XVI International Botanical Congess
The effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) inoculum on plant community development in restored prairie field plots were evaluated for three growing seasons. AM inoculum, reproduced in a greenhouse using native prairie soil, was placed in furrows below a mesic prairie seed mix and compared with the control treatments lacking the AM inoculum. The percentage of AM root colonization and the percent cover of plants were measured. After 15 months, AM colonization and native plant cover were significantly higher in the experimental AM treatment as compared with the control treatments. Futhermore, similar trends were present 12 months later (27 months after planting). Our findings suggest amending a disturbed site with AM inoculum may stimulate the development of early successional tallgrass prairie communities.