Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi form symbioses with most plant species that facilitate resource uptake and also influence plant community structure and function. Degradation of mycorrhizal fungal communities by disturbance can be a determining factor in initial plant establishment, often setting the stage for dominance by non-native plant species. In addition, the recovery of the AM fungal community can be a critical driver for the turnover in plant species abundance during succession. Given that late successional native plant communities are often the goals for restoration efforts, understanding how AM fungal dynamics mediate plant-plant interactions during succession may improve restoration practice. We test potential mechanisms of mycorrhizal mediation of plant succession by integrating results from greenhouse and field inoculation studies in the tallgrass prairies.
Results/Conclusions
Our greenhouse assays reveal that late successional native plant species are generally more dependent on AM fungi, and have greater specificity of response to different AM fungal species, compared to early successional native or non-native plant species. Consistent with these results, we find that field inoculation with native AM fungi can increase the establishment and growth of late successional native plant species. We also find that late successional species are better hosts for beneficial AM fungal species than early successional native plant species. These results are consistent with the dynamics of AM fungal communities generating positive feedback, which would reinforce initial establishment of native late successional species. Together our results identify an important role of AM fungi and AM fungal dynamics in terrestrial plant succession and the restoration of native plant diversity.