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An arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus accelerates decomposition and acquires nitrogen directly from organic material

Nature volume 413, pages 297–299 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (order Glomales), which form mycorrhizal symbioses with two out of three of all plant species1, are believed to be obligate biotrophs that are wholly dependent on the plant partner for their carbon supply2. It is thought that they possess no degradative capability and that they are unable to decompose complex organic molecules, the form in which most soil nutrients occur. Earlier suggestions that they could exist saprotrophically were based on observation of hyphal proliferation on organic materials3,4. In contrast, other mycorrhizal types have been shown to acquire nitrogen directly from organic sources5,6,7. Here we show that the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis can both enhance decomposition of and increase nitrogen capture from complex organic material (grass leaves) in soil. Hyphal growth of the fungal partner was increased in the presence of the organic material, independently of the host plant.

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Figure 1: Microcosm unit design.
Figure 2: Arbuscular mycorrhizal hyphal densities.
Figure 3: Nitrogen capture from the patch.

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Acknowledgements

We thank C. Scrimgeour and W. Stein for conducting the mass spectrometry analysis; P. Roberts for drawing Fig. 1; and D. Robinson and P. Young for comments on the manuscript. This work was supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of York, PO Box 373, York, YO10 5YW, UK

    Angela Hodge & Alastair H. Fitter

  2. Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen, AB15 8QH, UK

    Colin D. Campbell

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  1. Angela Hodge
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Correspondence to Angela Hodge.

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Hodge, A., Campbell, C. & Fitter, A. An arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus accelerates decomposition and acquires nitrogen directly from organic material. Nature 413, 297–299 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35095041

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