Seven years of carbon dioxide enrichment, nitrogen fertilization and plant diversity influence arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in a grassland ecosystem.

• We tested the prediction that the abundance and diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are influenced by resource availability and plant community composition by examining the joint effects of carbon dioxide (CO(2) ) enrichment, nitrogen (N) fertilization and plant diversity on AM fungi. • We quantified AM fungal spores and extramatrical hyphae in 176 plots after 7 yr of treatment with all combinations of ambient or elevated CO(2) (368 or 560 ppm), with or without N fertilization (0 or 4 g Nm(-2) ), and one (monoculture) or 16 host plant species (polyculture) in the BioCON field experiment at Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve, Minnesota, USA. • Extramatrical hyphal lengths were increased by CO(2) enrichment, whereas AM spore abundance decreased with N fertilization. Spore abundance, morphotype richness and extramatrical hyphal lengths were all greater in monoculture plots. A structural equation model showed AM fungal biovolume was most influenced by CO(2) enrichment, plant community composition and plant richness, whereas spore richness was most influenced by fungal biovolume, plant community composition and plant richness. • Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi responded to differences in host community and resource availability, suggesting that mycorrhizal functions, such as carbon sequestration and soil stability, will be affected by global change.

Antoninka A ，Reich PB ，Johnson NC 《-》

Plant Identity Exerts Stronger Effect than Fertilization on Soil Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in a Sown Pasture.

Zheng Y ，Chen L ，Luo CY ，Zhang ZH ，Wang SP ，Guo LD ... -  《-》

Direct and indirect influences of 8 yr of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization on Glomeromycota in an alpine meadow ecosystem.

We measured the influences of soil fertility and plant community composition on Glomeromycota, and tested the prediction of the functional equilibrium hypothesis that increased availability of soil resources will reduce the abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. Communities of plants and AM fungi were measured in mixed roots and in Elymus nutans roots across an experimental fertilization gradient in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau. As predicted, fertilization reduced the abundance of Glomeromycota as well as the species richness of plants and AM fungi. The response of the glomeromycotan community was strongly linked to the plant community shift towards dominance by Elymus nutans. A reduction in the extraradical hyphae of AM fungi was associated with both the changes in soil factors and shifts in the plant community composition that were caused by fertilization. Our findings highlight the importance of soil fertility in regulating both plant and glomeromycotan communities, and emphasize that high fertilizer inputs can reduce the biodiversity of plants and AM fungi, and influence the sustainability of ecosystems.

Liu Y ，Shi G ，Mao L ，Cheng G ，Jiang S ，Ma X ，An L ，Du G ，Collins Johnson N ，Feng H ... -  《-》

Dynamics of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal community structure and functioning along a nitrogen enrichment gradient in an alpine meadow ecosystem.

Nitrogen (N) availability is increasing dramatically in many ecosystems, but the influence of elevated N on the functioning of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in natural ecosystems is not well understood. We measured AM fungal community structure and mycorrhizal function simultaneously across an experimental N addition gradient in an alpine meadow that is limited by N but not by phosphorus (P). AM fungal communities at both whole-plant-community (mixed roots) and single-plant-species (Elymus nutans roots) scales were described using pyro-sequencing, and the mycorrhizal functioning was quantified using a mycorrhizal-suppression treatment in the field (whole-plant-community scale) and a glasshouse inoculation experiment (single-plant-species scale). Nitrogen enrichment progressively reduced AM fungal abundance, changed AM fungal community composition, and shifted mycorrhizal functioning towards parasitism at both whole-plant-community and E. nutans scales. N-induced shifts in AM fungal community composition were tightly linked to soil N availability and/or plant species richness, whereas the shifts in mycorrhizal function were associated with the communities of specific AM fungal lineages. The observed changes in both AM fungal community structure and functioning across an N enrichment gradient highlight that N enrichment of ecosystems that are not P-limited can induce parasitic mycorrhizal functioning and influence plant community structure and ecosystem sustainability.

Jiang S ，Liu Y ，Luo J ，Qin M ，Johnson NC ，Öpik M ，Vasar M ，Chai Y ，Zhou X ，Mao L ，Du G ，An L ，Feng H ... -  《-》

Ungulate and topographic control of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal spore community composition in a temperate grassland.

Murray TR ，Frank DA ，Gehring CA 《ECOLOGY》