Arbuscular mycorrhiza enhance the rate of litter decomposition while inhibiting soil microbial community development.
Although there is a growing amount of evidence that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) influence the decomposition process, the extent of their involvement remains unclear. Therefore, given this knowledge gap, our aim was to test how AMF influence the soil decomposer communities. Dual compartment microcosms, where AMF (Glomus mosseae) were either allowed access (AM+) to or excluded (AM-) from forest soil compartments containing litterbags (leaf litter from Calophyllum polyanthum) were used. The experiment ran for six months, with destructive harvests at 0, 90, 120, 150, and 180 days. For each harvest we measured AMF colonization, soil nutrients, litter mass loss, and microbial biomass (using phospholipid fatty acid analysis (PLFA)). AMF significantly enhanced litter decomposition in the first 5 months, whilst delaying the development of total microbial biomass (represented by total PLFA) from T150to T180. A significant decline in soil available N was observed through the course of the experiment for both treatments. This study shows that AMF have the capacity to interact with soil microbial communities and inhibit the development of fungal and bacterial groups in the soil at the later stage of the litter decomposition (180 days), whilst enhancing the rates of decomposition.
Key laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China.|World Agroforestry Centre, East and Central Asia, Kunming 650201, China.|Centre of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand.|School of Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand.
Heng
H
Gui
Key laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China.|Centre of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand.|School of Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand.
Kevin
K
Hyde
Key laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China.|World Agroforestry Centre, East and Central Asia, Kunming 650201, China.
Jianchu
J
Xu
Key laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China.|World Agroforestry Centre, East and Central Asia, Kunming 650201, China.
Peter
P
Mortimer
D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D029759:Calophyllum / Q000382:microbiology; D000076282:Composting; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis; D055137:Glomeromycota / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D007700:Kinetics; D059013:Microbial Consortia / Q000502:physiology; D038821:Mycorrhizae / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry; D012988:Soil Microbiology
D005227:Fatty Acids; D010743:Phospholipids; D012987:Soil; D009584:Nitrogen