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Low Frankia inoculation potentials in primary successional sites at Mount St. Helens, Washington, USA

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Abstract

The ability of 23 year old volcanic soils from Mount St. Helens, USA, to nodulate actinorhizal Sitka alder (Alnus viridis ssp. sinuata) was studied by estimating Frankia Inoculation Unit density (FIU) in four types of primary successional communities using a host-plant bioassay. Rhizospheric Mycelial Inoculation Unit (MIU) density and the effects of inoculation with alder soil and phosphorus (P) on seedling growth were also examined. FIU and MIU were highest in alder thickets, lower in lupin patch and riparian zone sites, and lowest, with no FIUs, in bare areas. Seedling dry mass was higher in treatments inoculated with alder soil but not with P addition, while root:shoot mass ratios decreased with both inoculation and P. The extremely low densities of suitable symbionts in sparsely vegetated primary successional areas at Mount St. Helens may explain the surprisingly slow rate of spread of alder from nearby seed sources.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank friends, family, and colleagues who supported this work, especially Douglas and Barbara Seeds, Sally Hacker, Jonathan Titus, and David Myrold. The manuscript was greatly improved by advice of four anonymous reviewers. This work was supported by grants from the Northwest Orchid Society and National Science Foundation DEB-0089843.

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  1. School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, 14204 Salmon Creek Ave., Vancouver, WA, 98686, USA

    Joshua D. Seeds & John G. Bishop

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  1. Joshua D. Seeds
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Correspondence to John G. Bishop.

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Responsible Editor: Juha Mikola.

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Seeds, J.D., Bishop, J.G. Low Frankia inoculation potentials in primary successional sites at Mount St. Helens, Washington, USA. Plant Soil 323, 225–233 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-009-9930-3

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