Quality of rooting environments and patterns of root colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in strangler figs in a Mexican palmetto woodland

Abstract

Arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization in strangler figs, spore richness, and abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi were quantified in epiphytic and ground-rooted trees in a Sabal palmetto woodland that had marked heterogeneity in rooting environments for hemiepiphytic plants. An inoculation experiment was performed to assess whether low spore density could limit mycorrhizal colonization. There was no significant difference in mycorrhizal colonization among Ficus species, but epiphytic plants in nutrient-rich rooting environments had less mycorrhizal colonization than ground-rooted plants in low-nutrient soils. However, richness and abundance of spores was low, and to some extent, this limited the mycorrhizal colonization of strangler figs. Nevertheless, our results suggest intraindividual adjusting levels of root colonization in strangler figs in accordance with mineral availability. Such responses could maximize the cost-benefit balance of arbuscular mycorrhizal interactions throughout the development of strangler figs from epiphytic young plants to ground-rooted trees.