ArticleBMC plant biology2024
Facultative mycorrhization in a fern (Struthiopteris spicant L. Weiss) is bound to light intensity.
Article in BMC plant biology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Low and facultative mycorrhization of ferns in a low-montane tropical rainforest in Ecuador.PloS one · 2025Article
- Fern mycorrhizae do not respond to fertilization in a tropical montane forest.Plant-environment interactions (Hoboken, N.J.) · 2024Article
- Comparative analysis of mycorrhizal communities associated withFrontiers in plant science · 2024Article
- Formation of single-dominant-species patches ofFrontiers in plant science · 2024Article
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4 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundThe establishment of mycorrhizal relationships between a fungus and a plant typically enhances nutrient and water uptake for the latter while securing a carbon source for the fungus. However, under a particular set of environmental conditions, such as low availability of light and abundant nutrients in the soil, the resources invested in the maintenance of the fungi surpass the benefits obtained by the host. In those cases, facultative mycorrhizal plants are capable of surviving without symbiosis. Facultative mycorrhization in ferns has been overlooked until now. The present study measured the response of Struthiopteris spicant L. Weiss, and its root-associated fungi to different levels of light and nutrient availability in terms of growth, mycorrhizal presence, and leaf nutrient content. This fern species exhibits a great tolerance to variable light, nutrient, and pH conditions, and it has been found with and without mycorrhizae. We conducted a greenhouse experiment with 80 specimens of S. spicant and three factors (Light, Phosphorus, and Nitrogen) resulting in eight treatments.
resultsWe found a significant influence of the factor light on fungal community composition, plant biomass, and nutrient accumulation. Departing from a lack of colonization at the initial stage, plants showed a remarkable increment of more than 80% in the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) richness and abundance in their roots when grown under high light conditions, compared with the ones in low light. We also observed an upward trend of C:P and C:N ratios and the above- and belowground biomass production when AMF abundance increased. Furthermore, the compositional analysis of the whole fungal communities associated with S. spicant roots revealed clear differences among low-light and high-light treatments.
conclusionsThis study is the first to investigate the importance of light and nutrient availability in determining fern-AMF relationships. We confirmed that Struthiopteris spicant is a facultative mycorrhizal plant. The composition and diversity of AMF found in the roots of this fern are strongly influenced by light and less by nutrient conditions. Our study shows that ferns respond very sensitively to changes in environmental factors, leading to shifts in the associated mycorrhizal communities.
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