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An important factor controlling tree species diversity is conspecific density dependence (CDD). Adult trees associated with arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) and ectomycorrhiza (ECM) can exhibit negative and positive CDD effects on conspecific recruitment, respectively. However, the extent to which these mycorrhizal associations affect spatial distributions of individual trees and their relative abundances within forests through CDD remains uncertain. We analysed changes in spatial correlations between adults and conspecific juveniles at different growth stages of five hardwood species in a 6-ha plot of an old-growth forest using a point pattern analysis. The clump sizes of large individuals were also evaluated using the Iδ index (a measure of individual dispersion) in 24 species. In two AM-associated species, juveniles were distributed at greater distances with increasing size or were always distributed at a distance from adults, resulting in small clumps of adults. In contrast, juveniles of two ECM-associated species were distributed close to adults during early or late growth stage, resulting in large clumps of adults. Juveniles of an ECM-associated species disappeared with increasing size, probably due to shade intolerance. In 24 tree species with large numbers of individuals within a plot, the relative basal area was related to both mycorrhizal type and maximum diameter, suggesting that the relative abundance of a species is largely related to its mycorrhizal associations and maximum plant size. This study strongly demonstrated that mycorrhizal associations play an important role in determining the spatial distribution patterns and community structure of tree species through CDD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between forest productivity and tree species diversity has been described in detail, but the underlying processes have yet to be identified. One important issue is to understand which processes are at the origin of observed aboveground overyielding in some mixed forests. We used a beech-maple plantation exhibiting aboveground overyielding to test whether belowground processes could explain this pattern. Soil cores were collected to determine fine root (FR) biomass and vertical distribution. Correlograms were used to detect spatial arrangement. Near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy was used to identify the tree species proportion in the FR samples and spatial root segregation. An isotopic approach was used to identify water acquisition patterns. The structure and the composition of the ectomycorrhizal fungal community were determined by high-throughput sequencing of DNA in the soil samples. We found no spatial pattern for FR biomass or for its vertical distribution along the gradients. No vertical root segregation was found, as FR density for both species decreased with depth in a similar way. The two species displayed similar vertical water acquisition profiles as well, mainly absorbing water from shallow soil layers; hence, niche differentiation for water acquisition was not highlighted here. Significant alterations in the fungal community compositions were detected in function of the percentage of maple in the vicinity of beech. Our findings do not support the commonly suggested drivers of aboveground overyielding in species-diverse forests and suggest that competition reduction or between-species facilitation of belowground resource acquisition may not explain the observed aboveground overyielding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distribution of dry Douglas-fir forests in western North America is expected to shift northward with climate change and disappear from the grassland interface in the southern interior of British Columbia. This shift may be accentuated by clearcutting, a common harvesting practice that aims to reduce the competitive effects of residual mature trees on new regeneration, but in so doing, ignores their facilitative effects. In this study, we investigated the net effects of competition from and facilitation by mature trees retained on harvested sites on seedling establishment in the dry interface Douglas-fir forests. We demonstrate that access to a mycorrhizal network (MN) and proximity to trees have important influences on seedling performance. On six sites, we established trenched plots around 24 mature Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca (Douglas-fir) trees, then planted Douglas-fir seedlings into four mesh treatments that served to restrict MN access (i.e., planted into mesh bags with 0.5-, 35-, or 250-μm pores, or without mesh) or into impermeable bags (grown in isolation) at four distances (0.5, 1.0, 2.5, or 5.0 m). Seedling survival tended to be greater and water stress lower where seedlings had full access to the MN. Seedling height, shoot biomass, needle biomass, and nutrient uptake peaked at 2.5–5.0 m from mature trees. Seedlings 0.5 m from mature trees had lower CO2 assimilation rates and wood δ13C compared to seedlings 5.0 m away. Competition for soil resources was highest near mature trees but facilitation was relatively greater at further distances, resulting in a zone of net benefit for seedlings. These results show that intraspecific tree-seedling interactions are both competitive and facilitative in dry Douglas-fir forests, and that they are spatially dependent. After disturbance, maintaining residual mature trees may be important for their beneficial regeneration zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are mutualists with plant roots that are proposed to enhance plant community diversity. Models indicate that AM fungal communities could maintain plant diversity in forests if functionally different communities are spatially separated. In this study we assess the spatial and temporal distribution of the AM fungal community in a wet tropical rainforest in Costa Rica. We test whether distinct fungal communities correlate with variation in tree life history characteristics, with host tree species, and the relative importance of soil type, seasonality and rainfall. Host tree species differ in their associated AM fungal communities, but differences in the AM community between hosts could not be generalized over life history groupings of hosts. Changes in the relative abundance of a few common AM fungal species were the cause of differences in AM fungal communities for different host tree species instead of differences in the presence and absence of AM fungal species. Thus, AM fungal communities are spatially distinguishable in the forest, even though all species are widespread. Soil fertility ranging between 5 and 9 Mg/ha phosphorus did not affect composition of AM fungal communities, although sporulation was more abundant in lower fertility soils. Sampling soils over seasons revealed that some AM fungal species sporulate profusely in the dry season compared to the rainy season. On one host tree species sampled at two sites with vastly different rainfall, relative abundance of spores from Acaulospora was lower and that of Glomus was relatively higher at the site with lower and more seasonal rainfall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large number of herbaceous and woody plants from tropical woodland, savanna, and monsoon forest were analysed to determine the impact of environmental factors (nutrient and water availability, fire) and biological factors (microbial associations, systematics) on plant δ15N values. Foliar δ15N values of herbaceous and woody species were not related to growth form or phenology, but a strong relationship existed between mycorrhizal status and plant δ15N. In woodland and savanna, woody species with ectomycorrhizal (ECM) associations and putative N2-fixing species with ECM/arbuscular (AM) associations had lowest foliar δ15N values (1.0–0.6‰), AM species had mostly intermediate δ15N values (average +0.6‰), while non-mycorrhizal Proteaceae had highest δ15N values (+2.9 to +4.1‰). Similar differences in foliar δ15N were observed between AM (average 0.1 and 0.2‰) and non-mycorrhizal (average +0.8 and +0.3‰) herbaceous species in woodland and savanna. Leguminous savanna species had significantly higher leaf N contents (1.8–2.5% N) than non-fixing species (0.9–1.2% N) indicating substantial N acquisition via N2 fixation. Monsoon forest species had similar leaf N contents (average 2.4% N) and positive δ15N values (+0.9 to +2.4‰). Soil nitrification and plant NO3- use was substantially higher in monsoon forest than in woodland or savanna. In the studied communities, higher soil N content and nitrification rates were associated with more positive soil δ15N and plant δ15N. In support of this notion, Ficus, a high NO3- using taxa associated with NO3- rich sites in the savanna, had the highest δ15N values of all AM species in the savanna. δ15N of xylem sap was examined as a tool for studying plant δ15N relations. δ15N of xylem sap varied seasonally and between differently aged Acacia and other savanna species. Plants from annually burnt savanna had significantly higher δ15N values compared to plants from less frequently burnt savanna, suggesting that foliar 15N natural abundance could be used as marker for assessing historic fire regimes. Australian woodland and savanna species had low leaf δ15N and N content compared to species from equivalent African communities indicating that Australian biota are the more N depauperate. The largest differences in leaf δ15N occurred between the dominant ECM Australian and African savanna (miombo) species, which were depleted and enriched in 15N, respectively. While the depleted δ15N of Australian ECM species are similar to those of previous reports on ECM species in natural plant communities, the 15N-enriched δ15N of African ECM species represent an anomaly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]