THE FEEDING PREFERENCE OF MYCOPHAGOUS COLLEMBOLA VARIES WITH THE ECTOMYCORRHIZAL SYMBIONT

Citation
Fh. Hiol et al., THE FEEDING PREFERENCE OF MYCOPHAGOUS COLLEMBOLA VARIES WITH THE ECTOMYCORRHIZAL SYMBIONT, Mycorrhiza, 5(2), 1994, pp. 99-103
Citations number
21
Categorie Soggetti
Mycology,"Plant Sciences
Journal title
ISSN journal
09406360
Volume
5
Issue
2
Year of publication
1994
Pages
99 - 103
Database
ISI
SICI code
0940-6360(1994)5:2<99:TFPOMC>2.0.ZU;2-Q
Abstract
The interactions of the collembolan insect Proisotoma minuta with ecto mycorrhizal and/or pathogenic fungi was examined in three experiments: (1) in vitro analysis of feeding patterns, (2) in vitro food preferen ce test, and (3) in situ analysis of ectomycorrhizal colonization in r elation to population density. The ectomycorrhizal fungi Laccaria lacc ata, Pisolithus tinctorius, Suillus luteus, Thelephora terrestris and the pathogenic fungi Rhizoctonia solani were employed in all experimen ts. In vitro and in situ experiments revealed that Pr. minuta consumed all the ectomycorrhizal fungi tested but the feeding pattern and cons umption varied with each isolate. In a comparative in vitro feeding pr eference test, where Pr. minuta was given a choice, R. solani was graz ed more heavily than the ectomycorrhizal fungi. Among the ectomycorrhi zal fungi examined, Pi. tinctorius was consumed significantly less tha n L. laccata, S. luteus or T. terrestris in the presence of R. solani. A 10-week in situ analysis of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) seedling root systems inoculated with Pr. minuta revealed that ectomycorrhizal colonization was significantly less than that of control plants (with out Pr. minuta). Collectively, these data suggest that mycophagous Col lembola may play a major role in the distribution and biomass of ectom ycorrhizal fungi in the rhizosphere of tree seedlings.