outer surface of apatite-amended mesh bags than in EcM roots grown in contact with the biotite amended or sand-filled mesh bags. In a laboratory study, it was confirmed that REE accumulated in the roots with very low amounts <1 translocated to the shoots. The short-term effect of EcM mycelium on the elemental composition of biotite and apatite was investigated and compared with biotite- and apatite-amended mesh bags buried in trenched soil plots, which were free from EcM fungi. The mesh bags subjected to EcM fungi showed no difference in chemical composition after 17 months in the field. This study suggests that trees respond to phosphorus limitation by increased exploitation of phosphorus-containing minerals by ectomycorrhiza. However, the potential to ameliorate potassium limitation in a similar way appears to be low.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anonymous 1986 Fasta Skogsprovytor i Skåne, Rapport 1. County Administrative Board of Kristianstad, Kristianstad, Sweden. 49 pp.
Barkman A and Sverdrup H 1996 Critical Loads of Acidity and Nutrient Imbalance for Forest Ecosystems in Skåne, Report 1. Department of Chemical technology II, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. 64 pp.
Bending G D and Read D J 1995 The structure and function of the vegetative mycelium of ectomycorrhizal plants V. Foraging behaviour and translocation of nutrients from exploited litter. New Phytol. 130, 401–409.
Berggren H, Mattiason G and Nihlgàrd B 1992 Fasta skogsprovytor i Skåne, Rapport County Administrative Board of Kristianstad Kristianstad, Sweden. 53 pp.
Bidartondo M I, Ek H, Wallander H and Söderström B 2001 Do nutrient additions alter carbon sink strength of ectomycorrhizal fungi? New Phytol. 151, 543–550.
Bowen G D 1973 Mineral nutrition in ectomycorrhizae. In Physiological Ecology, Ectomycorrhizae. Their Ecology and Physiology. Eds. Marks G C and Kozlowski T T. pp. 151–205. Academic Press, New York, USA.
Brandes B, Godbold D L, Kuhn A J and Jentschke G 1998 Nitrogen and phosphorus acquisation by the mycelium of the ectomycorrhizal fungus Paxillus involutus and its effect on host nutrition. New Phytol. 140, 735–743.
Carleton T J and Read D J 1991 Ectomycorrhizas and nutrient transfer in conifer – feather moss ecosystems. Can. J. Bot. 69, 778–785.
Colpaert J V, van Tichelen K K, van Assche J A and van Laere A 1999 Short-term phosphorus uptake rates in mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal roots of intact Pinus sylvestris seedlings. New Phytol. 143, 589–597.
Cumming J R 1996 Phosphate-limitation physiology in ectomycorrhizal pitch pine (Pinus rigida) seedlings. Tree-Physiol. 16, 977–983.
Duddridge J A 1986 The development and ultrastructure of ectomycorrhizas III. Compatible and incompatible interactions between Suillus grevillei and 11 species of ectomycorrhizal host in vitro in the absence of exogenous carbohydrate. New Phytol. 103, 457–464.
Dutton M V and Evans C S 1996 Oxalate production by fungi: its role in pathogenicity and ecology in the soil environment. Can. J. Microbiol. 42, 881–895.
Ekblad A, Wallander H, Carisson R and Huss-Danell K 1995 Fungal biomass in roots and extramatrical mycelium in relation to macronutrients and plant biomass of ectomycorrhizal Pinus sylvestris and Alnus incana. New Phytol. 131, 443–451.
Ericsson T 1995 Growth and shoot:root ratio of seedlings in relation to nutrient availability. Plant Soil 168–169, 205–214.
Erland S, Söderström B and Andersson 5 1990 Effects of liming on ectomycorrhizal fungi infecting Pinus sylvestris L. II. Growth rates in pure culture at different pH values compared to growth rates in symbiosis with the host plant. New Phytol. 115, 683–688.
Finlay R D 1989 Functional aspects of phosphorus uptake and carbon translocation in incompatible ectomycorrhizal associoations between Pinus sylvestris and Suillus grevillei and Boletinus cavipes. New Phytol. 112, 185–192.
Finlay R D and Read D J 1986 The structure and function of the vegetative mycelium of ectomycorrhizal plants II. The uptake and distribution of phosphorus by mycelial strands interconnecting host plants. New Phytol. 103, 157–166.
Foerst K, Sauter U and Neuerburg W 1987 Bericht zur Ehrnahrungssituation der Wälder in Bayern und über die Anlage von Walddungeversuchen. Bayerische Forstliche Versuchs-und Forschungs-anstalt, Munich, FRG.
Fu F F, Akagi T, Yabuki S and Iwaki M 2001 The variation of REE (rare earth elements) patterns in soil-grown plants: a new proxy for the source of rare earth elements and silicon in plants. Plant Soil 235, 53–64.
George E, Seith B, Shaeffer C and Marschner H 1997 Responses of Picea, Pinus and Pseudotsuga roots to heterogeneous nutrient distribution in soil. Tree Physiol. 17, 39–45.
Hagerberg D and Wallander H 2002 The impact of forest residue removal and wood ash amendment on the growth of the ectomycorrhizal external mycelium. FEMS Microbiol. Ecol. 39, 139–146.
Ingestad T and Kähr M 1985 Nutrition and growth of coniferous seedlings at varied relative nitrogen addition rate. Physiol. Plant. 65, 109–116.
Jentschke G, Brandes B, Kuhn A J, Schröder W H, Becker J S and Godbold D L 2000 The mycorrhizal fungus Paxillus involutus transports magnesium to Norway spruce seedlings. Evidence from stable isotope labelling. Plant Soil 220, 243–246.
Kåren O and Nylund J-K 1997 Effects of ammonium sulphate on the community structure and biomass of ectomycorrhizal fungi in a Norway spruce stand in southwestern Sweden. Can. J. Bot. 75, 1628–1642.
Landeweert R, Hoffland F, Finlay R D, Kuyper T W and van Breemen N 2001 Linking plants to rocks: Ectomycorrhizal fungi mobilize nutrients from minerals. Trends in Ecol. Evol. 16, 248–254.
Linder S 1995 Foliar analysis for detecting and correcting nutrient imbalances in Norway spruce. Ecol. Bull. 44, 178–196.
Mahmood S, Finlay R D, Erland S and Wallander H 2001 Solubilisation and colonisation of wood ash by ectomycorrhizal fungi isolated from a wood ash fertilised spruce forest. FEMS Microbiol. Ecol. 35, 151–161.
Majdi H, Damm F and Nylund J-E 2001 Longevity of mycorrhizal roots depend on branching order and nutrient availability. New Phytol. 150, 195–202.
Marschner H and Dell B 1994 Nutrient uptake in mycorrhizal symbiosis. Plant Soil 159, 89–102.
Morrison T M 1962 Absorption of phosphorus from soils by mycorrhizal plants. New Phytol. 56, 247–257.
Nylund J-F and Wallander H 1989 Effects of ectomycorrhiza on host growth and carbon balance in a semi-hydroponic cultivation system. New Phytol. 112, 389–398.
Olsson P-A 1998 The External Mycorrhizal Mycelium. Growth and Interactions with Saprophytic Microorganisms. PhD thesis, Dept. Microbial Ecology, Lund University, Lund Sweden. 41 pp.
Read D J 1991 Mycorrhizas in Ecosystems. Experientia 47, 376–391.
Robards A W and Robb M F 1974 The entry of ions and molecules into roots. An investigation using electron opaque tracers. Planta 120, 1–12.
Robinson D 1994 Tansley review no 73. The responses of plants to non-uniform supplies of nutrients. New Phytol. 127, 635–674.
Schack-Kirchner H, Wilpert K V and Hildebrand E F 2000 The spatial distribution of soil hyphae in structured spruce-forest soil. Plant Soil 224, 195–205
Smith S E and Read D J 1997 Mycorrhizal Symbiosis. Academic Press, San Diego, USA. 605 pp.
Sokal R R and Rohlf F J 1969 Biometry. 1st ed. W H Freeman, San Francisco, USA. 605 pp.
Sokal R R and Rohlf F J 1995 Biometry. 3rd ed. W H Freeman and Company, New York, USA. 887 pp.
Sverdrup H and Warfvinge P 1993 Calculating field weathering rates using a mechanistic geochemical model – PROFILE. J. Appl. Geochem. 8, 273–283.
Tamm C-O 1991 Nitrogen in terrestrial ecosystems. Questions of productivity. Springer Verlag, Berlin, FRG. 115 pp.
Thelin G 2000 Nutrient Imbalance in Norway Spruce. PhD thesis, Dept. Plant Ecology Lund University, Lund, Sweden. 44 pp.
Thelin G, Rosengren U and Nihlgård B 2002 Barrkemi på Skånska Gran-och Tallprovytor, Rapport 20. County administrative board of Skåne, Malmö, Sweden. 35 pp.
Unestam T and Sun T P 1995 Extramatrical structures of hydrophobic and hydrophilic ectomycorrhizal fungi. Mycorrhiza 5, 301–311.
van Breemen N, Finlay R. Lundström U, Jongmans A G, Giesler R and Olsson M 2000 Mycorrhizal weathering: A true case of mineral plant nutrition? Biogeochemistry 49, 53–67.
Vesk P A, Ashford A E, Markovina A L and Allaway W G 2000 Apoplasmic barriers and their significance in the exodermis and sheath of Eucalyptus pilularis-Pisolithus tinctorius ectomycorrhizas. New Phytol. 145, 333–346.
Wallander H 2000a Uptake of P from apatite by Pinus sylvestris seedlings colonised by different ectomycorrhizal fungi. Plant Soil 218, 249–256.
Wallander H 2000b Use of strontium isotopes and folar K content to estimate weathering of biotite induced by pine seedlings colonised by ectomycorrhizal fungi from two different soils. Plant Soil 222, 215–229.
Wallander H, Johansson L and Pallon J 2002 PIXE analysis to estimate the elemental composition of ectomycorrhizal rhizomorphs grown in contact with different minerals in forest soil. FEMS Microbiol. Ecol. 39, 147–156.
Wallander H, Mahmood S, Hagerberg D, Johansson L and Pallon J 2003 The use of PIXE to estimate the elemental composition of ectomycorrhizal mycelia identified with PCR/RFLP and grown in contact with apatite or wood ash in forest soil. FEMS Microbiol. Ecol. (In press).
Wallander H, Nilsson L O, Hagerberg D and Bååth E 2001 Estimation of the biomass and production of external mycelium of ectomycorrhizal fungi in the field. New Phytol. 151, 753–760.
Wallander H and Nylund J-E 1992 Effects of excess nitrogen and phosphorus starvation on the extramatrical mycelium of ectomycorrhizas of Pinus sylvestris L. New Phytol. 120, 495–503.
Wallander H and Wickman T 1999 Biotite and microcline as potassium sources in ectomycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal Pinus sylvestris seedlings. Mycorrhiza 9, 25–32.
Wallander H, Wickman T and Jacks G 1997 Apatite as a P source in mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal Pinus sylvestris seedlings. Plant Soil 196, 123–131.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hagerberg, D., Thelin, G. & Wallander, H. The production of ectomycorrhizal mycelium in forests: Relation between forest nutrient status and local mineral sources. Plant and Soil 252, 279–290 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024719607740
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024719607740