Abstract
The effects of arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) fungi on growth and survival of two pioneer tropical plant species were studied in a greenhouse experiment for 6 months. One, an early pioneer species (Heliocarpus appendiculatus Turcz., Tiliaceae) and the second, a late pioneer species (Stemmadenia donnell-smithii (Rose) Woodson, Apocynaceae). Three growing conditions were used as competition factors—no competition, with intraspecific and interspecific competitions—along with two different conditions of AM—with and without mycorrhizal inoculum. Mycorrhizal colonization of H. appendiculatus roots was seven-fold more than in S. donnell-smithii. With AM infection, H. appendiculatus did not increase in growth, but showed greater survival in the absence of competition. S. donnell-smithii grew better in the presence of AM fungi and the effect of competition was diminished. S. donnell-smithii with AM fungi infection showed better survival and increase in biomass, making it a better competitor than H. appendiculatus.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allen, B.E. & M.F. Allen, 1988. Facilitation of succession by the non-mycotrophic colonizer Salsola kali (Chenopodiaceae) on a harsh site: effects of mycorrhizal fungi. Am J Bot 75: 257–266.
Baylis, G.T.S., 1975. The magnolioid mycorrhiza and mycotrophy in root systems derived from it. In: F.E. Sanders, B. Mosse & P.B. Tinker, (Eds.), Endomycorrhizas, pp. 373–389. Academic Press, New York.
Fitter, A.H. & R.K.M. Hay, 1987. Environmental Physiology of Plants. Academic Press, London.
Flores-Delgadillo, L., I. Sommer-Cervantes, J. Alcalà-Martínez, & J. Álvarez-Sànchez, 1999. —Estudio morfogenético de algunos suelos de la región de Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, México. Rev Mex Cien Geol 16: 81–88.
Gonzàlez-Soriano, E., R. Dirzo, & R. Vogt, 1997. Historia Natural de Los Tuxtlas. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
Graham, J., L. Duncan, & D. Eissenstat, 1997. Carbohydrate al-location patterns in citrus genotypes as affected by phosphorus nutrition, mycorrhizal colonization and mycorrhizal dependency. New Phytol 135: 335–343.
Guadarrama, P. & J. Álvarez-Sànchez, 1999. Abundance of arbuscu-lar mycorrhizal fungi spores in different environments in a tropical rain forest, Veracruz, Mexico. Mycorrhiza 8: 267–270.
Hunt, R., 1982. Plant Growth Curves. The Functional Approach to Plant Growth Analysis. Edward Arnold, London.
Ibarra-Manríquez, G. & S. Sinaca, 1995. —Lista florística comen-tada de la Estación de Biología Tropical Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, México. Rev Biol Trop 43: 75–115.
Janos, D.P., 1980. Mycorrhizae influence tropical succession. Biotropica 12: 56–64.
Jasper, D.A., L.K. Abbot & A.D. Robson, 1991. The effect of soil disturbance on vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in soils from different vegetation types. New Phytol 118: 471–476.
Martínez-Ramos, M., 1985. —Claros, ciclos vitales de los àrboles trop-icales y regeneración natural de las selvas altas perennifolias. In: A. Gómez-Pompa & S. del Amo (Eds.), Investigaciones sobre la regeneración de selvas altas en Veracruz, México, Vol. II, pp. 191-239. Alhambra, México.
McGonigle, T.P., M.H. Miller, D.G. Evans, G.L. Fairchil & J.A. Swan, 1990. A new method which gives an objective measure of colonization of roots by vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal. New Phytol 115: 495–501.
Mendoza, R., 2001. Phosphorus nutrition and mycorrhizal growth response of broadleaf and narrowleaf birdsfoot trefoils. J Plant Nutr 24: 203–214.
Onguene, N.A. & T.W. Kuyper, 2001. Mycorrhizal associations in the rain forest of South Cameroon. For Ecol Manage 140: 277–287.
Phillips, J.M. & D.S. Hayman, 1970. Improve procedures for clean-ing roots and staining parasitic and vesicular-arbuscular mycor-rhizal fungi for rapid assessment of infection. Trans Brit Mycol Soc 55: 158–161.
Pyke, D.A. & J.N. Thompson, 1986. Statistical analysis of survival and removal rate experiments. Ecology 67: 240–245.
Siqueira, J.D., M.A. Carbine, N. Curi, S.C. da Silva & A.C. Davide, 1998. Mycorrhizal colonization and mycotrophic growth of native woody species as related to successional groups in Southeastern Brazil. For Ecol Manage 107: 241–252.
Smith, E.S. & D.J. Read, 1997. Mycorrhizal Symbiosis. Academic Press, San Diego.
Smith, M.R., I. Charvat & R.L. Jacobson, 1998. Arbuscular myc-orrhizae promote establishment of prairie species in a tallgrass prairie restoration. Can J Bot 76: 1947–1954.
van der Heijden, M.G.A., J.N. Klironomos, M. Ursic, P. Moutoglis, T. Streitwolf-Engel, T. Boller, A. Iemken & I.R. Sanders, 1998. Mycorrhizal fungal diversity determines plant biodiversity, ecosystem variability and productivity. Nature 396: 69–72.
Vàzquez-Yanes, C., M. Rojas-Aréchiga, M.E. Sànchez-Coronado & A. Orozco-Segovia, 1996. Comparison of light-regulated seed germination in Ficus spp. and Cecropia obtusifolia: ecological implications. Tree Physiol 16: 871–875.
Wilson, S.D. & D. Tilman, 1993. Plant competition and resource availability in response to disturbance and fertilization. Ecology 74: 599–611.
Zar, J.H. 1999. Biostatistical Analysis. Prentice Hall, London, UK, 663 pp.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Guadarrama, P., Álvarez-Sánchez, J. & Briones, O. Seedling growth of two pioneer tropical tree species in Competition: The role of arbuscular mycorrhizae. Euphytica 138, 113–121 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:EUPH.0000046797.42632.6b
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:EUPH.0000046797.42632.6b