Distribution and abundance of infective, soilborne Frankia and host symbionts Shepherdia, Alnus, and Myrica in a sand dune ecosystem

Abstract

We describe presence, abundance, and distribution of three sympatric nitrogen-fixing shrubs and their symbiotic diazatroph, Frankia, in a sand dune ecosystem differing in successional stage, vegetative cover, edaphic characteristics, and topography. Distribution of actinorhizal Myrica gale L., Alnus incana (L.) Moench subsp. rugosa (Du Roi) Clausen, and Shepherdia canadensis (L.) Nutt. was analyzed among 120 sampling locations representing a gradient of successional stages in a sand dune system along Lake Michigan. In a greenhouse study, seedlings of these species were employed to bioassay the presence and abundance of infective Frankia in soils. Shepherdia-infective Frankia was detected in 80% of the plots, while Alnus- and Myrica-infective Frankia were found in 65% and 64% of the plots, respectively, with no Frankia found in 18% of the plots. Only 14% of the plots supported actinorhizal host-plant species. Infective Frankia were present in soils of young dunes prior to the establishment of any actinorhizal hosts. Shepherdia-infective Frankia were more abundant in soils from drier, earlier successional sites, while Alnus- and Myrica-infective Frankia were more abundant in moister soils of later successional communities. A previous study had revealed that nodular Frankia strains at this site were host specific for Shepherdia and largely so for Myrica and Alnus, which had only a small proportion of shared strains (Huguet et al. 2001). The likelihood of host-plant nodulation by soilborne Frankia was increased by the presence of actinorhizal plants in general, but not by the presence of their respective specific host plants. Submerged soils had no infectious capacity, whereas soils with greater in situ moisture content and soils subject to intermittent saturation tended to have lower infectious capacities overall. Our results suggest that soilborne, infective Frankia genotypes are not only host specific, but are also associated with spatially and chronologically distinct sets of ecological conditions.Key words: speckled alder, sweet gale, Canada buffalo berry, actinorhizal, nitrogen fixation, Frankia, root nodules.