Douglas-fir ectomycorrhizae in 40- and 400-year-old stands: mycobiont availability to late successional western hemlock

Mycorrhiza. 2005 Sep;15(6):393-403. doi: 10.1007/s00572-004-0339-9. Epub 2005 Jul 15.

Abstract

We investigated ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi in forest stands containing both early successional Douglas-fir and late successional western hemlock at two points in the typical stand development by identifying EM fungi from roots of Douglas-fir and western hemlock in mixed stands. In an early seral stage forest, EM roots of western hemlock seedlings and intermingling 40-year-old Douglas-fir were sampled. In a late seral stage forest, EM roots of trees of both species were sampled in a 400-year-old stand. We use molecular approaches to identify the symbionts from field samples in this descriptive study. In the early seral stage study, >95% of the western hemlock root tips by biomass were colonized by fungi also colonizing Douglas-fir roots. This result supports the prediction that western hemlock can associate with fungi in Douglas-fir EM networks. In the same study, fungi specific to Douglas-fir colonized 14% of its EM root tips. In the late seral stage study, 14% of the western hemlock root tips were colonized by fungi also observed in association with Douglas-fir, a result strongly influenced by sampling issues and likely represents a conservative estimate of multiple host fungi in this old growth setting. Fungi specific to Douglas-fir colonized 25% of its root tip biomass in the old growth study, in tight coralloid clusters within five of the 24 soil samples. The trends revealed in this study corroborate earlier studies suggesting a predominance of multiple host fungi in mixed communities of EM plants. The role of host-specific fungi in these stands remains unclear.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • DNA Fingerprinting
  • DNA, Fungal / chemistry
  • DNA, Fungal / genetics
  • DNA, Ribosomal / chemistry
  • DNA, Ribosomal / genetics
  • DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / chemistry
  • DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / genetics
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mycorrhizae / classification*
  • Mycorrhizae / isolation & purification*
  • Plant Roots / microbiology*
  • Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length
  • Pseudotsuga / microbiology*
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Symbiosis
  • Trees
  • Tsuga / microbiology*

Substances

  • DNA, Fungal
  • DNA, Ribosomal
  • DNA, Ribosomal Spacer

Associated data

  • GENBANK/AY534195
  • GENBANK/AY534196
  • GENBANK/AY534197
  • GENBANK/AY534198
  • GENBANK/AY534199
  • GENBANK/AY534200
  • GENBANK/AY534201
  • GENBANK/AY534202
  • GENBANK/AY534203
  • GENBANK/AY534204
  • GENBANK/AY534205
  • GENBANK/AY534206
  • GENBANK/AY534207
  • GENBANK/AY534208
  • GENBANK/AY534209
  • GENBANK/AY534210
  • GENBANK/AY534211
  • GENBANK/AY534212
  • GENBANK/AY534213
  • GENBANK/AY534214
  • GENBANK/AY534215
  • GENBANK/AY534216
  • GENBANK/AY534217
  • GENBANK/AY534218
  • GENBANK/AY534219
  • GENBANK/AY534220
  • GENBANK/AY534221