Effects of soil salinity-alkalinity stress and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on the inter-specific relationship between Leymus chinensis and Chloris virgata
Mycorrhiza,a symbiosis formed between higher plants and soil fungi,has important ecosystem function in the regulation of inter-specific competition and the maintenance of ecosystem functions such as plant composition,community structure and diversity.To study the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM fungi) on the inter-specific interaction between the dominant species (Leymus chinensis) and its main companion species (Chloris virgata) under soil salinityalkalinity stress,a controlled pot experiment was carried out on the campus of Northeast Normal University.Biomass of L.chinensis and C.virgata was reduced significantly by the colonization of AM fungi,and the negative effect of AM fungi on the dominant species C.virgata was greater than on the subordinate specie L.chinensis in this study.The growth of L.chinensis was significantly inhibited by inter-specific competitive interaction.However,the biomass of C.virgata was not influenced by interspecific competition.Moreover,AM fungi could improve the coexistence of L.chinensis and C.virgata by reducing the dominance of C.virgata under soil salinity-alkalinity stress condition.Therefore,AM fungi might play an important role in regulating the inter-specific interaction and coexistence.