Skinkis, James (2021) The effect of mycorrhizal fungi and soil pH on the performance of common juniper, Juniperus communis. Master's Research Project 2, Ecology and Evolution.
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Abstract
Western European populations of common juniper, Juniperus communis, are currently suffering from a reduced regeneration. This reduction in seed viability is for various reasons, notably amongst them are the impacts of climate change and nitrogen deposition. Mycorrhizal fungi form a symbiotic relationship with juniper and are assumed to aid their performance. Whether this mycorrhizal fungi symbiosis aids juniper performance under acidifying soil conditions isn’t currently known. To investigate this, semi-permeable cores with juniper cuttings were transplanted into the field allowing for mycorrhizal inclusion and exclusion treatments across soil pH gradients. There was a clear, and significant trend of increased juniper growth as juniper needle phosphorus concentration increased, and under the inclusion core treatment. There was also a significant interactive effect between core treatment and soil pH upon juniper growth. Meanwhile, there was a significant negative effect of decreasing soil pH on arbuscular mycorrhizal colonisation. These findings show a performance increase in the common juniper due to the facilitative effects of mycorrhizal fungi that increases as soil pH decreases. This suggests that as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are reduced in the mycorrhizal fungi community structure at low soil pH other mycorrhizal fungi increase their colonisation of juniper providing a superior performance increase.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master's Research Project 2) |
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| Supervisor name: | Smit, C. and Veldhuis, E.R. |
| Degree programme: | Ecology and Evolution |
| Thesis type: | Master's Research Project 2 |
| Language: | English |
| Date Deposited: | 16 Jul 2021 08:08 |
| Last Modified: | 16 Jul 2021 08:08 |
| URI: | https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/25273 |
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