title: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal mediation of plant-plant interactions in a marshland plant community.
abstract: Obligate aerobic AMF taxa have high species richness under waterlogged conditions, but their ecological role remains unclear. Here we focused on AM fungal mediation of plant interactions in a marshland plant community. Five cooccurring plant species were chosen for a neighbor removal experiment in which benomyl was used to suppress AMF colonization. A Phragmites australis removal experiment was also performed to study its role in promoting AMF colonization by increasing rhizosphere oxygen concentration. Mycorrhizal fungal effects on plant interactions were different for dominant and subdominant plant species. AMF colonization has driven positive neighbor effects for three subdominant plant species including Kummerowia striata, Leonurus artemisia, and Ixeris polycephala. In contrast, AMF colonization enhanced the negative effects of neighbors on the dominant Conyza canadensis and had no significant impact on the neighbor interaction to the dominant Polygonum pubescens. AM colonization was positively related to oxygen concentration. P. australis increased oxygen concentration, enhanced AMF colonization, and was thus indirectly capable of influencing plant interactions. Aerobic AM fungi appear to be ecologically relevant in this wetland ecosystem. They drive positive neighbor interactions for subdominant plant species, effectively increasing plant diversity. We suggest, therefore, that AM fungi may be ecologically important even under waterlogged conditions.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China ; Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation, State Forestry Administration, Beijing 100091, China.
authors.forename: Qian
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0472-4295
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China ; Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation, State Forestry Administration, Beijing 100091, China.
authors.forename: Qixiang
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7659-5053
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA.
authors.forename: Roger T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Koide
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China ; Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation, State Forestry Administration, Beijing 100091, China.
authors.forename: Zhenhua
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Institute of Desertification Studies, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China.
authors.forename: Jinxing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: College of Resource and Environment, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China.
authors.forename: Xungang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China ; Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation, State Forestry Administration, Beijing 100091, China.
authors.forename: Weidong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China ; Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation, State Forestry Administration, Beijing 100091, China.
authors.forename: Meng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D019684:Magnoliopsida / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology; D038821:Mycorrhizae / Q000502:physiology*; D053833:Wetlands