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Forests
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Ecto- and Endomycorrhizal Relationships in Forest Trees
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Ecto- and Endomycorrhizal Relationships in Forest Trees

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Ecophysiology and Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 July 2019) | Viewed by 29077

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Maria Rudawska

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Guest Editor
Institute of Dendrology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Laboratory of Symbiotic Associations, Parkowa Str. No 5, PL-62-035 Kornik, Poland
Interests: ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal community composition; diversity and abundance of forest trees; ECM fungal community structure of seedlings in forest nurseries; effect of forest management on ECM fungal diversity; ECM fungal community of alien tree species
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Tomasz Leski

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Symbiotic Associations, Institute of Dendrology Polish Academy of Sciences, Parkowa Str 5, 62-035 Kórnik, Poland
Interests: ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal community composition; diversity and abundance of forest trees; ECM fungal community structure of seedlings in forest nurseries; effect of forest management on ECM fungal diversity; ECM fungal community of alien tree species
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mycorrhiza is an intimate fungus–plant mutualism and play crucial ecological roles by determining the nutrient acquisition, drought tolerance of trees and enhancing tolerance to root and shoot pathogens. All known forms of mycorrhizae with ecto- or endomycorrhizal features can be found in boreal, temperate and tropical forests, however they are dominated by the ecto, ericoid, and arbuscular mycorrhizas. Other forms of mycorrhiza, including ectendomycorrhiza, arbutoid, and orchid and monotropoid mycorrhizas, are understudied and the role they play in forest ecosystems need to be elucidated. Mycorrhizal fungi are increasingly viewed as a major functional guild across forest ecosystems, and our ability to study them is expanding rapidly.

This Special Issue of Forests is focused on all types of mycorrhizal symbiosis and the role they play in different forest ecosystems. We encourage studies from all fields of mycorrhizal ecology, but particularly those which attempt to describe, spatial patterns of mycorrhizal diversity and community structure, the functional properties of mycorrhizas in field settings, the environmental and ecological factors that control mycorrhizal distributions, responses of dominant mycorrhizal fungi to global change (specifically increased CO2, nutrient availability, temperature and drought), effect of forest management on diversity of mycorrhizal fungi and shifts in dominant species and/or extinction of certain fungi under changing environmental conditions.

Prof. Dr. Maria Rudawska
Dr. Tomasz Leski
Guest Editors

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Ectomycorrhiza
  • endomycorrhiza
  • arbuscular mycorrhiza
  • ectendomycorrhiza
  • ericoid mycorrhiza
  • mycorrhizal diversity
  • community structure
  • forest management
  • soil biology

