Marram grass and dune fungi: Hunting for hidden change
R. B. JOHANSEN (1). (1) The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Plant host specificity amongst communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) has been demonstrated but the extent and consequences of this phenomenon are poorly understood. This project investigates AMF communities in the invasive dune grass European marram (<i>Ammophila arenaria</i>) and in the native dune grass spinifex (<i>Spinifex sericeus</i>) in coastal foredunes in New Zealand. A pilot study of the AMF in spinifex in one dune revealed 32 taxa, suggesting complex communities can occupy what appears to be a simple system. Roots were then collected from marram and spinifex across two beaches, in areas where these plants grow alongside each other and in areas where they grow apart. AMF DNA has been extracted and next generation sequencing will be performed. This will reveal whether the AMF communities in marram and spinifex are different, and whether they change when the plants are adjacent. This is the first study to catalogue AMF communities in dunes in New Zealand. If differences by host plant are found, the possibility of marram leaving changed AMF communities behind after removal could have implications for dune restoration. If AMF communities in spinifex are influenced by neighbouring marram, a mechanism by which marram outcompetes this plant will be suggested. A comparison of AMF sequences derived from marram in Europe, in New Zealand and in the United States will also be performed, shedding light on the international biogeography of AMF associated with this plant.
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