Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and edaphic factors modulate flowering and fruiting of secondary vegetation species in a temperate forest

Abstract Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi enhance plant flowering and fruiting by improving nutrient and water uptake. The aim of this study was to evaluate how AM fungal colonization percentage and edaphic factors, modulate flowering and fruiting in secondary vegetation (SV) species with different biological traits, in a temperate forest. We conducted the research in four sites at two elevation intervals in a temperate forest in Mexico, focusing on three SV species. We recorded flower, fruit and AM fungal colonization percentages during the rainy and the dry season. Soil was collected from the rhizosphere of each SV species to determine organic matter (OM), pH, relative soil moisture (RSM), available phosphorus (Ava-P) and nitrogen (Ava-N). The AM fungal colonization, flower and fruit percentages showed interspecific and temporal variations. Structural equation models showed that flowering was positively influenced by RSM in Acaena elongata and negatively influenced by AN in Solanum pubigerum . Fruiting was positively influenced by AM fungal colonization and negatively by AP in A. elongata , with a relevant indirect effect of OM. In S. pubigerum , the effect of AM fungal colonization was slightly positive, while AN and pH had a greater effect on fruiting. While in Ageratina glabrata the effect of AM fungal colonization on fructification was not evident. The study highlights the critical role of AM fungal colonization and soil properties such as OM, pH and N in flower and fruit production, which depend on the biological traits of the host plant species.