title: Ericaceous dwarf shrubs affect ectomycorrhizal fungal community of the invasive Pinus strobus and native Pinus sylvestris in a pot experiment.
abstract: This study aimed to elucidate the relationship between ericaceous understorey shrubs and the diversity and abundance of ectomycorrhizal fungi (EcMF) associated with the invasive Pinus strobus and native Pinus sylvestris. Seedlings of both pines were grown in mesocosms and subjected to three treatments simulating different forest microhabitats: (a) grown in isolation and grown with (b) Vaccinium myrtillus or (c) Vaccinium vitis-idaea. Ericaceous plants did not act as a species pool of pine mycobionts and inhibited the ability of the potentially shared species Meliniomyces bicolor to form ectomycorrhizae. Similarly, Ericaceae significantly reduced the formation of Thelephora terrestris ectomycorrhizae in P. sylvestris. EcMF species composition in the mesocosms was strongly affected by both the host species and the presence of an ericaceous neighbour. When grown in isolation, P. strobus root tips were predominantly colonised by Wilcoxina mikolae, whereas those of P. sylvestris were more commonly colonised by Suillus and Rhizopogon spp. Interestingly, these differences were less evident (Suillus + Rhizopogon spp.) or absent (W. mikolae) when the pines were grown with Ericaceae. P. strobus exclusively associated with Rhizopogon salebrosus s.l., suggesting the presence of host specificity at the intrageneric level. Ericaceous plants had a positive effect on colonisation of P. strobus root tips by R. salebrosus s.l. This study demonstrates that the interaction of selective factors such as host species and presence of ericaceous plants may affect the realised niche of the ectomycorrhizal fungi.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mycorrhizal Symbioses, Institute of Botany ASCR, Zámek 1, Průhonice, 25243, Czech Republic. kohout4@natur.cuni.cz.|Department of Experimental Plant Biology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Viničná 5, 12843, Prague, Czech Republic. kohout4@natur.cuni.cz.
authors.forename: Petr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kohout
authors.affiliation: Department of Mycorrhizal Symbioses, Institute of Botany ASCR, Zámek 1, Průhonice, 25243, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Zuzana
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sýkorová
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Tartu University, 40 Lai, 51005, Tartu, Estonia.|Natural History Museum, Tartu University, 40 Lai, 51005, Tartu, Estonia.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bahram
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Ecology, Institute of Botany ASCR, 25243, Průhonice, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Věroslava
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hadincová
authors.affiliation: Department of Mycorrhizal Symbioses, Institute of Botany ASCR, Zámek 1, Průhonice, 25243, Czech Republic.|Department of Experimental Plant Biology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Viničná 5, 12843, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Albrechtová
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Tartu University, 40 Lai, 51005, Tartu, Estonia.|Natural History Museum, Tartu University, 40 Lai, 51005, Tartu, Estonia.
authors.forename: Leho
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tedersoo
authors.affiliation: Department of Mycorrhizal Symbioses, Institute of Botany ASCR, Zámek 1, Průhonice, 25243, Czech Republic.|Department of Experimental Plant Biology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Viničná 5, 12843, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vohník
mesh_terms: D044822:Biodiversity; D005658:Fungi / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D058507:Host Specificity; D058865:Introduced Species; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D038821:Mycorrhizae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010802:Phylogeny; D028223:Pinus / Q000254:growth & development / Q000382:microbiology*; D041605:Pinus sylvestris / Q000254:growth & development / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology; D036226:Seedlings; D029796:Vaccinium / Q000254:growth & development / Q000382:microbiology*