Composition of fungal soil communities varies with plant abundance and geographic origin.

ABSTRACT: Interactions of belowground fungal communities with exotic and native plant species may be important drivers of plant community structure in invaded grasslands. However, field surveys linking plant community structure with belowground fungal communities are missing. We investigated whether a selected number of abundant and relatively rare plants, either native or exotic, from an old-field site associate with different fungal communities. We also assessed whether these plants showed different symbiotic relationships with soil biota through their roots. We characterized the plant community and collected roots to investigate fungal communities using 454 pyrosequencing and assessed arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization and enemy-induced lesions. Differences in fungal communities were considered

SUBMITTER: Reininger V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4614812 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature