Mycorrhizal Ecology of Plant Colonization of Glacier Forefronts

植物对根的相对依赖性的重要性- 共生（菌根）真菌可能是植物演替的关键 但这一生态领域几乎没有 关注 华盛顿北喀斯喀特山脉冰川 适合这个目的。 在后退过程中，它们最初会存款碎石 没有共生真菌，随着暴露时间的增加， 与冰川终点的距离 殖民的植物 这些冰川前锋随着时间的推移将与相同的 种在邻近的，不受干扰的社区为菌根 阵 这三大类植物（1）生存 没有共生真菌，（2）依赖于菌根真菌 通过空气传播，（3）依靠菌根真菌传播 移动的土壤。 第1组中的植物预计将首先 殖民者，其次是第2和第3组。 野外采样 温室和生长室接种实验将 测试假设。 如果这是真的，它将解释为什么只有少数人 冰川附近的许多种子生产植物 殖民者 这对生态学理论的贡献有很多 在解释演替现象和 恢复受干扰或退化的生态系统。

The importance of relative dependency of plants on root- symbiotic (mycorrhizal) fungi may be critical to plant succession on new soils, but this area of ecology has received little attention. Glaciers of the North Cascade Mountains of Washington suit this purpose. In receding, they deposit rubble initially devoid of symbiotic fungi, which increase in time of exposure with distance from the glacier terminus. Plants that colonize these glacier forefronts over time will be compared with the same species in adjacent, undisturbed communities for mycorrhiza formation. The three major groups are plants that (1) survive without the symbiotic fungi, (2) depend on mycorrhizal fungi dispersed by air, and (3) depend on mycorrhizal fungi dispersed with moving soil. Plants in group 1 are predicted to be first colonizers, followed in turn by groups 2 and 3. Field sampling and greenhouse and growth chamber inoculation experiments will test the hypothesis. If true, it will explain why only a few of the many seed-producing plants adjacent to glaciers are initial colonizers. This contribution to ecological theory has many applications in interpreting successional phenomena and in rehabilitating disturbed or degraded ecosystems.