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Local‐scale biogeography and spatiotemporal variability in communities of mycorrhizal fungi
Author(s) -
Bahram Mohammad,
Peay Kabir G.,
Tedersoo Leho
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/nph.13206
Subject(s) - ecology , spatial variability , niche , ecological niche , biology , spatial ecology , variation (astronomy) , niche differentiation , community structure , temporal scales , topsoil , biogeography , scale (ratio) , metacommunity , spatial distribution , geography , habitat , biological dispersal , soil water , remote sensing , cartography , population , statistics , physics , demography , mathematics , sociology , astrophysics
Summary Knowledge of spatiotemporal patterns in species distribution is fundamental to understanding the ecological and evolutionary processes shaping communities. The emergence of DNA ‐based tools has expanded the geographic and taxonomic scope of studies examining spatial and temporal distribution of mycorrhizal fungi. However, the nature of spatiotemporal patterns documented and subsequent interpretation of ecological processes can vary significantly from study to study. In order to look for general patterns we synthesize the available data across different sampling scales and mycorrhizal types. The results of this analysis shed light on the relative importance of space, time and vertical soil structure on community variability across different mycorrhizal types. Although we found no significant trend in spatiotemporal variation among mycorrhizal types, the vertical community variation was distinctly greater than the spatial and temporal variability in mycorrhizal fungal communities. Both spatial and temporal variability of communities was greater in topsoil compared with lower horizons, suggesting that greater environmental heterogeneity drives community variation on a fine scale. This further emphasizes the importance of both niche differentiation and environmental filtering in maintaining diverse fungal communities.