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Scientia Silvae Sinicae ›› 2025, Vol. 61 ›› Issue (10): 87-95.doi: 10.11707/j.1001-7488.LYKX20250158

• Research papers • Previous Articles    

Mixed Forest-Domesticated AMF Conferred a Competitive Advantage on Robinia pseudoacacia by Suppressing the Growth of Platycladus orientalis

Xin Li1,Hongxia Liu2,Shengjuan Chen1,Min Sheng1,*()   

  1. 1. College of Forestry, Northwest A & F University Yangling 712100
    2. Xiaowangjian State-Owned Ecological Forest Farm of Xi’an City Xi’an 710400
  • Received:2025-03-21 Online:2025-10-25 Published:2025-11-05
  • Contact: Min Sheng E-mail:shengmin1977@126.com

Abstract:

Objective: In order to elucidate the potential mechanism through which arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) facilitated the invasion and spread of exotic plants, the feedback effect of AMF domesticated by both the exotic plant Robinia pseudoacacia and the native plant Platycladus orientalis on photosynthetic properties, root architecture, mycorrhizal characteristics and growth of the host plants and the interrelationships among these variables were investigated. Method: Rhizosphere soil collected from the mixed forest of R. pseudoacacia and P. orientalis and adjacent grassland in Wangdonggou watershed, Changwu county, Shaanxi Province, was served as AMF inoculum. A pot experiment was conducted to determine the effects of the different inoculum on leaf gas exchange parameters, root architecture, mycorrhizal characteristics and seedling growth of both species. Result: 1) Compared to non-AMF treatment, AMF inoculation significantly increased the root length of R. pseudoacacia and the biomass, net photosynthetic rate, root length, root surface area, and root volume of P. orientalis. Conversely, it decreased the net photosynthetic rate of R. pseudoacacia and the intercellular CO2 concentration of P. orientalis. 2) Compared to grassland AMF treatment, mixed forest AMF significantly reduced the net photosynthetic rate of R. pseudoacacia and the biomass, root length, root surface area and root volume of P. orientalis. 3) The mycorrhizal colonization and soil hyphal density of both species inoculated with mixed forest AMF were significantly lower than those in grassland AMF treatment. 4) P. orientalis exhibited significantly higher dependency on grassland AMF than on mixed forest AMF, whereas R. pseudoacacia showed low dependency on AMF, with no significant difference between grassland AMF and mixed forest AMF treatments. 5) The biomass of AMF-inoculated P. orientalis was positively correlated with its root length, root surface area, root volume, root diameter, arbuscular colonization rate and soil hyphal density. Among these, root length, arbuscular colonization rate, and hyphal density had the highest explanatory power for the variation in biomass. Conclusion: Inoculated with mixed forest AMF significantly decreased root colonization rate and soil hyphal density of P. orientalis. This alteration, combined with the synergistic effect of mycorrhizal symbiosis on the root architecture, significantly suppressed its growth under pot conditions, weakened its competitive advantage and enhanced the competitive ability of R. pseudoacacia, thereby facilitating the invasion and spread of R. pseudoacacia.

Key words: Robinaia pseudoacacia, Platycladus orientalis, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), invasion mechanism

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