Photo 15 Feb 20 notes Swedish soil biota more beneficial for lodgepole pine than Canadian soil biota
“ Thanks to its excellent growth, the Canadian lodgepole pine has become a popular feature of forestry in Northern Sweden. Researchers from the Swedish University of...

Swedish soil biota more beneficial for lodgepole pine than Canadian soil biota

Thanks to its excellent growth, the Canadian lodgepole pine has become a popular feature of forestry in Northern Sweden. Researchers from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences are now able to demonstrate that organisms in the Swedish soil most likely contribute to the success of this exotic tree species. When the researchers studied the growth of the lodgepole pine in sterilized and unsterilized Swedish and Canadian soil samples, they discovered clear differences in growth: it grew better in soil inoculated with Swedish soil biota compared to Canadian soil biota. These results improve our understanding of why some exotic tree species and invasive plants at times can function so well in new environments.

Plants are often moved away from their natural provenance, and sometimes they become stronger competitors in their new habitat. This may be welcomed by agriculture and forestry, while an introduced plant spreading uncontrollably in nature can become a major concern. The reason why plants sometimes function very differently in a new environment is a question that many researchers are currently focusing on.

Michael Gundale and his colleagues from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) have focused on what the organisms found in Swedish and Canadian soils mean for the growth of the lodgepole pine. There is a multitude of life forms in soil, some of which may be harmful (such as diseases and herbivores), and some of which may be beneficial (such as mycorrhizal fungi). By conducting a series of experiments on young plants, the researchers have shown that the growth of the lodgepole pine is greatly affected by which organisms live in the soil.

A first greenhouse trial indicated that the plants grew much better in soil samples from the areas in northern Sweden where the lodgepole pine has been introduced, compared with the soil samples from its original habitat in Canadian British Columbia. When the experiment was repeated in soil samples that had been sterilised through gamma irradiation, the growth was no longer affected by the soil being Swedish or Canadian. It also turned out that sterilised soil (regardless of origin) inoculated with Canadian organisms showed stunted growth, while “Swedish inoculation” improved growth.

“We have therefore clear evidence that differences in soil organisms between Pinus contorta’s Canadian and Swedish ranges have a great impact on the trees growth,” says Michael Gundale. “One plausible explanation is that plants growing in Canadian soil are exposed to antagonistic microorganisms that are specialised to lodgepole pine, while the Swedish soil offers an enhanced mutualism with mycorrhizal fungi. But we have not yet had the opportunity to examine this.”

(via Phys.org)

#ecology #botany #conservation #lodgepole pine #Pinus contorta #Pinus #Pinaceae #Pinales #Pinopsida #Pinophyta #conifer #pine #soil #soil biota #Canada #Sweden

  1. tunebud-blog reblogged this from dendroica
  2. silas216 reblogged this from dendroica
  3. sombras-que-cortan reblogged this from dendroica
  4. the-hairyfairy reblogged this from dendroica
  5. dendroica posted this

Design crafted by Prashanth Kamalakanthan. Powered by Tumblr.