Rapid temporal changes in root colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and fine root endophytes, not dark septate endophytes, track plant activity and environment in an alpine ecosystem.

Fungal root endophytes play an important role in plant nutrition, helping plants acquire nutrients in exchange for photosynthates. We sought to characterize the progression of root colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), dark septate endophytes (DSE), and fine root endophytes (FRE) over an alpine growing season, and to understand the role of the host plant and environment in driving colonization levels. We sampled four forbs on a regular schedule from June 26th-September 11th from a moist meadow (3535 m a.s.l) on Niwot Ridge, Rocky Mountain Front Range, CO, USA. We quantified the degree of root colonization by storage structures, exchange structures, and hyphae of all three groups of fungi. AMF and FRE percent colonization fluctuated significantly over time, while DSE did not. All AMF structures changed over time, and the degree of change in vesicles differed by plant species. FRE hyphae, AMF arbuscules and AMF vesicles peaked late in the season as plants produced seeds. AMF hyphae levels started high, decreased, and then increased within 20 days, highlighting the dynamic nature of plant-fungal interactions. Overall, our results show that AMF and FRE, not DSE, root colonization rapidly changes over the course of a growing season and these changes are driven by plant phenology and seasonal changes in the environment.