Growth of micropropagated bananas colonized by root-organ culture produced arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi entrapped in Ca- alginate beads

The effect of root-organ culture (ROC) produced arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), i.e. Glomus proliferum, Glomus versiforme and Glomus intraradices, entrapped in Ca-alginate beads on the first stages development of micropropagated bananas (Musa spp. cv. Grande Naine) was investigated. The experimental design consisted of banana plants inoculated with one of the three AMF and two controls, i.e. Control-AL (with empty alginate beads), and Control (no beads). Forty plants were considered per treatment and cultured under greenhouse conditions in a completely randomized design. Eight plants per treatment were harvested 40, 80, 120, 160 and 200 days after inoculation and analysed for root colonization, growth parameters and nutrient concentration. In addition, spores were enumerated in the substrate at the same intervals. Ca-alginate entrapped ROC-produced AMF spores were able (1) to colonize the root system of a micropropagated banana cultivar under nursery conditions, (2) to increase plant P nutrition and biomass, and (3) to proliferate in the commercial nursery substrate, therefore increasing the fungal inoculum biomass. The entrapment of ROC-propagated spores, adaptable to a wide range of Glomeromycetes, represents thus a forthcoming alternative pathogen-free inoculum.     

Interactions among mycorrhizae, atmospheric CO2 and soil N impact plant community composition

We examined plant community responses to interactions between arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and availability of atmospheric CO₂ and soil N. Communities of 14 plant species were grown in mesocosms containing living or killed AM fungal inoculum, ambient or elevated atmospheric CO₂ and low or enriched soil N. After one growing season, significantly different plant communities existed in the different treatments. Plant species richness was lowest in +N mesocosms and highest in +AM + CO₂ mesocosms. At ambient CO₂, AM fungi reduced richness but at elevated CO₂ they increased it. This was caused by changes in mortality rates of several C₃ forbs and may suggest that CO₂ enrichment ameliorates the carbon cost of some AM symbioses. Soil moisture was higher in +CO₂ mesocosms but +AM counteracted this effect. These results suggest that AM symbioses may be important mediators of plant community responses to anthropogenic CO₂ and N enrichment.     

西双版纳地区龙脑香科植物AM真菌的初步研究

 对云南省西双版纳地区17种龙脑香科树种根系丛枝菌根（Arbuscular mycorrhiza, AM）真菌的定居情况进行了调查,并对根围土壤中AM真菌进行了分离和鉴定。结果表明,调查根样均有不同程度的菌根感染,感染率最高可达40%,调查揭示了西双版纳地区龙脑香科植物在自然条件下可形成丛枝菌根。初步从龙脑香科植物根际土壤中分离、鉴定出32种AM真菌,隶属于无梗囊霉属（Acaulospora）、球囊霉属（Glomus）、原囊霉属（Achaeospora）、拟球囊霉属（Paraglomus）和盾巨孢囊霉属（Scutellospora）,其中,无梗囊霉属和球囊霉属真菌为西双版纳地区龙脑香科植物AM真菌优势类群。     

P metabolism and transport in AM fungi

The arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis is mutualistic, based on reciprocal transfer of P from the fungus to the plant and carbon from the plant to the fungus. Thus P is a most important `currency' in the symbiosis. After absorbing P from the soil solution, the fungi first incorporate it into the cytosolic pool, and the excess P is transferred to the vacuoles. The vacuolar P pool probably plays a central role in P supply to the plant. The main forms of inorganic P in fungal vacuoles are orthophosphate and polyphosphate, but organic P molecules may also be present. Long distance translocation of P from the site of uptake in the external mycelium to the site of transfer to the plant is probably achieved via transfer of vacuolar components. This transport would be mediated either by protoplasmic streaming or the motile tubular vacuole-like system. The site of release of P into the interfacial apoplast and thence to the plant is most probably the fungal arbuscules. The biochemical and biophysical processes involved in P metabolism and transfer between cellular compartments in the symbiosis are currently not well understood. Some recent investigations of substrate specificities of phosphatase-type enzymes in AM fungi and other eukaryotic microorganisms, however, have shed new light on earlier results and permit the construction of a hypothetical scheme of P-flow, including possible regulatory factors. Steps in this scheme are experimentally testable and should stimulate future research.     