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 17808 KiB  
Article
Dark Septate Endophyte Improves Drought Tolerance of Ormosia hosiei Hemsley & E. H. Wilson by Modulating Root Morphology, Ultrastructure, and the Ratio of Root Hormones
by Yan Liu and Xiaoli Wei
Forests 2019, 10(10), 830; https://doi.org/10.3390/f10100830 - 21 Sep 2019
Cited by 40 | Viewed by 4192
Abstract
Dark septate endophytes (DSEs) are known to help host plants survive drought stress; however, how DSEs enhance host plant drought resistance under water stress conditions remains unclear. The objective of this study was to inoculate Ormosia hosiei seedlings with a DSE strain ( [...] Read more.
Dark septate endophytes (DSEs) are known to help host plants survive drought stress; however, how DSEs enhance host plant drought resistance under water stress conditions remains unclear. The objective of this study was to inoculate Ormosia hosiei seedlings with a DSE strain (Acrocalymma vagum) to investigate the effects of DSE inoculation on root morphology, ultrastructure, and the endogenous hormone content under drought stress conditions and to elucidate the drought resistance mechanism involved in the DSE–host-plant association. The inoculated seedlings were grown under three different soil water conditions (well watered—75% field water capacity, moderate water—55% field water capacity, or low water—35% field water capacity) for 114 days. Fresh root weight, root volume, root surface area, root fork, and root tip number were significantly higher in inoculated seedlings than in noninoculated seedlings. Furthermore, the root architecture of the inoculated seedlings changed from herringbone branching to dichotomous branching. Mitochondria and other organelles in root cells of inoculated seedlings remained largely undamaged under water stress, whereas organelles in root cells of noninoculated seedlings were severely damaged. The abscisic acid (ABA) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) content and IAA/ABA ratio of inoculated seedlings were significantly higher than those of noninoculated seedlings, whereas the content of gibberellic acid (GA) and the ratios of GA/ABA, zeatin riboside (ZR)/ABA, and ZR/IAA in inoculated seedlings were lower than those of noninoculated seedlings. DSE inoculation could help plants adapt to a drought stress environment by altering root morphology, reducing ultrastructural damage, and influencing the balance of endogenous hormones, which could be of great significance for the cultivation and preservation of the O. hosiei tree. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecto- and Endomycorrhizal Relationships in Forest Trees)
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12 pages, 2919 KiB  
Article
Ectomycorrhizal Community on Norway Spruce Seedlings Following Bark Beetle Infestation
by Petra Veselá, Martina Vašutová, Karolína Hofmannová, Magda Edwards-Jonášová and Pavel Cudlín
Forests 2019, 10(9), 740; https://doi.org/10.3390/f10090740 - 28 Aug 2019
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2826
Abstract
Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi importantly influence seedling growth, nutrition, and survival and create an extensive mycelial network interconnecting tree species and enabling resource redistribution. Due to their symbiotic relationship with trees, they are impacted by forest disturbances, which are of increasing relevance due to [...] Read more.
Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi importantly influence seedling growth, nutrition, and survival and create an extensive mycelial network interconnecting tree species and enabling resource redistribution. Due to their symbiotic relationship with trees, they are impacted by forest disturbances, which are of increasing relevance due to climate change. The effect of disturbance on seedling colonization and their morphology is still largely unknown. Seedling growth parameters and the ECM fungal assemblage on the roots of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) seedlings were assessed in mature spruce forests attacked and destroyed by bark beetle and in a mature non-attacked forest as a reference. We did not detect significant differences in number of ECM species on seedling roots among forest types, but ECM species composition changed; Tylospora fibrillosa (Burt) Donk, Meliniomyces variabilis Hambl. & Sigler, and Phialocephala fortinii C.J.K. Wang & H.E. Wilcox were characteristic species in the forest destroyed by bark beetle, whereas Lactarius, Cortinarius, and Russula were in the mature forest. Forest type further significantly influenced the height, root length, and root collar thickness of seedlings and the proportion of exploration types of mycorrhizae. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecto- and Endomycorrhizal Relationships in Forest Trees)
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10 pages, 1834 KiB  
Article
Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Effectively Enhances the Growth of Gleditsia sinensis Lam. Seedlings under Greenhouse Conditions
by Jinping Wang, Huini Zhong, Lingjun Zhu, Yingdan Yuan, Linhao Xu, G. Geoff Wang, Lu Zhai, Lu Yang and Jinchi Zhang
Forests 2019, 10(7), 567; https://doi.org/10.3390/f10070567 - 9 Jul 2019
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 4190
Abstract
The Chinese honey locust tree Gleditsia sinensis Lam. (Fabaceae) is a precious ecological and economic tree species that has wide-ranging usage. However, knowledge regarding seedling cultivation (especially the use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)) is scarce, which limits the developent of Gleditsia plantations. [...] Read more.
The Chinese honey locust tree Gleditsia sinensis Lam. (Fabaceae) is a precious ecological and economic tree species that has wide-ranging usage. However, knowledge regarding seedling cultivation (especially the use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)) is scarce, which limits the developent of Gleditsia plantations. A pot experiment was carried out under greenhouse conditions to estimate the effects of three AMF strains (Funneliformis mosseae 1, Funneliformis mosseae 2, and Diversispora tortuosa) on the growth, photosynthetic rate, and nutrient content of G. sinensis seedlings. Results showed that the growth parameters (seedling height, basal diameter, dry biomass) of the seedlings were significantly increased by each of the three AMF strains, associated with high root colonization rates (greater than 75%). Chlorophyll concentrations and photosynthetic rates were also increased by AMF, and phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) content in the three organs (leaf, stem, and root), and nitrogen (N) content in the leaf and stem of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) seedlings were significantly higher than in non-AM seedlings. Mycorrhizal dependency of the AM seedlings was greater than 350%, and significantly correlated with the increased P and K content in all three organs and increased N content in the leaf and stem. Positive effects of F. mosseae on growth and the nutrient content of seedlings were higher than those of D. tortuosa, but no significant different effects on G. sinensis seedlings were observed between the two strains of F. mosseae. Hence, growth of G. sinensis seedlings was effectively enhanced by AMF, with F. mosseae being more suitable for the inoculation of G. sinensis seedlings. These results indicate that arbuscular mycorrhization is beneficial for the growth of young G. sinensis plants. Further research is needed to determine whether the effects can be reproduced in a forest situation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecto- and Endomycorrhizal Relationships in Forest Trees)
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21 pages, 1753 KiB  
Article
Phosphorus Mobilizing Enzymes of Alnus-Associated Ectomycorrhizal Fungi in an Alaskan Boreal Floodplain
by Roger W. Ruess, Michaela M. Swanson, Knut Kielland, Jack W. McFarland, Karl D. Olson and D. Lee Taylor
Forests 2019, 10(7), 554; https://doi.org/10.3390/f10070554 - 2 Jul 2019
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2928
Abstract
Because of its high phosphorus (P) demands, it is likely that the abundance, distribution, and N-fixing capacity of Alnus in boreal forests are tightly coupled with P availability and the mobilization and uptake of soil P via ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF). We examined whether [...] Read more.
Because of its high phosphorus (P) demands, it is likely that the abundance, distribution, and N-fixing capacity of Alnus in boreal forests are tightly coupled with P availability and the mobilization and uptake of soil P via ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF). We examined whether Alnus shifts EMF communities in coordination with increasingly more complex organic P forms across a 200-year-old successional sequence along the Tanana River in interior Alaska. Root-tip activities of acid phosphatase, phosphodiesterase, and phytase of A. tenuifolia-associated EMF were positively intercorrelated but did not change in a predictable manner across the shrub, to hardwood to coniferous forest successional sequence. Approximately half of all Alnus roots were colonized by Alnicola and Tomentella taxa, and ordination analysis indicated that the EMF community on Alnus is a relatively distinct, host-specific group. Despite differences in the activities of the two Alnus dominants to mobilize acid phosphatase and phosphodiesterase, the root-tip activities of P-mobilizing enzymes of the Alnus-EMF community were not dramatically different from other co-occurring boreal plant hosts. This suggests that if Alnus has a greater influence on P cycling than other plant functional types, additional factors influencing P mobilization and uptake at the root and/or whole-plant level must be involved. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecto- and Endomycorrhizal Relationships in Forest Trees)
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13 pages, 2104 KiB  
Article
Endophytic Mycobiota of Jingbai Pear Trees in North China
by Fei Ren, Wei Dong, Hui Sun and Dong-Hui Yan
Forests 2019, 10(3), 260; https://doi.org/10.3390/f10030260 - 15 Mar 2019
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3338
Abstract
Endophytic fungi exist in all known plants and play an important role for plant growth and health. As an important forest tree the Jingbai pear (the best quality cultivar of Pyrus ussuriensi Maxim. ex Rupr.) has great ecological as well as economic value [...] Read more.
Endophytic fungi exist in all known plants and play an important role for plant growth and health. As an important forest tree the Jingbai pear (the best quality cultivar of Pyrus ussuriensi Maxim. ex Rupr.) has great ecological as well as economic value in north China. However, the mycobiota of the pear tree is still unknown. In this study, the fungal communities in different organs of the tree and in rhizosphere soils were investigated by Illumina Miseq sequencing of ITS rDNA. For organs, the roots had the highest fungal richness and diversity, while the flowers had the lowest richness and diversity. The results demonstrated that each of the organs investigated harbored a distinctive fungal assemblage. Overall, Ascomycota was the most abundant phyla, followed by Basidiomycota and Zygomycota. Fungal communities from the different soils also differed from each other. The redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that fungal community structure correlated significantly with soil temperature, soil pH, soil nitrogen and soil carbon contents. The results indicate that plant organs, site conditions and soil properties may have important influences on the endophytic fungal community structure associated with Jingbai pear trees. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecto- and Endomycorrhizal Relationships in Forest Trees)
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10 pages, 1424 KiB  
Article
Effective Molecular Identification of Ectomycorrhizal Fungi: Revisiting DNA Isolation Methods
by Daniel Janowski, Robin Wilgan, Tomasz Leski, Leszek Karliński and Maria Rudawska
Forests 2019, 10(3), 218; https://doi.org/10.3390/f10030218 - 1 Mar 2019
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 5460
Abstract
A better understanding of ectomycorrhizal symbiosis leads to numerous advancements in forest management and environmental protection. The morphological identification of the ectomycorrhizae often proves to be misleading. For this reason, in order to study the ectomycorrhizal fungi communities, a number of molecular methods [...] Read more.
A better understanding of ectomycorrhizal symbiosis leads to numerous advancements in forest management and environmental protection. The morphological identification of the ectomycorrhizae often proves to be misleading. For this reason, in order to study the ectomycorrhizal fungi communities, a number of molecular methods that require the isolation of nucleic acids are being used. However, ectomycorrhizal root tips, low mass heterogenic material rich in inhibitors, are a recalcitrant substrate in DNA isolation. It is common for published studies to include some number of unidentified root tips in their results, in spite of diverse isolation protocols being available to researchers. This study aims to analyze the relationship between the collected fungal material and later isolation results, and to propose a DNA isolation protocol specifically optimized for ectomycorrhizal root tips. It was found that the taxonomic position can be used to predict the potential isolation efficiency, with Ascomycota being generally more difficult from which to isolate DNA. After a number of cell lysis and lysate purification methods were evaluated, the joined approach of mechanical and chemical lysis, followed by silica column purification, was found to provide the best results, even with recalcitrant material. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecto- and Endomycorrhizal Relationships in Forest Trees)
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16 pages, 2547 KiB  
Article
Effects of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi on Growth, Photosynthesis, and Nutrient Uptake of Zelkova serrata (Thunb.) Makino Seedlings under Salt Stress
by Jinping Wang, Zhiyuan Fu, Qiong Ren, Lingjun Zhu, Jie Lin, Jinchi Zhang, Xuefei Cheng, Jieyi Ma and Jianmin Yue
Forests 2019, 10(2), 186; https://doi.org/10.3390/f10020186 - 20 Feb 2019
Cited by 46 | Viewed by 4970
Abstract
Salinity is the primary restriction factor for vegetation conservation and the rehabilitation of coastal areas in Eastern China. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have been proved to have the ability to alleviate salt stress in plants. However, the role of AMF in relieving salt [...] Read more.
Salinity is the primary restriction factor for vegetation conservation and the rehabilitation of coastal areas in Eastern China. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have been proved to have the ability to alleviate salt stress in plants. However, the role of AMF in relieving salt stress among indigenous trees species is less well known, limiting the application of AMF in the afforestation of local area. In this study, a salt-stress pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of AMF on Zelkova serrata (Thunb.) Makino, a tree species with significant potential for afforestation of coastal area. The Z. serrata seedlings inoculated with three AMF strains (Funneliformis mosseae 1, Funneliformis mosseae 2, and Diversispora tortuosa) were subjected to two salt treatments (0 and 100 mM NaCl) under greenhouse conditions. The results showed that the three AMF strains had positive effects, to a certain extent, on plant growth and photosynthesis under normal condition. However, only F. mosseae 1 and F. mosseae 2 alleviated the inhibition of growth, photosynthesis, and nutrient uptake of Z. serrata seedlings under salt stress. The two AMF strains mitigated salt-induced adverse effects on seedlings mainly by increasing the leaf photosynthetic ability and biomass accumulation by reducing Na+ content, increasing P, K+, and Mg2+ content, as well as by enhancing photosynthetic pigments content and the stomatal conductance of leaves. These results indicated that AMF inoculation is a promising strategy for the afforestation of coastal areas in Eastern China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecto- and Endomycorrhizal Relationships in Forest Trees)
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