Hormetic responses in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

The concept of hormesis describes that the application of low concentrations of a toxic compound will stimulate growth and activity of an organism. Since it is unknown whether hormesis occurs in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) the present work was designed to reveal whether two fungicides would generate hormetic response curves for AMF performance. The effect of mancozeb and carbendazim on performance of three AMF in symbioses with pea was investigated. The fungicides were mixed uniformly into irradiated soil at three field dose equivalents, which were 1x, 5x and 25x for mancozeb and 0.01x, 0.1x and 1x for carbendazim. A nil fungicide treatment was included for each fungus and a mesh-enclosed, P-33-labelled soil patch enabled the measurement of AMF P uptake. Both fungicides generated biphasic response curves for AMF root colonization, which was largely enhanced by the two lower doses and suppressed by the highest. Besides, the lowest concentration of both fungicides increased the hyphal length-specific P-33 uptake by one of the fungi, while 0.1x carbendazim also increased the P-33 uptake by another. In contrast, the length of root-external hyphae was either decreased or unaffected by increasing fungicide doses. The biphasic fungicide responses of root colonization and hyphal P uptake were obtained in irradiated soil without AMF antagonists and therefore probably caused by direct effects on the AMF. Such hormetic response patterns may be common in ecosystems where AMF will usually be exposed to a range of abiotic and biotic stressors.

Automated summary

The study investigated the impact of two fungicides on the performance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and found that low doses of the fungicides enhanced root colonization by AMF, while high doses suppressed their performance. The fungicides generated biphasic response curves in irradiated soil, indicating a hormetic effect on AMF.