Publication Details
Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1111/nph.13894
Title (Primary) Nonrandom seedling establishment corresponds with distance-dependent decline in mycorrhizal abundance in two terrestrial orchids
Author Waud, M.; Wiegand, T.; Brys, R.; Lievens, B.; Jacquemyn, H.
Source Titel New Phytologist
Year 2016
Department OESA; iDiv
Volume 211
Issue 1
Page From 255
Page To 264
Language englisch
UFZ wide themes RU5;
Abstract
  • In plant species that critically rely on mycorrhizal symbionts for germination and seedling establishment, distance-dependent decline of mycorrhizal fungi in the soil can be hypothesized to lead to significant spatial clustering as a result of nonrandom spatial patterns of seedling establishment. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the abundance and distribution of mycorrhizal fungi in the soil and how they relate to spatial patterns of adults and seedling recruitment in two related orchid species.
  • We combined assessments of spatial variation in fungal abundance using quantitative PCR (qPCR) with spatial point pattern analyses based on long-term demographic data and cluster point process models.
  • qPCR analyses showed that fungal abundance declined rapidly with distance from the adult host plants. Spatial point pattern analyses showed that successful recruitment in both species was clustered significantly around adult plants and that the decline in the neighborhood density of recruits around adults coincided with the decline of fungal abundance around adult plants.
  • Overall, these results indicate that the distribution and abundance of fungal associates in the soil may have a strong impact on the aboveground distribution of its partner.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=17129
Waud, M., Wiegand, T., Brys, R., Lievens, B., Jacquemyn, H. (2016):
Nonrandom seedling establishment corresponds with distance-dependent decline in mycorrhizal abundance in two terrestrial orchids
New Phytol. 211 (1), 255 - 264 10.1111/nph.13894