Abstract
Ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) can enhance drought resistance of host plants by increasing nutrient and water absorption. Calcium (Ca) plays a central role in drought stress adaptation, yet it remains unclear how EMF influence Ca uptake of plants under drought stress. We carried out a pot experiment in which Quercus acutissima seedlings were inoculated with or without the ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungus Xerocomus chrysenteron under control and water stress soil moisture conditions in order to investigate how soil Ca availability and plant Ca uptake are modulated by EMF and how this may contribute to drought resistance of the seedlings. We found that soil water-extractable Ca was significantly reduced by drought in non-ectomycorrhizal treatment, while EM treatment significantly increased soil Ca availability and Ca uptake of Quercus acutissima seedlings under drought conditions. Furthermore, seedling water use efficiency (WUE) was positively correlated with soil Ca availability and plant Ca content. Calcium uptake promotion seems to be involved in the mechanisms of drought tolerance enhancement by EMF.
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This research was supported jointly by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 31800364, 31700552, 31400611); The Special Fund for Forest Scientific Research in the Public Welfare (Grant No. 201304216); and Fundamental Research Funds for Universities (LSNQN201708); We thank Jin Y. Qi for technical support.
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Li, Y., Zhang, T., Zhou, Y. et al. Ectomycorrhizal symbioses increase soil calcium availability and water use efficiency of Quercus acutissima seedlings under drought stress. Eur J Forest Res 140, 1039–1048 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-021-01383-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-021-01383-y