Soil-borne fungi influence seed germination and mortality, with implications for coexistence of desert winter annual plants.

ABSTRACT: Soil-borne fungi influence coexistence of plant species in mesic environments, but much less is known about their effects on demographic processes relevant to coexistence in arid and semi-arid systems. We isolated 43 fungal strains that naturally colonize seeds of an invasive winter annual (Brassica tournefortii) in the Sonoran Desert, and evaluated the impact of 18 of them on seed germination and mortality of B. tournefortii and a co-occurring native annual (Plantago ovata) under simulated summer and winter temperatures. Fungi isolated from B. tournefortii seeds impacted germination and mortality of seeds of both plant species in vitro. Seed responses reflected host-specific effects by fungi, the degree of which differed significantly between the strains, and depended on the temperature.

SUBMITTER: Li YM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6822719 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature