Publication Date:
2012-11-30
Description:
To determine how colonization by different ectomycorrhizal (ECM)-fungal species affects the physiology and morphology of Quercus serrata seedlings, we assessed the net photosynthetic rate, the respiration rate of the lateral roots, leaf and root nitrogen (N) concentrations, specific leaf area, and specific root length in 9-month-old Q. serrata seedlings inoculated with Pisolithus tinctorius, Scleroderma citrinum, Laccaria amethystea , and Astraeus hygrometricus. While uninoculated control plants showed no colonization, the percentage of ECM colonization of root tips attained 35% with P. tinctorius and about 86% with the other three ECM species. Similar to ECM root colonization, the photosynthetic as well as the root-respiration rates were higher in seedlings with S. citrinum, L. amethystea , and A. hygrometricus than that in the control and those with P. tinctorius. Both the photosynthetic and root-respiration rates were positively correlated with ECM-fungal colonization. Similar trends were observed for the N concentration, specific leaf area, and specific root length, which differed significantly among ECM-fungal species and were related with ECM-fungal colonization. The results suggest that both physiological and morphological traits are specific to ECM-fungal species. As Q. serrata seedlings with high colonization can exhibit better resource-acquisition ability, the identification of strongly colonizing ECM-fungal species is essential. Comparisons with high- and low-colonizing ECM-fungal species improve our understanding of source–sink relationships in carbon allocation of forest tree species.
Print ISSN:
1436-8730
Electronic ISSN:
1522-2624
Topics:
Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
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