Environmental changes in biodiversity hotspot ecosystems of
South Ecuador: RESPonse and feedback effECTs (FOR2730)

Abstract:

Ferns are known to have a lower incidence of mycorrhization than angiosperms. It has been suggested that this results from carbon being more limiting to fern growth than nutrient availability, but this assertion has not been tested yet. In the present study, we took advantage of a fertilization experiment with nitrogen and phosphorus on cloud forest plots of the Ecuadorean Andes for 15 years. A previous analysis revealed changes in the abundances of fern species in the fertilized plots compared to the control plots and hypothesized that this might be related to the responses of the mycorrhizal relationships to nutrient availability. We revisited the plots to assess the root-associated fungal communities of two epiphytic and two terrestrial fern species that showed shifts in abundance. We sampled and analyzed the roots of 125 individuals following a metabarcoding approach. We recovered 1382 fungal ASVs, with a dominance of members of Tremellales (Basidiomycota) and Heliotales (Ascomycota). The fungal diversity was highly partitioned with little overlap between individuals. We found marked differences between terrestrial and epiphytic species, with the latter fundamentally missing arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). We found no effect of fertilization on the diversity or relative abundance of the fungal assemblages. Still, we observed a direct impact of phosphorus fertilization on its concentration in the fern leaves. We conclude that fern–fungi relationships in the study site are not restricted by nutrient availability and suggest the existence of little specificity on the fungal partners relative to the host fern species.

Abstract:

The tree species Alnus acuminata and Morella pubescens, native to South America, are candidates for soil quality improvement and afforestation of degraded areas and may serve as nurse trees for later inter-planting of other trees, including native crop trees. Both species not only form symbioses with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF), but also with N2-fixing actinobacteria. Because tree seedlings inoculated with appropriate mycorrhizal fungi in the nursery resist transplanting stress better than non-mycorrhizal seedlings, we evaluated for A. acuminata and M. pubescens the potential of inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi for obtaining robust tree seedlings. For the first time, a laboratory-produced mixed AMF inoculum was tested in comparison with native soil from stands of both tree species, which contains AMF and EMF. Seedlings of both tree species reacted positively to both types of inocula and showed an increase in height, root collar diameter and above- and belowground biomass production, although mycorrhizal root colonization was rather low in M. pubescens. After 6 months, biomass was significantly higher for all mycorrhizal treatments when compared to control treatments, whereas aboveground biomass was approximately doubled for most treatments. To test whether mycorrhiza formation positively influences plant performance under reduced water supply the experiment was conducted under two irrigation regimes. There was no strong response to different levels of watering. Overall, application of native soil inoculum improved growth most. It contained sufficient AMF propagules but potentially also other soil microorganisms that synergistically enhance plant growth performance. However, the AMF inoculum pot-produced under controlled conditions was an efficient alternative for better management of A. acuminata and M. pubescens in the nursery, which in the future may be combined with defined EMF and Frankia inocula for improved management practices.

Abstract:

Anthropogenic atmospheric deposition can increase nutrient supply in the most remote ecosystems, potentially affecting soil biodiversity. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) communities rapidly respond to simulated soil eutrophication in tropical forests. Yet the limited spatio-temporal extent of such manipulations, together with the often unrealistically high fertilization rates employed, impedes generalization of such responses. We sequenced mixed root AMF communities within a seven year-long fully factorial nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) addition experiment, replicated at three tropical montane forests in southern Ecuador with differing environmental characteristics. We hypothesized (i) strong shifts in community composition and species richness after long-term fertilization, (ii) site- and (iii) clade-specific responses to N versus P additions depending on local soil fertility and clade life history traits respectively. Fertilization consistently shifted AMF community composition across sites, but only reduced richness of Glomeraceae. Compositional changes were mainly driven by increases in P supply while richness reductions were observed only after combined N and P additions. We conclude that moderate increases of N and P exert a mild but consistent effect on tropical AMF communities. To predict the consequences of these shifts, current results need to be supplemented with experiments that characterize local species-specific AMF functionality.

Abstract:

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are the most prominent mycobionts of plants in the tropics, yet little is known about their diversity, species compositions and factors driving AMF distribution patterns. To investigate whether elevation and associated vegetation type affect species composition, we sampled 646 mycorrhizal samples in locations between 1000 and 4000 m above sea level (masl) in the South of Ecuador. We estimated diversity, distribution and species compositions of AMF by cloning and Sanger sequencing the 18S rDNA (the section between AML1 and AML2) and subsequent derivation of fungal OTUs based on 99% sequence similarity. In addition, we analyzed the phylogenetic structure of the sites by computing the mean pairwise distance (MPD) and the mean nearest taxon difference (MNTD) for each elevation level. It revealed that AMF species compositions at 1000 and 2000 masl differ from 3000 and 4000 masl. Lower elevations (1000 and 2000 masl) were dominated by members of Glomeraceae, whereas Acaulosporaceae were more abundant in higher elevations (3000 and 4000 masl). Ordination of OTUs with respect to study sites revealed a correlation to elevation with a continuous turnover of species from lower to higher elevations. Most of the abundant OTUs are not endemic to South Ecuador. We also found a high proportion of rare OTUs at all elevations: 79–85% of OTUs occurred in less than 5% of the samples. Phylogenetic community analysis indicated clustering and evenness for most elevation levels indicating that both, stochastic processes and habitat filtering are driving factors of AMF community compositions.