Research Articles

Interplant transfer of nitrogen between C3 and C4 plants through common mycorrhizal networks under different nitrogen availability

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  • 1College of Grassland Science, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China;
    2College of Resources and Environment/International Magnesium Institute, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China;
    3Research Centre of Phosphorous Efficient Utilization and Water Environment Protection along the Yangtze River Economic Belt, College of Resources and Environment, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China;
    4School of Environment and Energy, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, China;
    5College of Biological Science and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China;
    6Cotton Research Institute, Multan, Punjab, Pakistan;
    7Institute of Plant Breeding and Biotechnology, Muhammad Nawaz Shareef University of Agriculture, Multan, Pakistan;
    8Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan;
    9Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Vehari Campus, Vehari 61100, Pakistan;
    10Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Genetics, Breeding and Multiple Utilization of Crops, College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China

Received date: 2021-08-04

  Revised date: 2021-12-25

  Accepted date: 2022-04-02

  Online published: 2023-02-03

Abstract

Hyphae of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in soil often form complex mycorrhizal networks among roots of same or different plant species for transfer of nutrients from one plant to another. However, the effect of soil nitrogen (N) availability on nutrient transfer between different plant species via common mycorrhizal networks (CMNs) has not been experimentally examined. In order to quantify CMN-mediated nutrient transfer between Leymus chinensis (LC) and Cleistogene squarrosa (CS), two systems, i.e. the CS-LC system (CS and LC were donor and recipient, respectively) and the LC-CS system (LC and CS were donor and recipient, respectively) were established. Stable isotopic 15N was applied to track N transfer between heterospecific seedlings connected by CMNs under three levels of soil N additions: no N addition control (N0), N addition with 7 mg/kg (N1) and N addition with 14 mg/kg (N2). In the CS-LC system, the highest rate of AMF colonization and hyphal length density (HLD) were found at N1. In contrast, maximum AMF colonization rate and HLD were recorded at N2 in LC-CS system. Consequently, plant biomass was significantly higher under N1 and N2 levels in CS-LC and LC-CS systems, respectively. Moreover, in CS-LC system, 15N transfer rate ranged from 16% to 61%, with maximum transfer rate at N1. For LC-CS system, 15N transfer rate was much lower, with the maximum occurring at N0. These findings suggest that CMNs could potentially regulate N transfer from a donor to recipient plant depending upon the strength of individual plant carbon sink.

Cite this article

Muhammad Atif Muneer, Xiaohui Chen, Muhammad Zeeshan Munir, Zaib-Un Nisa, Muhammad Abu Bakar Saddique, Shehzad Mehmood, Da Su, Chaoyuan Zheng, Baoming Ji . Interplant transfer of nitrogen between C3 and C4 plants through common mycorrhizal networks under different nitrogen availability[J]. Journal of Plant Ecology, 2023 , 16(2) : 0 -rtac058 . DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtac058

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