A field survey of mycorrhizas in New Zealand ferns

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Abstract
With few exceptions, roots of New Zealand ferns (Filicales) are constantly mycorrhizal in natural or modified communities, even in soils exceeding 200 µg/ml Truog phosphorus. The endophytes involved are predominantly Endogonaceous. Usually several spore types are present in each rhizosphere and up to five dissimilar types may occur in a single root system. Infection in prothalli occurs, if at all, only after the reproductive organs develop. The young sporophyte is infected directly from the soil. The only obvious connection between habitat and infection type is a displacement of endomycorrhizal by ectomycorrhizal infections which is complete where ferns are the only undergrowth in pure stands of ectomycorrhizal native beech or exotic pine. When field soils were used for potting Histiopteris incisa and the shrubs Leptospermum scoparium and Coprosma robusta a similar range of endomycorrhizal infection types often developed on all hosts, but rarely in like proportions. Only L. scoparium formed any ectomycorrhizal. With Histiopteris incisa, Pteridium aquilinum var. esculentum, and Leptospermum scoparium in a steamed soil containing 4 µg/ml Truog phosphorus, endomycorrhizal inocula produced heavy infections and increased growth. One of these had clamp connections and lacked arbuscles. A heath endophyte was uniformly less infective and stimulated growth less. Ectomycorrhizal inocula established infection only in Leptospermum.

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