How Inoculation with Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Impact on Soil Respiration?

Abstract

Soil respiration can be altered by changing substance supply, respiratory capacity and the demand for the products. We carried out a field experiment in the northeast of China to understand how inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) alters soil respiration in paddy fields. Soil respiration and factors contributing to it were measured for paddy fields either inoculated or non-inoculated with AMF, with or without fertilization. We found that inoculation increased soil respiration, net photosynthesis of rice leaves, N and P content of rice shoots and the abundance of actinomyces and fungi in rhizosphere; while the negative effect was only observed on root biomass. We also found that fertilization decreased the responses of soil respiration, root biomass and the abundance of bacteria and fungi in rhizosphere to inoculation. However, it decreased the responses of net photosynthesis, shoot biomass and shoot N and P content to inoculation. Conclusively, AMF inoculation promoted soil respiration by enhancing substrate supply, respiratory capacity and the demand for products; while the impacts of inoculation were weakened by fertilization via respiration capacity and the demand for the products.