The intensity of symbiotic relationships between arbuscular mycorrhizae and differentiated tree species regarding their age group and plant family in semi-arid Andine dynamical agroforestry system

Abstract

As research on mycorrhiza progress and scientific knowledge about organic partnerships becomes more profound, mycorrhiza symbiosis is considered an essential parameter for the vitality of ecosystems. Concerning polyculture cultivation systems, the implementation of growth-promoting and nutrientsecuring symbiotic partners is a crucial step towards preserving the dynamism of involved plants and thus decisive for the yield and success of such cultivation systems. In particular, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) show considerable tendency in encouraging and maintaining a supply of water and nutrition for plants. Therefore, it was examined how intensive partnerships between AMF and trees in the semi-arid, dynamic agroforestry system of 'Mollesnejta' exist and how the species, family and age of trees are related to the respective degree of mycorrhizal intensity. This information is in turn used to decrypt relationships between nutrient provision and nutrient security in agroforestry systems and to improve them especially concerning current climate change. The results reveal that in the examined agroforestry system arbuscular mycorrhizal partnerships were found on all ten considered tree species in this study in varying intensity of the mycorrhizal structure dependent on tree species and their plant family. Nevertheless, no statistical correlation between the number of mycorrhizal elements according to primary hyphae, ramification or vesicles about the age of the trees could be proven in this study.