Changes in mycorrhizal status and type in plant communities along altitudinal and ecological gradients-a case study from the Northern Urals (Russia).

Abstract

The Ural Mountains (the Urals) are a mountain range on the border between the continents of Europe and Asia. The Urals extend about 2500 km from north to south and run from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the steppe of northwestern Kazakhstan. In terms of mycorrhizal traits, the vegetation of the Urals has not been studied absolutely compared with the other mountain systems of Europe. Detailed research of vegetation at the Telpos-iz Ridge (Northern Urals, Russia) allowed us to analyze changes in mycorrhizal status (obligatory mycorrhizal, OM; facultative mycorrhizal, FM; non-mycorrhizal, NM) and type (arbuscular, AM; ectomycorrhiza, ECM; ericoid, ERM; ORM, orchid mycorrhiza; NM) both in the main vegetation types and the individual communities along the elevation and ecological gradients based on 165 releves. This is the first attempt to describe the mycorrhizal status of plant communities across different elevations and ecological conditions outside Europe and North America. OM species were most diverse in all vegetation types. Maximal share of NM species was found in the mires and may be explained by over logged and unfertile soils of these habitats. Arbuscular mycorrhizas dominated across all vegetation types except for mires, where specific ecological conditions result in the prevalence of ECM and NM species. We analyzed the mycorrhizal status and type of plant communities along the main ecological gradients and found a decisive role of elevation and soil nitrogen content. At the same time, it remains unclear which factor determines the distribution of ECM and AM communities which are most represented in the vegetation of the study area.