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Phosphorus Acquisition Strategies within Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Community of a Single Field Site

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Abstract

Diversity in phosphorus (P) acquisition strategies was assessed among eight isolates of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) belonging to three Glomus species, all obtained from the same field site. Maize (Zea mays L. cv. Corso) was used as a test plant. Compartmented cultivation containers coupled with 33P radioisotope labeling of soil P were employed to estimate (1) the distance from the roots that AMF were able to acquire soil P from, (2) the rate of soil colonization, (3) the efficiency of uptake of soil P by AMF, (4) benefits provided to maize in terms of P acquisition and growth. Glomus mosseae and G. intraradices took up P 10 cm from roots, whereas G. claroideum only up to 6 cm from the roots. G. mosseae most rapidly colonized the available soil volume and transported significant amounts of P to maize from a distance, but provided no net P uptake benefit to the plants. On the other hand, both G. intraradices and three out of four G. claroideum isolates significantly improved net P uptake by maize. These effects seem to be related to variability between and to a limited extent also within AMF species, in mycelium development, efficiency of hyphal P uptake and effects on plant P acquisition via the root pathway. In spite of absence of maize growth responses to inoculation with any of the AMF isolates, this study indicates remarkable functional diversity in the underground component of the studied field site.

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Abbreviations

AMF:

arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

ANOVA:

analysis of variance

G.:

Glomus

HLD:

hyphal length density

LSD:

least significant difference

MPR:

mycorrhizal P uptake response

NM:

nonmycorrhizal

P:

phosphorus

PAR:

photosynthetically active radiation (400–700 nm)

SPA:

specific P activity (kBq 33P/mg P)

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank to Richard Ruh for his invaluable technical assistance throughout this study. We are grateful for helpful and constructive comments on the manuscript by two anonymous reviewers. Financial support of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zürich (project TH 41-2703.5) is gratefully acknowledged.

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  1. Institute of Plant Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, Eschikon 33, CH-8315, Lindau, Switzerland

    Jan Jansa, Ahmad Mozafar & Emmanuel Frossard

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  1. Jan Jansa
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  2. Ahmad Mozafar
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  3. Emmanuel Frossard
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Correspondence to Jan Jansa.

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Jansa, J., Mozafar, A. & Frossard, E. Phosphorus Acquisition Strategies within Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Community of a Single Field Site. Plant Soil 276, 163–176 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-005-4274-0

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