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Interactive effects of mycorrhizae and a root hemiparasite on plant community productivity and diversity

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Abstract

Plant communities can be affected both by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and hemiparasitic plants. However, little is known about the interactive effects of these two biotic factors on the productivity and diversity of plant communities. To address this question, we set up a greenhouse study in which different AMF inocula and a hemiparasitic plant (Rhinanthus minor) were added to experimental grassland communities in a fully factorial design. In addition, single plants of each species in the grassland community were grown with the same treatments to distinguish direct AMF effects from indirect effects via plant competition. We found that AMF changed plant community structure by influencing the plant species differently. At the community level, AMF decreased the productivity by 15–24%, depending on the particular AMF treatment, mainly because two dominant species, Holcus lanatus and Plantago lanceolata, showed a negative mycorrhizal dependency. Concomitantly, plant diversity increased due to AMF inoculation and was highest in the treatment with a combination of two commercial AM strains. AMF had a positive effect on growth of the hemiparasite, and thereby induced a negative impact of the hemiparasite on host plant biomass which was not found in non-inoculated communities. However, the hemiparasite did not increase plant diversity. Our results highlight the importance of interactions with soil microbes for plant community structure and that these indirect effects can vary among AMF treatments. We conclude that mutualistic interactions with AMF, but not antagonistic interactions with a root hemiparasite, promote plant diversity in this grassland community.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the personal of the Bad Lauchstädt field station of the UFZ for their help preparing the soil and taking care of the experiments, to many technical assistants and students for their help during the harvest and in the laboratory and to the group of Hans-Joachim Stärk for analyzing P concentrations. Thanks to Duncan Cameron for helpful advice regarding the handling of R. minor. Cecilie Gerstner kindly provided access to the field site. We thank Håkan Wallander and two anonymous referees for valuable comments on the manuscript. The study was supported by BMBF BIOLOG (project DIVA-Jena, 01LC0013). The experiments comply with current German laws.

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Author notes

  1. Cornelia Rißmann

    Present address: Chair of Soil Protection and Recultivation, University of Cottbus, Konrad-Wachsmann-Allee 6, 03046, Cottbus, Germany

  2. Carsten Renker

    Present address: Natural History Museum Mainz, Reichklarastrasse 10, 55116, Mainz, Germany

  3. Daniel Prati

    Present address: Section Plant Ecology, Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, 3013, Bern, Switzerland

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Community Ecology, UFZ, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Theodor-Lieser-Strasse 4, 06120, Halle, Germany

    Claudia Stein, Cornelia Rißmann & Harald Auge

  2. Department of Soil Ecology, UFZ, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Theodor-Lieser-Strasse 4, 06120, Halle, Germany

    Stefan Hempel, Carsten Renker & François Buscot

  3. Department of Community Ecology and Systematic Botany, Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Maulbeerallee 1, 14469, Potsdam, Germany

    Daniel Prati

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  1. Claudia Stein
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Correspondence to Claudia Stein.

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Communicated by Hakan Wallander.

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Stein, C., Rißmann, C., Hempel, S. et al. Interactive effects of mycorrhizae and a root hemiparasite on plant community productivity and diversity. Oecologia 159, 191–205 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-008-1192-x

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