Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Drought effects on fine-root and ectomycorrhizal-root biomass in managed Pinus oaxacana Mirov stands in Oaxaca, Mexico

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Mycorrhiza Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The effects of a severe drought on fine-root and ectomycorrhizal biomass were investigated in a forest ecosystem dominated by Pinus oaxacana located in Oaxaca, Mexico. Root cores were collected during both the wet and dry seasons of 1998 and 1999 from three sites subjected to different forest management treatments in 1990 and assessed for total fine-root biomass and ectomycorrhizal-root biomass. Additionally, a bioassay experiment with P. oaxacana seedlings was conducted to assess the ectomycorrhizal inoculum potential of the soil for each of the three stands. Results indicated that biomasses of both fine roots and ectomycorrhizal roots were reduced by almost 60% in the drought year compared to the nondrought year. There were no significant differences in ectomycorrhizal and fine-root biomass between the wet and dry seasons. Further, the proportion of total root biomass consisting of ectomycorrhizal roots did not vary between years or seasons. These results suggest that both total fine-root biomass and ectomycorrhizal-root biomass are strongly affected by severe drought in these high-elevation tropical pine forests, and that these responses outweigh seasonal effects. Forest management practices in these tropical pine forests should consider the effects of drought on the capacity of P. oaxacana to maintain sufficient levels of ectomycorrhizae especially when there is a potential for synergistic interactions between multiple disturbances that may lead to more severe stress in the host plant and subsequent reductions in ectomycorrhizal colonization.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Augé RM, Schekel KA, Wample RL (1987) Leaf water and carbohydrate status of VA mycorrhizal rose exposed to drought. Plant Soil 99:291–302

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baar J (1996) The ectomycorrhizal flora of primary and secondary stands of Pinus sylvestris in relation to soil conditions and ectomycorrhizal succession. J Veg Sci 7:497–504

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Becerra F, Santiago-Pérez L, Castellanos JF, Gómez-Cárdenas M, Ruiz M (1993) Ixtlán, Oaxaca: una propuesta de bosque productivo ó experimental. Folleto Informativo 1, SARH, INIFAP, CIRPS, Mexico

  • Becker CA, Mroz GD, Fuller LG (1987) The effects of plant moisture stress on red pine (Pinus resinosa) seedling growth and establishment. Can J For Res 17:813–820

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bethlenfalvay GJ (1992) Mycorrhizae and crop productivity. In: Bethlenfalvay GJ, Linderman RG (eds) Mycorrhizae in sustainable agriculture. ASA special publication no. 54, Madison, pp 1–27

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowen GD (1973) Mineral nutrition of ectomycorrhizae. In: Marks GC, Kozlowski TT (eds) Ectomycorrhizae: their ecology and physiology. Academic, New York, pp 151–205

    Google Scholar 

  • Brundrett M, Bougher N, Dell B, Grove T, Malajczuk N (1996) Working with mycorrhizas in forestry and agriculture. ACIAR monograph no. 32, ACIAR, Canberra

  • Dahlberg A (2002) Effects of fire on ectomycorrhizal fungi in Fennoscandian boreal forests. Silva Fenn 36:69–80

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dahlberg A, Jonsson L, Nylund J-E (1997) Species diversity and distribution of biomass above and below ground among ectomycorrhizal fungi in an old Norway spruce forest in south Sweden. Can J Bot 8:1323–1335

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davies FT Jr, Svenson SE, Cole JC, Phavaphutanon L, Duray SA, Olalde-Portugal V, Meier CE, Bo SH (1996) Non-nutritional stress acclimation of mycorrhizal woody plants exposed to drought. Tree Physiol 16:985–993

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • García E (1981) Modificaciones al sistema de clasificación climática de Koeppen. Instituto de Geografía, UNAM, México

  • Gómez-Cárdenas M, Castellanos JF, Ruíz-Muñoz M, Santiago-Pérez L, Fierros-González A (1994) Potencial productiva de especies forestales en Ixtlán de Juárez, Oaxaca. Folleto Tecnico Forestal No. 4, INIFAP/CIRPS, México

  • Hagerman SH, Jones MD, Bradfield GE, Gillespie M, Durall DM (1999) Effects of clear-cut logging on the diversity and persistence of ectomycorrhizae at a subalpine forest. Can J For Res 29:124–134

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harley JL, Smith SE (1983) Mycorrhizal symbiosis. Academic, London

  • Harvey AE, Page-Dumroese DS, Jurgensen MF, Graham RT, Tonn JR (1996) Site preparation alters biomass, root and ectomycorrhizal development of outplanted western white pine and Douglas-fir. New For 11:270–355

    Google Scholar 

  • INEGI (Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática) (1984) Carta Geográfica, escala 1:250,000, Oaxaca E 14-19, Secretaría de Programación y Presupuesto, Mexico D.F.

  • Jones MD, Durall DM, Cairney JWG (2002) Ectomycorrhizal fungal communities in young forest stands regenerating after clearcut logging. New Phytol 157:399–422

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keeley JE, Zedler PH (1998) Evolution of life histories in Pinus. In: Richardson DM (ed) Ecology and biogeography of Pinus. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 219–250

    Google Scholar 

  • Lansac AR, Martin A (1995) Mycorrhizal colonization and drought interactions of Mediterranean shrubs under greenhouse conditions. Arid Soil Res Rehabil 9:167–175

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meier S, Grand LF, Schoeneberger MM, Reinert RA, Bruck RI (1990) Growth, ectomycorrhizae and nonstructural carbohydrates of Loblolly Pine seedlings exposed to ozone and soil water deficit. Environ Pollut 64:11–27

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nilsen P, Børja I, Knutsen H, Brean R (1998) Nitrogen and drought effects on ectomycorrhizae of Norway spruce [Picea abies L.(Karst.)]. Plant Soil 198:179–184

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Parke JL, Linderman RG, Black CH (1983) The role of ectomycorrhizas in drought tolerance of Douglas-fir seedlings. New Phytol 95:83–95

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parke JL, Linderman RG, Trappe JM (1984) Inoculum potential of ectomycorrhizal fungi in forest soils of southwest Oregon and northern California. For Sci 30(2):300–304

    Google Scholar 

  • Perry JP Jr (1991) The pines of Mexico and Central America. Timber, Portland

  • Perry DA, Meye MM, Egeland D, Rose SL, Pilz DP (1982) Seedling growth and mycorrhiza formation in clearcut and adjacent undisturbed soil in Montana: a greenhouse bioassay. For Ecol Manag 81:261–263

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perry DA, Molina R, Amaranthus MP (1987) Mycorrhizae, mycorrhizospheres, and reforestation: current knowledge and research needs. Can J For Res 17:929–940

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pilz DP, Perry DA (1984) Impact of clearcut and slash burning on ectomycorrhizal associations of Douglas fir seedlings. Can J For Res 14:94–100

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Read DJ (1998) The mycorrhizal status of Pinus. In: Richardson DM (ed) Ecology and biogeography of Pinus. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 324–340

    Google Scholar 

  • Runion GB, Mitchell RJ, Rogers HH, Prior SA, Counts TK (1997) Effects of nitrogen and water limitation and elevated atmospheric CO2 on ectomycorrhiza of longleaf pine. New Phytol 137:681–689

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Román-Cuesta RM, Retana J, García M (2004) Fire trends in tropical Mexico: a case study of Chiapas. J For 102:26–32

    Google Scholar 

  • Schoenberger MM, Perry DA (1982) The effect of soil disturbance on growth and ectomycorrhizae of Douglas-fir and western hemlock seedlings: a greenhouse bioassay. Can J For Res 12:343–353

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith WK, Hinckley TM (1995) Resource physiology of conifers: acquisition, allocation, and utilization. Academic, New York

  • Smith DM, Larson BC, Kelty MJ, Ashton PMS (1996) The practice of silviculture: applied forest ecology. Wiley, New York

