Evaluating the Effects of Global Environmental Changes on Ecosystems via Mycorrhizae, Soil Biota and Plant Traits

Abstract

Global environmental change (GEC) which is a change in average weather conditions due to biotic and abiotic processes and human activities, affects above and belowground organisms such as mycorrhizae, soil biota and plants. As with other major components of terrestrial ecosystems, the trait responses of these above and below ground organisms to GEC have received limited attention. Most of the research have been pot-based with a few field especially monoculture studies using mycorrhizal traits. A major question that arises from all these studies is, whether the GEC effects on mycorrhizal fungi, soil biota and plant traits can directly influence ecosystem functions. This paper looks at the effects of GEC on ecosystems via mycorrhizal fungi traits such as speed of root colonization, hyphal length; soil biota traits such as running speed, palatability and plant traits such as seed size, shoot phenology and how these may retroact to influence ecosystem functions such as nutrient and carbon cycling.