Work

‘There must be something in the soil our little plants need’: exploring patterns of potential mycorrhizal associations in the flora of the Sunshine Coast heathlands, Queensland, Australia

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: The first general overview of mycorrhizal functional groups associated with the flora of the Queensland Sunshine Coast heathlands, a community of low phylogenetic diversity, is provided in this Short Communication. Broad proportions of plant species associated with mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal functional groups in the heathlands were compared with those in the surrounding rainforest flora, and across the heath strata. This overview suggests that a greater diversity of mycorrhizal strategies and an increased number of plant genera with non-mycorrhizal associations are found in the heathlands, with proportions varying among the strata. These associations may be facilitating the coexistence of plant species and increasing phylogenetic dispersion.

Source: Australian Journal of Botany

DOI: 10.1071/bt23057

Authors: Hilary Pearl, Alison Shapcott

Institution: University of the Sunshine Coast

Language: English

Topic: Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions

Subfield: Plant Science

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Life on land

Open Access status: hybrid

Funders: Smithsonian Institution, University of the Sunshine Coast, Department of Environment and Science, Queensland Government