Vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza response to crossed carbon and phosphorus resource gradients

Conference · Wed Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1994 · Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America; (United States)

OSTI ID:7162173

Whitbeck, J L ^[1]

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1. Pennyslvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)

Employing the annual herb Hemizonia luzulaefolia, native to nutrient limited grassland ecosystem in California, and a community of indigenous vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungi, this study examined mycorrhizal response to interacting plant- and fungus-acquired resources. Plant carbon supply was manipulated through atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO[sub 2]) concentration, and substrate phosphorus (P) supply was varied in the nutrient solution. H. luzulaefolia responded strongly to VAM association, showing increased root and shoot biomass, greater leaf area, higher shoot P content and lower specific root length relative to non-mycorrhizal plants. Elevated (700 ppm) CO[sub 2] plants had lower mass, lower root:shoot ratios and slightly greater specific root length than ambient pCO[sub 2]-grown plants. VAM colonization of roots was stimulated by elevated CO[sub 2] early in the experiment. Low P plants showed greater leaf mass per area and lower shoot P concentration than plus-P plants. P effects on measures of VAM changed over time. While ambient pCO[sub 2]-grown plants responsed to added P with increased biomass, plants grown at elevated CO[sub 2] showed equivalent or lower biomass in plus-P treatments than in those with no added P. At the same time, ambient pCO[sub 2]-grown plants developed greater VAM colonization of roots in low P treatments, while at 700 ppm CO[sub 2]. VAM colonization was higher in plus-P treatments. It appears that atmospheric pCO[sub 2] affects the patterns of belowground allocation in H. luzulaefolia: ambient pCO[sub 2] plants direct carbon resources to VAM when P is low and to roots when P is available, while elevated CO[sub 2] plants maintain VAM colonization regardless of P environment and allocate to roots when P is low.

• OSTI ID: 7162173
• Report Number(s): CONF-940894--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America; (United States) Journal Volume: 75:2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560300* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
GROWTH
HERBS
MYCORRHIZAS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLANT GROWTH
PLANTS