Global mycorrhizal plant distribution linked to terrestrial carbon stocks

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 10; no. 1; pp. 5077 - 10
• Main Authors: Soudzilovskaia, Nadejda A., van Bodegom, Peter M., Terrer, César, Zelfde, Maarten van’t, McCallum, Ian, Luke McCormack, M., Fisher, Joshua B., Brundrett, Mark C., de Sá, Nuno César, Tedersoo, Leho
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 07.11.2019; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/158/2445; 631/158/852; 704/158/47; 704/47/4113; BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; Biogeochemical cycles; Biogeochemistry; Biomass; Carbon; Ecological function; Ecosystem; Ecosystems; Ectomycorrhizas; Environmental impact; Geographic Mapping; Human influences; Humanities and Social Sciences; multidisciplinary; Mycorrhizae; Plant species; Plants; Plants (botany); Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Soil - chemistry; Subsoils; Topsoil; Vegetation
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13019-2

Vegetation impacts on ecosystem functioning are mediated by mycorrhizas, plant–fungal associations formed by most plant species. Ecosystems dominated by distinct mycorrhizal types differ strongly in their biogeochemistry. Quantitative analyses of mycorrhizal impacts on ecosystem functioning are hindered by the scarcity of information on mycorrhizal distributions. Here we present global, high-resolution maps of vegetation biomass distribution by dominant mycorrhizal associations. Arbuscular, ectomycorrhizal, and ericoid mycorrhizal vegetation store, respectively, 241 ± 15, 100 ± 17, and 7 ± 1.8 GT carbon in aboveground biomass, whereas non-mycorrhizal vegetation stores 29 ± 5.5 GT carbon. Soil carbon stocks in both topsoil and subsoil are positively related to the community-level biomass fraction of ectomycorrhizal plants, though the strength of this relationship varies across biomes. We show that human-induced transformations of Earth’s ecosystems have reduced ectomycorrhizal vegetation, with potential ramifications to terrestrial carbon stocks. Our work provides a benchmark for spatially explicit and globally quantitative assessments of mycorrhizal impacts on ecosystem functioning and biogeochemical cycling. Mycorrhizas—mutualistic relationships formed between fungi and most plant species—are functionally linked to soil carbon stocks. Here the authors map the global distribution of mycorrhizal plants and quantify links between mycorrhizal vegetation patterns and terrestrial carbon stocks.