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Inner Mongolian steppe arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities respond more strongly to water availability than to nitrogen fertilization.
- Source :
-
Environmental Microbiology . Aug2015, Vol. 17 Issue 8, p3051-3068. 18p. - Publication Year :
- 2015
-
Abstract
- Plant community productivity and species composition are primarily constrained by water followed by nitrogen ( N) availability in the degraded semi-arid grasslands of Inner Mongolia. However, there is a lack of knowledge on how long-term N addition and water availability interact to influence the community structure of arbuscular mycorrhizal ( AM) fungi, and whether AM fungi contribute to the recovery of degraded grasslands. Soils and roots of the dominant plant species S tipa grandis and A gropyron cristatum were sampled under two water levels and N) rates after 8 years. The abundance and diversity of AM fungi remained relatively resilient after the long-term addition of water and N. Variation in the AM fungal communities in soils and roots were affected primarily by watering. AM fungal abundance and operational taxonomic unit ( OTU) richness were significantly correlated with average aboveground net primary productivity and biomass of plant functional groups. Hyphal length density was significantly correlated with plant richness, the average biomass of S . grandis and perennial forbs. Both water and plant biomass had a considerable influence on the AM fungal assemblages. The tight linkages between AM fungi with aboveground plant productivity highlight the importance of plant-microbe interactions in the productivity and sustainability of these semi-arid grassland ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 14622912
- Volume :
- 17
- Issue :
- 8
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Environmental Microbiology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 108976014
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.12931