Won't you be my neighbor: neighborhood effect influences mycorrhizal and endophyte colonization

Abstract

Abiotic and biotic factors have been known to affect plant communities. How these factors affect root-colonizing fungus such as arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) and dark septate endophytes (DSE) fungal communities is still novel to ecology. Nitrogen addition has been shown to either increase or decrease AM colonization. Furthermore, AMF and DSE colonization has shown to be altered by host-neighbor interactions. The purpose of this study was to further understand (1) the effects that nitrogen addition has on AM and DSE colonization in Festuca thurberi and helianthella quinquenervis, (2) the effects of removing a F. thurberi has on AM and DSE colonization with H. quinquenervis, and if (3) F. thurberi's fungal community has any influence on the fungal community of H. quinquenervis. I conducted the research in a sub-alpine meadow outside of Gothic, Colorado USA. A full factorial between nitrogen additions crossed with F. thurberi removal was applied randomly to 36 plots. Soil samples were taken from under F. thurberi, and H. quinquenervis plants near and far from F. thurberi. Results indicated nitrogen had no significant effect except with Festuca thurberi as there was an increase in AMF colonization and decrease in DSE colonization. I found no significant effects from F. thurberi removal on AMF or DSE with H. quinquenervis. I did find significant results indicating that F. thurberi's fungal community influenced the fungal community of H. quinquenervis as AM colonization decreased while DSE colonization increased in H. quinquenervis near F. thurberi, and AM colonization increased while DSE colonization decreased in H. quinquenervis far from F. thurberi. I can conclude from this study that neighbor effect influences AM and DSE colonization more that nitrogen and further research is suggested to understand the impact of neighboring fungal communities as within plant communities as it could be applied towards maintenance and restoration.

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