Facultative mycorrhization in a fern (Struthiopteris spicant L. Weiss) is bound to light intensity.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The establishment of mycorrhizal relationships between a fungus and a plant typically enhances nutrient and water uptake for the latter while securing a carbon source for the fungus. However, under a particular set of environmental conditions, such as low availability of light and abundant nutrients in the soil, the resources invested in the maintenance of the fungi surpass the benefits obtained by the host. In those cases, facultative mycorrhizal plants are capable of surviving without symbiosis. Facultative mycorrhization in ferns has been overlooked until now. The present study measured the response of Struthiopteris spicant L. Weiss, and its root-associated fungi to different levels of light and nutrient availability in terms of growth, mycorrhizal presence, and leaf

SUBMITTER: Guillen-Otero T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10854079 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature