Abstract
Abstract Mycorrhizal associations have massive impacts on ecosystem functioning, but the mode and magnitude heavily depend on the mycorrhizal type involved. Different types of mycorrhizas are recognized to predominate under different environmental conditions. However, the respective importance of climate and soil characteristics in shaping mycorrhizal global distributions are still poorly understood. We provide a quantitative and comprehensive global analysis of the main climatic and edaphic predictors of the distribution of plants featuring different mycorrhizal types. Estimates on per grid‐cell relative above‐ground biomass of plants holding arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM), ectomycorrhiza (EcM) and ericoid mycorrhiza (ErM) association were related to a set of 39 climatic and edaphic variables. We assessed their relationship by applying a Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale and Shape (GAMLSS). The best GAMLSS models were able to explain 55%, 41% and 46% of the variance in AM, EcM and ErM distribution, respectively. Temperature‐related factors were the main predictors of distribution patterns for the three different mycorrhizal plant types. AM plants are favoured by warm climates, while EcM plants’ dominance (and to some extent ErM plants too) is favoured by colder climates. Synthesis. The observed lack of importance of soil drivers challenges the predominant view that mycorrhizal plants distribution mainly reflects soil type preferences—as related to its nutrient foraging strategies—of the different mycorrhizal types. Instead, our results highlight climate—and particularly temperature—as the main force shaping the distribution of arbuscular mycorrhiza, ectomycorrhiza and ericoid mycorrhiza host plants at the global scale and suggest that climate change can significantly alter the distribution of mycorrhizal host plants, with a subsequent impact on ecosystem functioning.
Highlights
Mycorrhizas are mutualistic associations between soil fungi and plants, where host plants receive mineral nutrients from fungi and, in exchange, fungi obtain photosynthetically derived carbon (C) compounds from plants (Smith & Read, 2008)
Our results highlight climate—and temperature—as the main force shaping the distribution of arbuscular mycorrhiza, ectomycorrhiza and ericoid mycorrhiza host plants at the global scale and suggest that climate change can significantly alter the distribution of mycorrhizal host plants, with a subsequent impact on ecosystem functioning
Our results point at temperature‐related factors as the main predictors—instead of soil properties—for the global distribution of the three most abundant mycorrhizal plant types
Summary
Mycorrhizas are mutualistic associations between soil fungi and plants, where host plants receive mineral nutrients from fungi and, in exchange, fungi obtain photosynthetically derived carbon (C) compounds from plants (Smith & Read, 2008). AM saprotrophic abilities are less developed, causing AM to mostly rely on inorganic compounds as a source of nutrients, and more prevalent in mineral soils (Smith & Smith, 2011) Based on these insights, Read (1991) and Read and Perez‐Moreno (2003) proposed a theoretical model where the abundance of AM, EcM and ErM host plants gradually changes along a latitudinal and altitudinal gradient, driven mainly by the effects of climate on decomposition, which is reflected in the accumulation of organic C in the soil and the availability of nutrients for plants. Recently, Steidinger et al (2019) performed a coarse resolution (1 degree) global analysis on mycorrhizal trees distribution and its environmental drivers focusing on forest ecosystems Despite these efforts, the contribution of the different driving forces (e.g. dispersal, climatic factors, edaphic characteristics or evolution) in shaping the biogeography of mycorrhizal vegetation of the entire plethora of plant functional types at global scale and covering all natural biomes and plant growth forms needs better understanding. Following Read's hypothesis, we expect a relatively high contribution of soil properties related to organic C content
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