Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol 50, 853-860, Copyright © 1999 by Oxford University Press
P Staddon, A Fitter and D Robinson
Plantago lanceolata with or without the mycorrhizal
fungus Glomus mosseae were grown over a 100 d period
under ambient (380
ARTICLES
Effects of mycorrhizal colonization and elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide on carbon fixation and below-ground carbon partitioning in Plantago lanceolata
Department of Biology, The University of York, PO Box 373, York YO10 5YW, UK; Cellular and Environmental Physiology Department, Scottish Crop Research Institute, Dundee DD2 5DA, UK; Corresponding author; Fax: +44 1904 432860; E-mail: pls101@york.ac.uk
50 
mol mol-1) and elevated
(600150 mol
mol-1) atmospheric CO2 conditions. To achieve
similar growth, non-mycorrhizal plants received phosphorus in solution
whereas mycorrhizal plants were supplied with bonemeal. Measures of plant
growth, photosynthesis and carbon input to the soil were obtained. Elevated
CO2 stimulated plant growth to the same extent in mycorrhizal and
non0mycorrhizal plants, but had no effect on the partitioning of carbon
between shoots and roots or on shoot tissue phosphorus concentration.
Mycorrhizal colonization was low, but unaffected by CO2 treatment. Net
photosynthesis was stimulated both by mycorrhizal colonization and elevated
CO2, and there was a more than additive effect of the two treatments on net
photosynthesis. Colonization by mycorrhizal fungi inhibited acclimation, in
terms of net carbon assimilation, or plants to elevated CO2.
13C natural abundance techniques were used to
measure carbon input into the soil, although the results were not
conclusive. Direct measurements of below-ground root biomass showed that
elevated CO2 did stimulate carbon flow below-ground and this was higher in
mycorrhizal than non-mycorrhizal plants. For the four treatment
combinations, the observed relative differences in amount of below-ground
carbon were compared with those expected from the differences in net
photosynthesis. A considerable amount of the extra carbon fixed both as a
result of mycorrhizal colonization and growth in elevated CO2 did not
reveal itself as increased plant biomass. As there was no evidence for a
substantial increase in soil organic matter, most of this extra carbon must
have been respired by the mycorrhizal fungus and the roots or by the plants
as dark-respiration. The need for detailed studies in this area is
emphasized.Keywords: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi,
down-regulation of photosynthesis, enhanced atmospheric CO2, respiration,
soil carbon.
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