Effects of fairy ring fungi on plants and soil in the alpine and temperate grasslands of China

Abstract

Soil fungi are considered to be key regulators of plant and soil relationships. The fairy rings (FRs) caused by basidiomycete fungi can influence plant productivity and soil nutrient and microbiome composition. We sought to explore the role of FRs in plant communities and soil properties for two types of grasslands in China. Plant and soil samples were collected from three concentric zones: outside the ring (OUT), on the ring (ON), and inside the ring (IN). Data were collected on plant productivity, plant diversity, soil properties, and soil bacterial diversity. We found that FRs significantly improved plant productivity and diversity in both alpine and temperate grasslands. In the alpine grassland, soil water content, pH and bacterial diversity were lower in the ON zone compared to the OUT zone. Likewise, in temperate grasslands, water content was lower in the ON zone compared to both OUT and IN zones. Also, soil pH and bacterial diversity were higher on the ON zone compared to other both zones. Based on our data, we believe that FR fungi increase plant productivity and diversity, and change the composition of soil bacterial species and diversity. We suggest that the effects of FR fungi on plants included the increase of the soil nutrient content and the effects of FR fungi on soil bacteria included the changes in soil water content and pH value.