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Seedling mycorrhizal type and soil chemistry are related to canopy condition of Eucalyptus gomphocephala

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Abstract

The health of Eucalyptus gomphocephala is declining within its natural range in south-western Australia. In a pilot study to assess whether changes in mycorrhizal fungi and soil chemistry might be associated with E. gomphocephala decline, we set up a containerized bioassay experiment with E. gomphocephala as the trap plant using intact soil cores collected from 12 sites with E. gomphocephala canopy condition ranging from healthy to declining. Adjacent soil samples were collected for chemical analysis. The type of mycorrhiza (arbuscular or ectomycorrhizal) formed in containerized seedlings predicted the canopy condition of E. gomphocephala at the sites where the cores were taken. Ectomycorrhizal fungi colonization was higher in seedling roots in soil taken from sites with healthy canopies, whereas colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi dominated in roots in soil taken from sites with declining canopies. Furthermore, several soil chemical properties predicted canopy condition and the type of mycorrhizal fungi colonizing roots. These preliminary findings suggest that large-scale studies should be undertaken in the field to quantify those ectomycorrhiza (ECM) fungi sensitive to E. gomphocephala canopy decline and whether particular ECM fungi are bioindicators of ecosystem health.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Australian Research Council for project funding. We also thank the anonymous reviewers for their feedback to improve the manuscript. The work of Lily Ishaq is supported by Indonesian Higher Education PhD scholarship and Murdoch University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre of Excellence for Climate Change, Woodland and Forest Health, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, 6150, Australia

    Lily Ishaq, Paul A. Barber, Giles E. St. J. Hardy, Michael Calver & Bernard Dell

  2. Arbor Carbon Pty Ltd, PO Box 1065, Willage Central, WA, 6156, Australia

    Paul A. Barber

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  1. Lily Ishaq
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  2. Paul A. Barber
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  3. Giles E. St. J. Hardy
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  4. Michael Calver
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Correspondence to Giles E. St. J. Hardy.

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Ishaq, L., Barber, P.A., Hardy, G.E.S.J. et al. Seedling mycorrhizal type and soil chemistry are related to canopy condition of Eucalyptus gomphocephala . Mycorrhiza 23, 359–371 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00572-012-0476-5

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