Mycorrhizas and Root Attributes of Plants of Coastal Sand-Dunes of New South Wales

Abstract

Root samples of 41 sand-dune plant species in 28 families were collected from sites along the coast of New South Wales during spring 1987. Of the species, 36 had vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizas, with vesicles and internal and external hyphae. Among these species there was great variation in the pro- portion of root length colonised by vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (from 1 to 96%); in 33 species over 10% of root length was infected. Of the vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal species, 21 showed arbuscules, and 16 had intracellular hyphal coils. In four plant species mycorrhizas were not found in the single samples examined; ericoid mycorrhizas were present in the remaining species, Leucopogon parviflorus, but its vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal status could not be assessed. The results, though preliminary, may reflect a high vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal status of vegetation of coastal sand-dunes of New South Wales. This would be likely to enhance plant nutrition and sandbinding, and to have implications for sand-dune management.