Abstract:
Phytobiont enhanced nutrient uptake through arbuscular mycorrhiza comes at a cost in form of carbon fixed through
photosynthesis. Geophytes operate under resource efficiency constraint due to their particular life-cycle and have to
balance it very well. This translates in highly controlled investment towards mycobiont, that could explain the wide
range of colonization patterns according to plant species affordability to sustain the mutualism when carbohydrates are
required to be retained in storage organ. Following microscopic examination of roots collected at anthesis from
UASVM Cluj Agro-Botanical Garden, highest intensity for root colonization in root segments was found in Dahlia
variabilis followed by Helianthus tuberosus and Lilium candidum and lowest in Hemerocallis fulva and Gladiolus ×
grandiflorus. Arbuscules richness varied strongly among species. This study documents for the first time the level of
arbuscular mycorrhizae in some summer flowering geophytes from Cluj county, Romania. It is concluded that summer
geophytes might be good model plants for ecology of endophytic relationship since are highly sensitive to any
disbalance in carbon expenditure.
