Honors Theses
Date of Award
Spring 5-9-2020
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Biology
First Advisor
Jason Hoeksema
Second Advisor
Stephen Brewer
Third Advisor
Colin Jackson
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
Biological invasions can cause substantial changes to the environment: indigenous species can be reduced or even eliminated, soil characteristics shifted, and nutrient cycles altered. Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi are thought to be key biological controllers of some plant invasions, especially benefiting Pinus species in invasions at exotic sites, but less is understood about the role of ECM fungi and other soil microbes in encroachment by one plant species into the habitat of another in their native ranges. In this study, soil was collected from three habitats in southern Mississippi, USA: native slash pine maritime forest, longleaf pine savanna encroached by slash pine, and restored longleaf pine savanna where slash pine had been removed. Seedlings of slash pine were grown in the three different soils, which was either sterilized or non-sterilized. After allowing time for ECM fungi to form symbioses on pine seedling roots in the non-sterilized soils, seedling root tips were analyzed to identify ECM fungi present, and plant growth quantified.
Soil microbes and the invasion history of soil both impacted slash pine seedling growth, but this depended on how plant growth was measured. In sterilized soil slash pine seedling growth was much higher than in the non-sterilized soil. This could be due to the effects autoclaving has on the soil, plants respond better to beneficial and pathogenic microbes being removed from the soil. It could also be due to the Enemy Release hypothesis which states that slash pine escapes the unique pathogens in maritime forest soil when encroaching into longleaf pine savanna. The key to a plant’s growth success is the elimination of microbes in the soil.
Recommended Citation
Woodruff, Madison Brooke, "Ectomycorrhizal Fungi and Effects of Soil Microbes Associated with Slash Pine Encroachment into Native Longleaf Pine Habitat" (2020). Honors Theses. 1475.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/1475
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