Larix kaempferi seedlings, in the process of becoming
established during the revegetation process following a volcanic eruption,
were
assessed for the types, occurrence patterns and diversity of their ectomycorrhizas
along an elevation gradient. On the basis of
macro- and microscopic characteristics, 12 types of ectomycorrhizas were
classified. In general, ectomycorrhizal types differed more
by site than by seedling age. The majority of root systems of seedlings
with an age ranging from 1 to 5 years were colonized by 1
or 2 types of mycorrhizal fungi at low and intermediate elevations, 2 or
3 types at a higher elevation. Under the more stressed
environments of high and intermediate elevations, the mean d.w. of 1 yr
old seedlings, 40% of which were colonized by 3 or 4
mycorrhizal fungi, was double the weight of the same aged seedlings at
lower elevation sites, only 10% of which were colonized by
3 or 4 mycorrhizal fungi. The correspondence between the type and frequency
of mycorrhizas, the elevation gradient and litter
accumulation suggests that change in litter accumulation along gradient
may influence not only mycorrhizal types and their
occurrence, but also the diversity of mycorrhizas on one seedling. Diversity
of mycorrhizas on the same seedling is assumed to be
critical for the establishment of seedlings from the very beginning on
stressed sites, and may also be influenced by the availability of
nutrients. The more intensive competition between mycorrhizas that occurs
due to a reduction in the food source (tip roots) shared
by the mycorrhizal fungi with similar resource requirements, results in
frequent co-occurrence of mycorrhizas in the same root
system or even the same root tip. As a result, the diversity of mycorrhizal
types seems to become simplified as the seedlings age.