  • Smith JE, McKay D, Niwa CG, Thies WG, Brenner G, Spatafora JW (2004) Short-term effects of seasonal prescribed burning on the ectomycorrhizal fungal community and fine root biomass in ponderosa pine stands in the Blue Mountains of Oregon. Can J For Res 34:2477–2491

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stendell ER, Horton TR, Bruns TD (1999) Early effects of prescribed fire on the structure of the ectomycorrhizal fungus community in a Sierra Nevada ponderosa pine forest. Mycol Res 103:1353–1359

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swaty RL, Gehring CA, van Ert M, Theimer TC, Keim P, Whitman TG (1998) Temporal variation in temperature and rainfall differentially affects ectomycorrhizal colonization at two contrasting sites. New Phytol 139:733–739

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swaty RL, Deckert RJ, Whitham TG, Gehring CA (2004) Ectomycorrhizal abundance and community composition shifts with drought: predictions from tree rings. Ecology 85(4):1072–1084

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Torres P, Honrubia M (1997) Changes and effects of natural fire on ectomycorrhizal inoculation potential of soil in a Pinus halepensis forest. For Ecol Manag 96:189–196

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trappe JM (1962) Fungus associates of ectotrophic mycorrhizae. Bot Rev 28:538–606

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Valdés M., Córdova J, Gómez M, Fierros A (2003) Understory vegetation and ectomycorrhizal sporocarp diversity response to pine regeneration methods in Oaxaca, México. West J Appl For 18:101–108

    Google Scholar 

  • Visser S, Maynard D, Danielson RM (1998) Response of ecto- and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi to clear-cutting and the application of chipped aspen wood in a mixed wood site in Alberta, Canada. Appl Soil Ecol 7:257–269

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vogt KA, Bloomfield J (1991) Tree root turnover and senescence. In: Waisel Y, Eshel A, Kafkaifi V (eds) Plant roots: the hidden half. Dekker, New York, pp 287–306

    Google Scholar 

  • Vogt KA, Edmonds RL, Grier CC, Piper SR (1980) Seasonal changes in mycorrhizal and fibrous-textured root biomass in 23- and 180-year-old Pacific silver fir stands in western Washington. Can J For Res 10:523–529

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vogt KA, Grier CC, Edmonds RL, Meier CE (1982a) Mycorrhizal role in net primary production and nutrient cycling in Abies amabilis [Dougl.] Forbes ecosystems in western Washington. Ecology 63:370–380

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vogt KA, Grien CC, Meier CE (1982b) Mycorrhizal role in net primary production and nutrient cycling in Abies amabilis ecosystem in western Washington. Ecology 63:370–380

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vogt KA, Bloomfield J, Perez JM, Vogt DJ, Silver WL (1993) Belowground responses as indicators of environmental change. Environ Exp Bot 33:189–205

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou M, Sharik TL, Jurgensen MF, Richter DL (1997) Ectomycorrhizal colonization of Quercus rubra seedlings in response to vegetation removals in oak and pine stands. For Ecol Manag 93:91–99

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT-Mexico) for providing financial support to conduct this research through project grant number 4333-PN. The authors are also grateful to the community of Ixtlán de Juárez for supporting and facilitating the execution of the research activities on their communal lands and to the community members who participated in the data collection.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, México, D.F., Mexico

    María Valdés & Margarita Juárez

  2. Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, 234 Science II, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA

    Heidi Asbjornsen & Martín Gómez-Cárdenas

  3. College of Forest Resources, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Kristiina A. Vogt

Authors
  1. María Valdés
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Heidi Asbjornsen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Martín Gómez-Cárdenas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Margarita Juárez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Kristiina A. Vogt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Heidi Asbjornsen.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Valdés, M., Asbjornsen, H., Gómez-Cárdenas, M. et al. Drought effects on fine-root and ectomycorrhizal-root biomass in managed Pinus oaxacana Mirov stands in Oaxaca, Mexico. Mycorrhiza 16, 117–124 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00572-005-0022-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00572-005-0022-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation