Dynamics of Mycorrhizal Mutualism in Relation to Plant Invasion Along an Altitudinal Gradient in Kashmir Himalaya

In view of the mutualistic facilitation of invasive plants, we examined the mycorrhizal status of 469 species, including 335 alien and 134 native to the region of Kashmir Himalaya, India. Data on the mycorrhizal status and altitudinal range of the target species were obtained using some peer reviewed primary published and web based sources. One sample Z score test and regression analysis were performed to workout the relative proportion of mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal plants in different altitudinal belts and relationship of mycorrhizal symbiosis with increasing altitude, respectively. With increasing altitude, the mycorrhizal association of both the alien and native plant species showed a decreasing trend, although alien plant species showed much stronger negative values than native species do. Both aliens and native species showed significantly higher proportion of mycorrhizal species compared to non-mycorrhizal counterparts in all the vegetation zones (Temperate, Montane, Sub-alpine and Alpine). Interestingly, in none of the vegetation zones do aliens and natives differ in terms of their mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal species fractions, suggesting that change in mycorrhizal symbioses along any elevational gradient occurs more due to restrictions on mycorrhizal fungi survival than due to the identity of the species concerned. These trends call for further studies at wider geographical scales to better understand the mechanisms and implications of mycorrhizal associations for managementof alien plant invasion in such eco-climatically sensitive regions, especially in the context of climate change.