Elevational distribution and occurrence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in non-host Carex capillacea.

Little is known about Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal colonization and community composition in non-mycorrhizal (NM) plants, especially along elevational gradients. This study explores this question using a NM plant, Carex capillacea, at Mount Segrila, Tibet. Here, C. capillacea, its rhizosphere soil, and the neighboring mycotrophic plant Poa annua were sampled at four elevations to evaluate and compare their AM fungi colonization and communities. The results showed that AM fungal colonization density of C. capillacea was negatively correlated with elevation and biomass of total NM plants per quadrat. AM fungal diversity and community composition between C. capillacea and P. annua showed a similar pattern. In addition, elevation and soil did not significantly influence the AM community in C. capillacea, while they were important abiotic factors for assemblages in rhizosphere soil and P. annua. These findings support that a broad array of AM fungi colonize the root of C. capillacea, and a mycelial network from a co-occurring host plant might shape the AM fungal communities in C. capillacea along the elevation gradient. The co-occurrence patterns of AM fungi associated with non-mycotrophic species and adjacent mycotrophic species have important implications for understanding AM fungal distribution patterns and plant-AM interactions.