Skip to main content
Log in

Beyond the rhizosphere: growth and function of arbuscular mycorrhizal external hyphae in sands of varying pore sizes

  • Published:
Plant and Soil Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Research on nutrient acquisition by symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi has mainly focused on the root–fungus interface and less attention has been given to the growth and functioning of external hyphae in the bulk soil. The growth and function of external hyphae may be affected by unfavourable soil environments, such as compacted soils in which pores may be narrow. The effects of pore size on the growth of two AM fungi (Glomus intraradices and G. mosseae) and their ability to transport 33P from the bulk soil to the host were investigated. Trifolium subterraneum L. plants were grown individually in `single arm cross-pots' with and without AM fungi. The side arm was separated from the main compartment by nylon mesh to prevent root penetration. It contained three zones: 5 mm of soil:sand mix (HC1); 25 mm of media treatment (HC2); and 20 mm of 33P-labelled soil (HC3). There were four media treatments; soil and three types of quartz sand with most common continuous pore diameters of 100, 38 and 26 μm. AM plants had similar growth and total P uptake in all treatments. However, plants grown with G. intraradices contained almost three times more 33P than those grown with G. mosseae, indicating G. intraradices obtained a greater proportion of P at a distance from the host roots. Differences in P acquisition were not correlated with production of external hyphae in the four media zones and changes in sand pore size did not affect the ability of the fungi studied to acquire P at a distance from the host roots. Production of external hyphae in HC2 was influenced by fungal species and media treatment. Both fungi produced maximum amounts of external hyphae in the soil medium. Sand pore size affected growth of G. intraradices (but not G. mosseae) and hyphal diameter distributions of both fungi. The results suggest that not only are G. mosseae and G. intraradices functionally complementary in terms of spatial phosphorus acquisition, they are also capable of altering their morphology in response to the soil environment.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abdalla A M, Hettiaratchi D R P and Reece A R 1969 The mechanics of root growth in granular media. J. Agric. Eng. Res. 14, 236–248.

    Google Scholar 

  • Allen E B, Allen M F, Helm D J, Trappe J M, Molina R and Rincon E 1995 Patterns and regulation of mycorrhizal plant and fungal diversity. Plant Soil 170, 47–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friese C F and Allen M F 1991 The spread of VA mycorrhizal fungal hyphae in the soil: inoculum types and external hyphal architecture. Mycologia 83 409–418.

    Google Scholar 

  • George E, Haussler K, Kothari S K, Li X-L and Marschner H 1992 Contribution of mycorrhizal hyphae to nutrient and water uptake of plants. In Mycorrhizas in Ecosystems. Eds. D J Read, D H Lewis, A H Fitter and I J Alexander. pp. 42–47 Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Giovanetti M and Mosse B 1980 An evaluation of techniques for measuring vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal infection in roots. New Phytol. 84, 489–500.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jakobsen I, Abbott L K and Robson A D 1992 External hyphae of vesicular–arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associated with Trifolium subterranum L. (1) Spread of hyphae and phosphorus inflow into roots. New Phytol. 120, 371–380.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koide R T 2000 Functional complementarity in the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis. New Phytol. 147, 233–235.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li X, George E, Marschner H and Zhang J 1997 Phosphorus acquisition from compacted soil by hyphae of a mycorrhizal fungus associated with red clover (Trifolium pratense). Can. J. Bot. 75, 723–729.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marshall T J 1962 The nature, development and significance of soil structure. Trans. Int. Soc. Soil Sci. Commun. IV and V, 243–257.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marshall T J, Holmes J W and Rose C W 1996 Soil Physics, 3rd edn. Cambridge University Press, Melbourne.

    Google Scholar 

  • Materechera S A, Dexter A R and Alston A M 1991 Penetration of very strong soils by seedling roots of different plant species. Plant Soil 135, 31–41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Menge J A 1983 Utilisation of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza IV. In soil given additional phosphate. New Phytol. 72, 127–136.

    Google Scholar 

  • Merryweather J and Fitter A 1998 The arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi of Hyacinthoides non-scripta. II. Seasonal and spatial patterns of fungal populations. New Phytol. 138, 131–142.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murphy J and Riley J P 1962 A modified single solution method for the determination of phosphate in natural water. Anal. Chim. Acta 27, 31–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nadian H, Smith S E, Alston A M and Murray R S 1997 Effects of soil compaction on plant growth, phosphorus uptake and morphological characteristics of vesicular–arbuscular mycorrhizal colonisation of Trifolium subterraneum. New Phytol. 135, 303–311.

    Google Scholar 

  • Norman J R, Atkinson D and Hooker J E 1996 Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal-induced alteration to root architecture in strawberry and induced resistance to the root pathogen Phytophthora fragariae. Plant Soil 185, 191–198.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olsen S R, Cole C V, Watanabe F S and Dean L A 1954 Estimation of available phosphorus in soils by extraction with sodium bicarbonate. United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olsson P A, Jakobsen I and Wallander H 2002 Foraging and resource allocation strategies of mycorrhizal fungi in a patchy environment. In Mycorrhizal Ecology 157. Eds. M G A van der Heijden and I R Sanders. pp. 93–110. Springer, Berlin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Otten W, Gilligan C A, Watts C W, Dexter A R and Hall D 1999 Continuity of air-filled pores and invasion thresholds for a soil-borne fungal plant pathogen, Rhizoctonia solani. Soil Biol. Biochem. 31, 1803–1810.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearson J N and Jakobsen I 1993 The relative contribution of hyphae and roots to phosphorus uptake by arbuscular mycorrhizal plants measured by dual labelling with 32P and 33P. New Phytol. 124, 489–494.

    Google Scholar 

  • Phillips J M and Hayman D S 1970 Improved procedures for clearing roots and staining parasitic and vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi for rapid assessment of infection. Trans. Br. Mycol. Soc. 55, 158–160.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith F A, Jakobsen I and Smith S E 2000 Spatial differences in acquisition of soil phosphate between two arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in symbiosis with Medicago truncatula. New Phytol. 147, 357–366.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith S E and Read D J 1997 Mycorrhizal Symbiosis, 2nd edn. Academic Press, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tennant D 1975 A test of a modified line intersect method of estimating root length. J. Ecol. 63, 995–1001.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trotta A, Varese G C, Gnavi E, Fusconi A, Sampo S and Berta G 1996 Interactions between the soil borne root pathogen Phytophthora nicotianae var. parasitica and the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus mosseae in tomato plants. Plant Soil 185: 199–209.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to E.A. Drew.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Drew, E., Murray, R., Smith, S. et al. Beyond the rhizosphere: growth and function of arbuscular mycorrhizal external hyphae in sands of varying pore sizes. Plant and Soil 251, 105–114 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022932414788

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022932414788

Navigation