Abstract
Summary Previous studies have shown that arbuscular mycorrhizas (AM) enhance the growth of the invasive forb Centaurea maculosa when growing with native grass species. Using 13 CO 2 , we tested the hypothesis that this enhancement is explained by carbon transfer from native species to C. maculosa via mycorrhizal hyphal linkages. A C. maculosa plant was paired with one of five native species – three grasses ( Festuca idahoensis , Koeleria cristata and Pseudoroegneria spicata ) and two forbs ( Achillea millefolium and Gaillardia aristata ) – in pots that separated the plants with either a mesh barrier (28 µm, excludes fine roots but not hyphae) or a membrane barrier (0·45 µm, excludes roots and hyphae). 13 CO 2 was added to the atmosphere of either Centaurea or the native species after 20 weeks’ growth. A 25 min pulse application was followed by 7 days’ growth and subsequent harvest. The biomass response of C. maculosa was consistent with previous experiments: C. maculosa was larger when growing in mesh barrier pots, when hyphae were able to access the opposite side of the pot; in mesh barrier pots only, biomass varied with neighbouring species. Native plant biomass did not vary between mesh‐ vs membrane‐barrier pots. There was no evidence of carbon transfer, either from the native plant to C. maculosa or in the reverse direction. Centaurea maculosa contained significantly more phosphorus in mesh‐divided pots, but this depended on the neighbouring plant. The P concentration in C. maculosa was significantly higher in mesh‐divided pots when growing with a grass and not a forb. Native species contained more P in mesh‐divided pots than membrane‐divided pots, and P concentration differed between species (higher in forbs than grasses), but did not vary between mesh‐ and membrane‐divided pots. Our study suggests that C. maculosa is able to exploit its mycorrhizal symbiosis more effectively than the native grassland species. The mechanism for this appears to be luxury consumption of P through efficient utilization of extra‐radical hyphae, but that effect is dependent on neighbouring species, and occurs when growing with a grass neighbour. Although no single study can disprove the carbon‐transfer hypothesis, our work suggests that AM‐mediated neighbour effects are the result of mycorrhizal networks that increase species’ access to P. Whether the synergistic effects of neighbours are due to complementarity of AM fungal symbionts utilized by different plant species, or have to do with the structure of AM networks that develop more extensively with multiple host plants, remains to be investigated.
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Claims 13
Claim · model-written summary
C. maculosa biomass was greater with mesh than membrane barriers.
- Taxon
- C. maculosa
Centaurea maculosae0 - Treatment
- mesh barrier potse0
- Interactor
- mycorrhizalt0symbiont
- Outcome
- largere0
- Direction
- largere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“C. maculosa was larger when growing in mesh barrier pots, when hyphae were able to access the opposite side of the pot”
t0“mycorrhizal”
Claim · model-written summary
C. maculosa biomass varied by neighboring species only in mesh barrier pots.
- Taxon
- Centaurea maculosaCentaurea maculosat0
- Interactor
- neighbouring speciese0other
- Outcome
- biomasse0
- Qualifier
- in mesh barrier pots onlye0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“in mesh barrier pots only, biomass varied with neighbouring species.”
t0“Centaurea maculosa”
Claim · model-written summary
Native plant biomass did not vary by barrier type.
Verbatim
e0“Native plant biomass did not vary between mesh‐ vs membrane‐barrier pots.”
Claim · model-written summary
No carbon transfer from native plants to C. maculosa was detected.
- Taxon
- C. maculosaCentaurea maculosae0
- Interactor
- native plante0other
- Outcome
- no evidence of carbon transfere0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“There was no evidence of carbon transfer, either from the native plant to C. maculosa or in the reverse direction.”
Claim · model-written summary
No carbon transfer from C. maculosa to native plants was detected.
- Taxon
- native plante0
- Interactor
- C. maculosaCentaurea maculosae0other
- Outcome
- no evidence of carbon transfere0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“There was no evidence of carbon transfer, either from the native plant to C. maculosa or in the reverse direction.”
Claim · model-written summary
C. maculosa had significantly more phosphorus in mesh divided pots, depending on the neighboring plant.
- Taxon
- Centaurea maculosaCentaurea maculosae0
- Treatment
- mesh‐divided potse0
- Interactor
- neighbouring plante0other
- Outcome
- phosphoruse0
- Direction
- moree0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Centaurea maculosa contained significantly more phosphorus in mesh‐divided pots, but this depended on the neighbouring plant.”
Claim · model-written summary
C. maculosa phosphorus concentration was significantly higher in mesh pots with grass neighbors but not forb neighbors.
- Taxon
- C. maculosaCentaurea maculosae0
- Treatment
- mesh‐divided potse0
- Interactor
- a grasse0other
- Outcome
- P concentratione0
- Direction
- highere0
- Comparator
- a forbe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The P concentration in C. maculosa was significantly higher in mesh‐divided pots when growing with a grass and not a forb.”
Claim · model-written summary
Native species had more phosphorus in mesh than membrane divided pots.
Verbatim
e0“Native species contained more P in mesh‐divided pots than membrane‐divided pots”
Claim · model-written summary
Native species phosphorus concentration was higher in forbs than grasses.
Verbatim
e0“P concentration differed between species (higher in forbs than grasses)”
Claim · model-written summary
Native species phosphorus concentration did not differ by barrier type.
Verbatim
e0“P concentration differed between species (higher in forbs than grasses), but did not vary between mesh‐ and membrane‐divided pots.”
t0“native grassland species”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors infer that C. maculosa exploits mycorrhizal symbiosis more effectively than native grassland species.
- Taxon
- C. maculosaCentaurea maculosae0
- Interactor
- mycorrhizale0symbiont
- Outcome
- exploit its mycorrhizal symbiosis more effectivelye0
- Comparator
- native grassland speciese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Our study suggests that C. maculosa is able to exploit its mycorrhizal symbiosis more effectively than the native grassland species.”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors propose phosphorus luxury consumption through extraradical hyphae, dependent on grass neighbors, as the mechanism.
- Taxon
- Centaurea maculosaCentaurea maculosat0
- Interactor
- grass neighboure0other
- Outcome
- luxury consumption of Pe0
- Qualifier
- efficient utilization of extra‐radical hyphaee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The mechanism for this appears to be luxury consumption of P through efficient utilization of extra‐radical hyphae, but that effect is dependent on neighbouring species, and occurs when growing with a grass neighbour.”
t0“Centaurea maculosa”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors suggest mycorrhizal networks increase species access to phosphorus and explain neighbor effects.
- Taxon
- Centaurea maculosaCentaurea maculosat0
- Outcome
- increase species’ access to Pe0
- Qualifier
- mycorrhizal networkse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“AM‐mediated neighbour effects are the result of mycorrhizal networks that increase species’ access to P.”
t0“Centaurea maculosa”