Rapid genotypic change and plasticity in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi is caused by a host shift and enhanced by segregation

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are among the most abundant symbionts of plants, improving plant productivity and diversity. They are thought to mostly grow vegetatively, a trait assumed to limit adaptability. However, AMF can also harbor genetically different nuclei (nucleotypes). It has been shown that one AMF can produce genotypically novel offspring with proportions of different nucleotypes. We hypothesized that (1) AMF respond rapidly to a change of environment (plant host) through changes in the frequency of nucleotypes; (2) genotypically novel offspring exhibit different genetic responses to environmental change than the parent; and (3) genotypically novel offspring exhibit a wide range of phenotypic plasticity to a change of environment. We subjected AMF parents and offspring to a host shift. We observed rapid and large genotypic changes in all AMF lines that were not random. Genotypic and phenotypic responses were different among offspring and their parents. Even though growing vegetatively, AMF offspring display a broad range of genotypic and phenotypic changes in response to host shift. We conclude that AMF have the ability to rapidly produce variable progeny, increasing their probability to produce offspring with different fitness than their parents and, consequently, their potential adaptability to new environmental conditions. Such genotypic and phenotypic flexibility could be a fast alternative to sexual reproduction and is likely to be a key to the ecological success of AMF.     

Detection of a novel intracellular microbiome hosted in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are important members of the plant microbiome. They are obligate biotrophs that colonize the roots of most land plants and enhance host nutrient acquisition. Many AMF themselves harbor endobacteria in their hyphae and spores. Two types of endobacteria are known in Glomeromycota: rod-shaped Gram-negative Candidatus Glomeribacter gigasporarum, CaGg, limited in distribution to members of the Gigasporaceae family, and coccoid Mollicutes-related endobacteria, Mre, widely distributed across different lineages of AMF. The goal of the present study is to investigate the patterns of distribution and coexistence of the two endosymbionts, CaGg and Mre, in spore samples of several strains of Gigaspora margarita. Based on previous observations, we hypothesized that some AMF could host populations of both endobacteria. To test this hypothesis, we performed an extensive investigation of both endosymbionts in G. margarita spores sampled from Cameroonian soils as well as in the Japanese G. margarita MAFF520054 isolate using different approaches (molecular phylotyping, electron microscopy, fluorescence in situ hybridization and quantitative real-time PCR). We found that a single AMF host can harbour both types of endobacteria, with Mre population being more abundant, variable and prone to recombination than the CaGg one. Both endosymbionts seem to retain their genetic and lifestyle peculiarities regardless of whether they colonize the host alone or together. These findings show for the first time that fungi support an intracellular bacterial microbiome, in which distinct types of endobacteria coexist in a single cell.     

丛枝菌根真菌对辣椒光合特性及根际微生物多样性和酶活性的影响

在育苗和栽培基质中添加具有生物活性的微生物群体是改善无土栽培有机基质性状和提高应用效果的重要途径。该试验通过在辣椒育苗和栽培基质中添加丛枝菌根真菌制剂恩益碧(NEB-F),研究了AMF对辣椒生长、果实产量、光合特性以及根际微生物多样性和酶活性的影响。结果显示:(1)基质添加AMF显著促进了辣椒植株生长,并明显提高了产量。(2)AMF处理显著提高了辣椒植株叶片的净光合速率(Pn)、气孔导度(Gs)、蒸腾速率(Tr)、水分利用效率(WUE),而使胞间二氧化碳浓度(Ci)显著降低,同时对辣椒叶片最大光化学效率(Fv/Fm)的影响不大,而使实际光化学效率(ФPSⅡ)、光化学猝灭(qP)和表观光合电子传递效率(ETR)显著提高。(3)基质添加AMF显著增加基质中细菌、放线菌数量,而降低真菌数量,并明显提高了根际微生物多样性指数以及过氧化氢酶、碱性磷酸酶和尿酶活性;添加AMF基质中的细菌、真菌、放线菌数量均与其过氧化氢酶、脲酶、碱性磷酸酶之间呈显著或极显著正相关关系。研究表明,基质添加AMF不仅增大了辣椒叶片气孔导度,而且促进电子传递速率,提高CO2同化利用效率和净光合速率;同时促使辣椒根际微生物区系从低肥力的"真菌型"向高肥力的"细菌型"转化,提高根际微生物多样性和酶活性,有助于维持辣椒根际生态系统的稳定性与和谐性,从而促进辣椒幼苗生长,并提高产量。基质中添加AMF是提高有机基质应用效果的有效途径。     

丛枝菌根共生体中碳、氮代谢及其相互关系

丛枝菌根共生体(arbuscular mycorrhiza, AM)是丛枝菌根真菌(arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, AMF)与宿主植物之间形成的互惠共生形式.共生体中的碳、氮交换和代谢影响着宿主植物和共生真菌之间的营养平衡和资源重新分配,在物质和能量循环中发挥着重要作用.宿主植物光合固定的碳输送到真菌内,并且分解和释放真菌所需的生命物质和能量,包括促进孢子萌发、菌丝生长和提高氮等营养元素的吸收;而菌根真菌利用宿主植物提供的碳骨架和能量,发生氮的转化和运输,最终传递给宿主植物供其利用.本文综述了丛枝菌根共生体中碳、氮传输和代谢的主要模式,碳、氮的交互影响和调控机制,以促进丛枝菌根在可持续农业和生态系统中的应用.