Microautoradiographic localization of phosphate and carbohydrates in mycorrhizal roots of Populus tremula x Populus alba and the implications for transfer processes in ectomycorrhizal associations.

Microautoradiographic studies were carried out to examine the distribution and exchange of phosphate and labeled carbohydrates in mycorrhizal roots of Populus tremula x Populus alba L. following application of 33P-orthophosphate (Pi) and 14CO2. Labeled Pi was not homogeneously distributed along the mycorrhizal longitudinal axis. The fungal sheath and the Hartig net contained more 33Pi in the median parts of the root than in the apical or basal root zones, indicating that uptake and transfer of Pi to the host plant was localized mainly in this area. The Pi was translocated by the Hartig net and the interfacial apoplast to the host plant. It was distributed by way of the stele within the plant. Young leaves and meristematic tissue in the shoot tip were the main sinks for Pi. In plants that were left in the dark for 5 days before 33Pi application, the reduced carbohydrate supply caused a decrease in Pi absorption by mycorrhizal roots. Microautoradiography of mycorrhizal roots after assimilation of 14CO2 revealed that: (1) the fungal partner had a high capacity to attract photosynthates; (2) the main transfer of carbohydrates was localized in the median zone of a mycorrhizal root; (3) carbohydrates that were absorbed by the mycorrhizal fungus were translocated to the fungal sheath and were homogeneously distributed; and (4) in the main exchange zone, cortical cell nuclei showed a high sink capacity, indicating increased metabolic activity in these cells. We postulate that (1) the phosphate demand of the host plant regulates absorption of Pi by the fungus, and (2) a bidirectional transfer of carbohydrates and Pi occurs across the same interface structure in ectomycorrhizal roots of Populus.