1. Diversity and persistence of ectomycorrhizal fungi and their effect on nursery-inoculated Pinus pinaster in a post-fire plantation in Northern Portugal.
- Author
-
Franco AR, Sousa NR, Ramos MA, Oliveira RS, and Castro PM
- Subjects
- Agricultural Inoculants physiology, DNA, Fungal genetics, DNA, Fungal metabolism, DNA, Ribosomal Spacer genetics, DNA, Ribosomal Spacer metabolism, Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis, Forestry, Fungi growth & development, Molecular Sequence Data, Mycorrhizae growth & development, Phylogeny, Pinus growth & development, Portugal, Seedlings growth & development, Seedlings microbiology, Sequence Analysis, DNA, Biodiversity, Fires, Fungi classification, Fungi physiology, Mycorrhizae physiology, Pinus microbiology, Symbiosis
- Abstract
Ectomycorrhizal fungi (ECMF) play an important role in forest ecosystems, often mitigating stress factors and increasing seedling performance. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a nursery inoculation on Pinus pinaster growth and on the fungal communities established when reforesting burned areas. Inoculated P. pinaster saplings showed 1.5-fold higher stem height than the non-inoculated controls after a 5 year growth period, suggesting that fungal inoculation could potentiate tree growth in the field. Ordination analysis revealed the presence of different ECMF communities on both plots. Among the nursery-inoculated fungi, Laccaria sp., Rhizopogon sp., Suillus bovinus and Pisolithus sp. were detected on inoculated Pinus saplings on both sampling periods, indicating that they persisted after field establishment. Other fungi were also detected in the inoculated plants. Phialocephala sp. was found on the first assessment, while Terfezia sp. was detected on both sampling periods. Laccaria sp. and Rhizopogon sp. were identified in the control saplings, belonging however to different species than those found in the inoculated plot. Inocybe sp., Thelephora sp. and Paxillus involutus were present on both sampling periods in the non-inoculated plots. The results suggest that ECMF inoculation at nursery stage can benefit plant growth after transplantation to a post-fire site and that the inoculated fungi can persist in the field. This approach has great potential as a biotechnological tool to aid in the reforestation of burned areas.
- Published
- 2014
- Full Text
- View/download PDF