Application of arbuscular mycorrizal fungal (AMF) inoculum
is often recommended for revegetation sites in order
to improve plant growth. At a roadside right-of-way site near Marysville, CA,
we constructed plots on the fill slope embankment that were either inoculated
with commercial AMF and seeded, or seeded without inoculum. After
three seasons, we evaluated the sites to determine: 1) if mycorrhizal
inoculation of the fill slope changed plant growth compared to no inoculation,
and 2) if the fill slope AMF population was significantly different from the
AMF population found in adjacent undisturbed soils. In addition, we set up a
greenhouse experiment to determine: 1) if the two AMF populations (fill slope
and ambient) differentially affected the growth of Lupinus
nanus,
Nassella pulchra,
and Bromus hordeaceus, both in monoculture and when co-existing
in pairs, and 2) if phosphorus is limiting to plant growth on the fill
slope material. Our results indicate that the presence of either inoculated or
ambient AMF population was always beneficial to the growth of L. nanus, but always a cost to the growth of B. hordeaceus. Replacing ambient AMF with fill slope AMF
reduced the biomass and co-existence ratios of L. nanus
and N. pulchra but was neutral or
increased the biomass and co-existence ratios of B. hordeaceus.
Based on the results with these soils and plant species, we conclude that the
addition of ambient AMF and no additional phosphorus at this site has the
potential to increase the growth of L. nanus
and N. pulchra, especially when they co-exist
together, and to reduce the growth of B. hordeaceus.