Mycorrhizal colonization and microbial community structure in the rhizosphere of annual ryegrass grown in pyrene‐amended soils

In an 182‐d lightroom experiment, annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) was grown in two soils under conditions of high and low fertility to examine the effect of pyrene (500 mg kg^‐1) on plant shoot biomass, mycorrhizal colonization, and soil microbial community structure. Treatments were destructively sampled every 14 d. Plant shoot biomass remained relatively unaffected by pyrene in either soil. Mycorrhizal colonization was only briefly affected by pyrene in one soil, but was unaffected in the other. Changes in soil microbial community structure were measured with whole soil fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profiles. Differences in soil microbial community structure were observed between planted and nonplanted treatments at both fertility levels, but these differences were unrelated to the presence of pyrene. The bulk soil was associated primarily with fatty acid biomarkers for Gram‐positive bacteria, while the rhizosphere was associated primarily with the fatty acid biomarkers associated with protozoa. Differences in microbial community structure were observed between the two soils. Methylene chloride‐extractable pyrene decreased in nonplanted and planted treatments of one soil, but decreased only in nonplanted treatments of the other soil. These results suggest the potential for phytoremediation to differ among soils.