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Environmental drivers of ectomycorrhizal communities in Europe's temperate oak forests
Author(s) -
Suz Laura M.,
Barsoum Nadia,
Benham Sue,
Dietrich HansPeter,
Fetzer Karl Dieter,
Fischer Richard,
García Paloma,
Gehrman Joachim,
Kristöfel Ferdinand,
Manninger Miklós,
Neagu Stefan,
Nicolas Manuel,
Oldenburger Jan,
Raspe Stephan,
Sánchez Gerardo,
Schröck Hans Werner,
Schubert Alfred,
Verheyen Kris,
Verstraeten Arne,
Bidartondo Martin I.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
molecular ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.619
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1365-294X
pISSN - 0962-1083
DOI - 10.1111/mec.12947
Subject(s) - temperate rainforest , biology , temperate forest , species evenness , species richness , temperate climate , ecology , ectomycorrhiza , ecosystem , mycorrhiza , symbiosis , genetics , bacteria
Ectomycorrhizal fungi are major ecological players in temperate forests, but they are rarely used in measures of forest condition because large‐scale, high‐resolution, standardized and replicated belowground data are scarce. We carried out an analysis of ectomycorrhizas at 22 intensively monitored long‐term oak plots, across nine European countries, covering complex natural and anthropogenic environmental gradients. We found that at large scales, mycorrhizal richness and evenness declined with decreasing soil pH and root density, and with increasing atmospheric nitrogen deposition. Shifts in mycorrhizas with different functional traits were detected; mycorrhizas with structures specialized for long‐distance transport related differently to most environmental variables than those without. The dominant oak‐specialist Lactarius quietus, with limited soil exploration abilities, responds positively to increasing nitrogen inputs and decreasing pH . In contrast, Tricholoma , Cortinarius and Piloderma species , with medium‐distance soil exploration abilities, show a consistently negative response. We also determined nitrogen critical loads for moderate (9.5–13.5 kg N/ha/year) and drastic (17 kg N/ha/year) changes in belowground mycorrhizal root communities in temperate oak forests. Overall, we generated the first baseline data for ectomycorrhizal fungi in the oak forests sampled, identified nitrogen pollution as one of their major drivers at large scales and revealed fungi that individually and/or in combination with others can be used as belowground indicators of environmental characteristics.