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AMF inoculation of green roof substrate improves plant performance but reduces drought resistance of native dry grassland species

  • Standard extensive green roofs (EGRs) with their shallow substrate layers represent extreme sites for plant growth and therefore are planted mostly with drought-resistant species, including non-native plant species. As standard EGR substrates often lack potentially mutualistic soil microorganisms, it has been stated that inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) might increase plant performance and drought resistance. Aiming to support native biodiversity on EGRs, we tested whether AMF inoculation into standard green roof substrate can enhance plant performance and drought resistance of regionally occurring native dry grassland species. The results of a pot experiment with 11 native plant species growing with and without AMF inoculation showed considerable differences in fitness-relevant plant traits. Over 88 days of moderate drought conditions, inoculated plants produced 2.5 times more above-ground biomass than control plants. In addition, the number of inflorescences on inoculated plants was significantly higher in 5 out of 7 flowering species. Under severe drought stress created by stopping the water supply, however, inoculated plants wilted on average 2.38 days earlier than control plants. Although the underlying mechanisms of the observed results remain unresolved, AMF inoculation might help to enhance an earlier and higher seed set, facilitating the establishment of a soil seed bank, which is necessary for a self-sustaining plant population in drought-governed habitats such as EGRs.

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Metadaten
Author:Roland Schröder, Milena Mohri, Kathrin KiehlORCiD
Title (German):AMF inoculation of green roof substrate improves plant performance but reduces drought resistance of native dry grassland species
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2019.105583
ISSN:1872-6992
ISSN:0925-8574
Parent Title (German):Ecological Engineering
Document Type:Article
Language:German
Date of Publication (online):2019/08/29
Release Date:2023/12/07
Tag:Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi; Drought resistance; Ecological restoration; Extensive green roof; Urban ecology
Issue:139
Note:
Zugriff im Hochschulnetz
Faculties:Fakultät AuL
DDC classes:500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 500 Naturwissenschaften
Review Status:Veröffentlichte Fassung/Verlagsversion