10.5061/DRYAD.B8GTHT78V
Kivlin, Stephanie
0000-0003-2442-7773
University of Tennessee at Knoxville
Global mycorrhizal fungal range sizes vary within and among mycorrhizal
guilds but are not correlated with dispersal traits
Dryad
dataset
2020
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
dispersal limitation
ectomycorrhizal fungi
niches
2021-04-15T00:00:00Z
2021-04-15T00:00:00Z
en
17346610 bytes
2
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Aim: Mycorrhizal fungi associate with the majority of plant species with
large consequences on ecosystem nutrient, carbon, and water cycling. Two
main types of mycorrhizal fungi, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and
ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi, dominate terrestrial ecosystems.
Most global distribution modeling of AM and EM mycorrhizal associations
describe the distribution of AM and EM plants, and not fungi directly.
However, significant functional trait variation occurs within AM and
EM fungal guilds. Therefore, modeling range sizes and determinants of
these ranges of fungi directly is likely to be a better proxy of ecosystem
function than guild-level lumping of AM and EM plant distributions.
Location: Global Taxa: Arbuscular mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal fungi
Methods: Here, I calculated the ranges of 164 AM and 67 EM fungal taxa at
the global scale and related range sizes to differences in spore sizes as
a proxy of dispersal potential. If dispersal limitation
affects range sizes, I expected that EM fungi with smaller spores would
have larger ranges than AM fungi with larger spores. If spore size
was not related to range size, this would indicate factors other than
passive dispersal control global mycorrhizal fungal ranges. Results:
Overall, AM fungal taxa had larger ranges than EM fungal taxa. AM fungi
also had larger spore sizes than EM fungi. Range sizes within both AM and
EM fungal taxa were phylogenetically conserved; closely related AM and EM
fungi has similar range sizes. Closely related EM fungi also had similar
spore sizes. However, spore size was not related to range size for
either mycorrhizal guild after phylogenetic correction, except for EM
fungi in the Northern hemisphere. Main Conclusions: These findings provide
evidence that range size for both mycorrhizal guilds is for the most
part not determined by dispersal limitation, suggesting instead that
environmental tolerance or plant host distributions
determine mycorrhizal fungal ranges. Future surveys of the same plant
species across environmental gradients will elucidate abiotic versus host
plant influence on mycorrhizal niches.