The response of plant and AM fungal communities to small-scale variation in habitat conditions in boreonemoral forest understory. Recovery of plant and AM fungal communities after small-scale disturbances

A 2-year field study in the understorey of a boreonemoral forest examining the role of small-scale variation in habitat conditions on plant and AM fungal communities. We created two types of microsites (15cm diameter): with or without intact vegetation cover. In the latter (disturbed microsite) vegetation and soil organisms were removed with gamma-sterilization. We manipulated soil nutrient content (increased with fertilizer, unchanged or decreased with sucrose addition) and fungal activity (natural or suppressed by fungicide addition) in these microsites to examine the responses of plant and AM fungal communities.