Thesis
Impact of Invasion By Annual Grasses on Mycorrhizal Inoculation Potential in a Grassland Ecosystem
Washington State University
Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
2022
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000005226
Abstract
Invasive plant species are a driver of change in grassland ecosystems and can impact aboveground and belowground biodiversity. The invasion of Ventenata dubia in the Pacific Northwest has been shown to negatively impact native plant species richness and diversity in
sensitive grasslands, however, the effect of V. dubia invasion on soil biota, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi is unknown. In a greenhouse experiment we evaluated the impact of invasion by V. dubia on the mycorrhizal inoculation potential of AM fungi using Zea mays grown with field-collected soil inocula for six-weeks. Inocula was collected from the root zone of two focal species: V. dubia and Pseudoroegneria spicata (bluebunch wheatgrass) in field plots varying in invasion levels; ‘Native’ (<10% cover of V. dubia), ‘Invaded’ (>90% cover V. dubia), and ‘Transition’, (30-40% cover of V. dubia). We measured plant species cover in each plot to assess the impact of V. dubia invasion on native plant communities and collected soil samples to measure soil pH and % organic matter (OM). We predicted (1) that plants inoculated with soils from Native plots would have higher mycorrhizal colonization levels in roots compared to plants inoculated with soils from Invaded and/or Transition plots; (2) plant species richness and diversity would be lower in plots invaded by V. dubia. We also predicted that that soil variables may help explain differences in plant communities among plots. We found that V. dubia invasion did not affect mycorrhizal inoculation potential, nor negatively affect native plant communities, but that soil pH and % OM may explain differences in plant communities among invasion levels. Observed differences in plant communities and soil abiotic factors in areas invaded by V. dubia highlight the need for additional research on this invasive annual grass and its impact on aboveground and belowground systems.
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Details
- Title
- Impact of Invasion By Annual Grasses on Mycorrhizal Inoculation Potential in a Grassland Ecosystem
- Creators
- Alexis Ara Sullivan
- Contributors
- Tanya E Cheeke (Advisor)Rebecca Bunn (Committee Member)Raymond D Evans (Committee Member)Erica Crespi (Committee Member)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Biological Sciences, School of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 57
- Identifiers
- 99901019839901842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis