Dataset Information

Mycorrhizas and soil ecosystem function of co-existing woody vegetation islands at the alpine tree line.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND AND AIMS:Picea abies, Pinus mugo and Rhododendron ferrugineum co-exist at the alpine tree line, and can have different mycorrhizal communities. The activity and diversity of mycorrhizal fungi are considered to be important factors in regulation of soil function. METHODS:At a tree line site and a lower elevation site in the Austrian Alps, the community structure of ectomycorrhiza on Picea abies and Pinus mugo was determined. The activity of surface enzymes was determined on ectomycorrhizal and ericoid mycorrhizal roots. In soils, the activity of a range of enzymes, nitrogen (N) mineralization and biomass decomposition were determined. RESULTS:The community structure of the ectomycorrhizal community of Picea abies and Pinus mugo differed strongly, but the average activity of surface enzymes of the ectomycorrhizal communities was similar. A lower root surface enzyme activity was determined on Rhododendron ferrugineum. Soil N-mineralization under Rhododendron ferrugineum was significantly lower than under Picea abies and Pinus mugo. In soil, the activity of a range of enzymes did not differ at the tree line but differed between the tree line and the lower elevation sites. CONCLUSION:The different ectomycorrhizal communities on Picea abies and Pinus mugo and ericoid mycorrhizas on Rhododendron ferrugineum support similar ecosystem functions in soil.

SUBMITTER: Wang L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5288427 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Mycorrhizas and soil ecosystem function of co-existing woody vegetation islands at the alpine tree line.

Wang Lixia L Otgonsuren Burenjargal B Godbold Douglas L DL

Plant and soil 20160912 1

<h4>Background and aims</h4><i>Picea abies</i>, <i>Pinus mugo</i> and <i>Rhododendron ferrugineum</i> co-exist at the alpine tree line, and can have different mycorrhizal communities. The activity and diversity of mycorrhizal fungi are considered to be important factors in regulation of soil function.<h4>Methods</h4>At a tree line site and a lower elevation site in the Austrian Alps, the community structure of ectomycorrhiza on <i>Picea abies</i> and <i>Pinus mugo</i> was determined. The activit ...[more]

PMID: 28216795

Similar Datasets

Project description:Background and aimsSoils of mountain regions and their associated plant communities are highly diverse over short spatial scales due to the heterogeneity of geological substrates and highly dynamic geomorphic processes. The consequences of this heterogeneity for biogeochemical transfers, however, remain poorly documented. The objective of this study was to quantify the variability of soil-surface carbon dioxide efflux, known as soil respiration (Rs), across soil and vegetation types in an Alpine valley. To this aim, we measured Rs rates during the peak and late growing season (July-October) in 48 plots located in pastoral areas of a small valley of the Swiss Alps.FindingsFour herbaceous vegetation types were identified, three corresponding to different stages of primary succession (Petasition paradoxi in pioneer conditions, Seslerion in more advanced stages and Poion alpinae replacing the climactic forests), as well as one (Rumicion alpinae) corresponding to eutrophic grasslands in intensively grazed areas. Soils were developed on calcareous alluvial and colluvial fan deposits and were classified into six types including three Fluvisols grades and three Cambisols grades. Plant and soil types had a high level of co-occurrence. The strongest predictor of Rs was soil temperature, yet we detected additional explanatory power of sampling month, showing that temporal variation was not entirely reducible to variations in temperature. Vegetation and soil types were also major determinants of Rs. During the warmest month (August), Rs rates varied by over a factor three between soil and vegetation types, ranging from 2.5 ?mol m-2 s-1 in pioneer environments (Petasition on Very Young Fluvisols) to 8.5 ?mol m-2 s-1 in differentiated soils supporting nitrophilous species (Rumicion on Calcaric Cambisols).ConclusionsOverall, this study provides quantitative estimates of spatial and temporal variability in Rs in the mountain environment, and demonstrates that estimations of soil carbon efflux at the watershed scale in complex geomorphic terrain have to account for soil and vegetation heterogeneity.

Dataset Information

Mycorrhizas and soil ecosystem function of co-existing woody vegetation islands at the alpine tree line.

Publications

Mycorrhizas and soil ecosystem function of co-existing woody vegetation islands at the alpine tree line.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets