Tracking plant preference for higher-quality mycorrhizal symbionts under varying CO₂ conditions over multiple generations.

ABSTRACT: The symbiosis between plants and root-colonizing arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi is one of the most ecologically important examples of interspecific cooperation in the world. AM fungi provide benefits to plants; in return plants allocate carbon resources to fungi, preferentially allocating more resources to higher-quality fungi. However, preferential allocations from plants to symbionts may vary with environmental context, particularly when resource availability affects the relative value of symbiotic services. We ask how differences in atmospheric CO ₂-levels influence root colonization dynamics between AMF species that differ in their quality as symbiotic partners. We find that with increasing CO ₂-conditions and over multiple plant generations, the more beneficia

SUBMITTER: Werner GDA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5756855 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature