Plant species identities and fertilization influence on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal colonisation and soil bacterial activities

Published Date

February 2016, Vol.98:132–139, doi:10.1016/j.apsoil.2015.10.006

Title 

Plant species identities and fertilization influence on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal colonisation and soil bacterial activities

• Author 

• N. Legay ^a,,
• F. Grassein ^b
• M.N. Binet ^c
• C. Arnoldi ^a
• E. Personeni ^b
• S. Perigon ^a
• F. Poly ^d
• T. Pommier ^d
• J. Puissant ^a
• J.C. Clément ^a
• S. Lavorel ^a
• B. Mouhamadou ^a

• aLaboratoire d’Ecologie Alpine, CNRS UMR 5553, Université Joseph Fourier, BP 53, 38041 Grenoble Cedex 09, France
• bUniversité de Caen Basse-Normandie, UMR950—INRA, Ecophysiologie Végétale Agronomie et Nutrition N, C, S, Esplanade de la Paix, 14032 CAEN Cedex, France
• cUMR Agroécologie INRA 1347/AgroSup/Université de Bourgogne, Pôle Interactions Plantes Microorganismes ERL CNRS 6300, 17 rue Sully, BP 86510, 21065 Dijon Cedex, France
• dEcologie Microbienne, Université Lyon1, Université de Lyon, UMR CNRS 5557, USC INRA 1364, Villeurbanne Cedex, France

Received 1 June 2015. Revised 11 September 2015. Accepted 10 October 2015. Available online 27 October 2015.

Highlights

• •
  Plant species identities effects on soil microbial properties were assessed.
• •
  Bacterial activities were influenced by specific above-ground plant traits.
• •
  Mycorrhizal colonization was influenced by below-ground traits.
• •
  Plant species effects may be linked to inter-specific differences in plant traits

Abstract

Plant species influence soil microbial communities, mainly through their functional traits. However, mechanisms underlying these effects are not well understood, and in particular how plant/microorganism interactions are affected by plant identities and/or environmental conditions. Here, we performed a greenhouse experiment to assess the effects of three plant species on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) colonization, bacterial potential nitrification (PNA) and denitrification activities (PDA) through their functional traits related to nitrogen acquisition and turnover. Three species with contrasting functional traits and strategies (from exploitative to conservative), Dactylis glomerata (L.), Bromus erectus (Hudson) and Festuca paniculata (Schinz and Tellung), were cultivated in monocultures on soil grassland with or without N fertilization. Fertilization impacted some plant traits related to nutrient cycling (leaf and root N concentration, root C:N) but did not affect directly microbial parameters. The highest PDA and PNA were observed in D. glomerata and F. paniculata monocultures, respectively. The highest AMF colonization was obtained for F. paniculata, while B. erectus exhibited both the lowest AMF colonization and bacterial activities. Bacterial activities were influenced by specific above-ground plant traits across fertilization treatments: above-ground biomass for PDA, shoot:root ratio and leaf C:N ratio for PNA. Mycorrhizal colonization was influenced by below-ground traits either root dry matter content or root C:N. Hence, AMF colonization and bacterial activities were impacted differently by species-specific plant biomass allocation, root traits and nutrient requirement. We suggest that such effects may be linked to distinct root exudation patterns and plant abilities for nutrient acquisition and/or nutrient competition.

Keywords

• Leaf traits
• Root traits
• Denitrification enzyme activity
• Nitrification enzyme activity
• Mycorrhizal colonization
• Nutrient availability

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• ⁎ 
  Corresponding author.

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