Co-invading ectomycorrhizal fungal succession in pine-invaded mountain
grasslands
Abstract
Pines (Pinus spp.) rely on co-introduced ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi to
invade native ecosystems in the Southern Hemisphere. Although
co-invasive EM fungal communities are expected to be poor in species,
long-term successional trajectories and the persistence of dispersal
limitations are not well understood. We sampled the roots and
surrounding soil of Pinus elliottii and P. taeda trees invading mountain
grasslands of Argentina. We also sampled the EM fungal spore bank in
grassland soil near (~150 m) and far
(~850 m) from original pine plantations. We found an
impressive total of 47 different co-invasive EM fungal OTUs.
Differential dispersal capacities among EM fungi were detected in the
spore bank of grassland soil, but not under mature invading pines. After
thirty years of invasion, the age but not the degree of spatial
isolation of pine individuals affected the EM fungal composition. We
showed that invading pines can host a highly diverse EM fungal community
and although dispersal limitations can be important during the
colonization of non-invaded sites, they can be overcome in the life-span
of pines, allowing EM succession to continue. These results enhance our
understanding of the spatial structure and dispersal dynamics of EM
fungi during pine invasions.