Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.3389/fpls.2021.682142
Licence creative commons licence
Title (Primary) Shifts in the abundances of saprotrophic and ectomycorrhizal fungi with altered leaf litter inputs
Author Marañón-Jiménez, S.; Radujković, D.; Verbruggen, E.; Grau, O.; Cuntz, M.; Peñuelas, J.; Richter, A.; Schrumpf, M.; Rebmann, C.
Source Titel Frontiers in Plant Science
Year 2021
Department CHS
Volume 12
Page From art. 682142
Language englisch
Topic T5 Future Landscapes
Supplements https://ndownloader.figstatic.com/files/28906128
https://ndownloader.figstatic.com/files/28906131
Keywords CO2 fluxes, Gadgil effect, ectomycorrhiza fungal exploration types, Litter decomposition, Soil fungal communities, Plant detritus
Abstract Ectomycorrhizal (EcM) and saprotrophic fungi interact in the breakdown of organic matter, but the mechanisms underlying the EcM role on organic matter decomposition are not totally clear. We hypothesized that the ecological relations between EcM and saprotroph fungi are modulated by resources availability and accessibility, determining decomposition rates. We manipulated the amount of leaf litter inputs (No-Litter, Control Litter, Doubled Litter) on Trenched (root exclusion) and Non-Trenched plots (with roots) in a temperate deciduous forest of EcM-associated trees. Resultant shifts in soil fungal communities were determined by phospholipid fatty acids and DNA sequencing after three years, and CO2 fluxes were measured throughout this period.

Different levels of leaf litter inputs generated a gradient of organic substrate availability and accessibility, altering the composition and ecological relations between EcM and saprotroph fungal communities. EcM fungi dominated at low levels of fresh organic substrates and lower organic matter quality, where short-distances exploration types seem to be better competitors, whereas saprotrophs and longer exploration types of EcM fungi tended to dominate at high levels of leaf litter inputs, where labile organic substrates were easily accessible. We were, however, not able to detect unequivocal signs of competition between these fungal groups for common resources. These results point to the relevance of substrate quality and availability as a key factors determining the role of EcM and saprotroph fungi on litter and soil organic matter decay and represent a path forward on the capacity of organic matter decomposition of different exploration types of EcM fungi.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=24820
Marañón-Jiménez, S., Radujković, D., Verbruggen, E., Grau, O., Cuntz, M., Peñuelas, J., Richter, A., Schrumpf, M., Rebmann, C. (2021):
Shifts in the abundances of saprotrophic and ectomycorrhizal fungi with altered leaf litter inputs
Front. Plant Sci. 12 , art. 682142 10.3389/fpls.2021.682142