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Visualization of In Situ Douglas Fir Roots and Ectomycorrhizae in the Context of PhytoremediationPrincipal Investigator: Dr. Martha Apple The physiology of ectomycorrhizal Douglas fir was investigated in the context of contaminated mine wastes and low soil pH. Ultimately, ectomycorrhizal fungi from the Douglas fir tree may be used in bioremediation processes and as a stabilizing agent for mine wastes. The objectives of this research were: 1) to define physiological attributes of Douglas fir trees that allow it to tolerate toxic soils; 2) to determine whether the addition of ectomycorrhizal fungi provides a growth advantage for trees in these types of soils; and 3) to install a minirhizotron to assess the development of Douglas fir root systems. Seedlings were planted at both the Badger Mine site and in the Montana Tech greenhouse using Badger Mine site soil as the growth medium, in the autumn of 2004. The Badger Mine site is located directly north of Butte, Montana. Half of the seedlings were inoculated with mycorrhizal fungi both at the mine site and in the greenhouse. The following spring, survival rates were determined and ecophysiological measurements (fluorescence, respiration, and chlorophyll content) were made on surviving seedlings. The quantification of survival rates found that at the Badger Mine site, survival rate for the mycorrhizal seedlings was 20% and 7.5% for the non-mycorrhizal seedlings. In the greenhouse, the survival rate for seedlings grown in Badger Mine site soil was 90% for mycorrhizal seedlings and 70% for non- mycorrhizal seedlings. The data indicate that the addition of water and fertilizer in the greenhouse setting profoundly affected the survival rate of the seedlings. It was also concluded that there was a beneficial symbiotic relationship between the mycorrhizae and the seedling’s root system. MWTP Activity IV, Project 38
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