Allen, Michael F.Smith, W. K.Moore, T. S.Christensen, M.2024-02-082024-02-081981-01-01https://wyoscholar.uwyo.edu/handle/internal/1704https://doi.org/10.15786/wyoscholar/9770The rangeland grass, Bouteloua gracilis was inoculated with its mycorrhizal symbiont, Glomus fasciculatus, to determine the influence of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae on water status, stomatal behaviour and photosynthesis as well as gross plant morphology, biomass and phosphorus content. Mycorrhizal infection increased transpiration rates by over 100% with 50 to 70% lower leaf resistance to water vapour diffusion. Leaf xylem pressure was not different between mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal plants indicating that whole-plant resistance to water transport was reduced by more than 50%. Photosynthetic rates under saturating light conditions increased 68% with infection as a consequence of a 33% reduction in stomatal resistance and 67% reduction in mesophyll resistance to CO₂ uptake. Mycorrhizal infection did not affect biomass or gross plant morphology after 30 weeks of growth, but increased chlorophyll and phosphate concentrations by 28% and 70% respectively. These physiological changes indicate that mycorrhizae may substantially alter survival ability of Bouteloua gracilis.enghttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Mathematicsjournal contribution10.1111/j.1469-8137.1981.tb01745.x