Arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization of giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) in response to restoration practices.

Interactions with soil microbiota determine the success of restoring plants to their native habitats. The goal of our study was to understand the effects of restoration practices on interactions of giant sequoia Sequoiadendron giganteum with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi (Glomeromycota). Natural regeneration of Sequoiadendron is threatened by the absence of severe fires that create forest canopy gaps. Generating artificial canopy gaps offers an alternative tool for giant sequoia restoration. We investigated the effect of regeneration practices, including (i) sapling location within gaps, (ii) gap size and (iii) soil substrate, on AM fungal colonization of giant sequoia sapling roots in a native giant sequoia grove of the Sierra Nevada, California. We found that the extent of AM fungal root colonization was positively correlated with sapling height and light availability, which were related to the location of the sapling within the gap and the gap size. While colonization frequency by arbuscules in saplings on ash substrate was higher relative to saplings in mineral soil, the total AM fungal root colonization was similar between the substrates. A negative correlation between root colonization by Glomeromycota and non-AM fungal species indicated antagonistic interactions between different classes of root-associated fungi. Using DNA genotyping, we identified six AM fungal taxa representing genera Glomus and Ambispora present in Sequoiadendron roots. Overall, we found that AM fungal colonization of giant sequoia roots was associated with availability of plant-assimilated carbon to the fungus rather than with the AM fungal supply of mineral nutrients to the roots. We conclude that restoration practices affecting light availability and carbon assimilation alter feedbacks between sapling growth and activity of AM fungi in the roots.