Journal
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
Volume 49, Issue -, Pages 167-173Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2012.02.036
Keywords
Soil porosity; Pore area; Arbuscular mycorrhizas; Glomus spp.; Aggregate stability; Aggregate size distribution; Nearest neighbour distance
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Funding
- NERC
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The spatial and temporal nature of the precise interactions between soil fungi and roots and their subsequent role in developing soil structure is still a subject where our understanding is limited. This research examines the relationship between three species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) and soil structural characteristics. Plantago lanceolata was inoculated with one of: Glomus geosporum, Glomus mosseae or Glomus intraradices, and every combination of the fungal species. Infectivity was similar for each individual species, but G. mosseae and G. intraradices together resulted in the lowest per cent root length colonised. Despite the lower percentage colonisation, this combination induced the greatest mycorrhizal growth response. Aggregate stability and aggregate size distribution were unaffected by AMF but were increased by the presence of roots. Microbial biomass-C was also enhanced by roots. Pore size, pore size distribution and nearest neighbour distance were all reduced by G. mosseae and increased by G. intraradices. All AMF inocula containing G. intraradices resulted in greater distances between pores within the experimental soils. Porosity (%) was increased by G. mosseae suggesting that more, smaller pores with less distance between them enhanced overall porosity. (c) 012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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