Abstract

Many agroecosystems face nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) or potassium (K) deficiencies due to imbalanced or insufficient nutrient replenishment after plant biomass harvest. How this affects the symbiosis between plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), and the abundance of exploration-based AMF guilds (i.e., rhizophilic, edaphophilic, ancestral) remains largely unknown. We studied a 70-year nutrient-deficiency experiment in a managed grassland in central Austria, where aboveground biomass was harvested three times annually. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were fully, partially, or not replenished, causing strong nutrient deficiencies and imbalances. We analysed AMF communities in soil and roots by DNA/RNA amplicon sequencing and fatty-acid biomarkers, alongside soil and plant community changes. Soil AMF communities were primarily affected by N and P deficiencies, while root AMF communities were most susceptible to K deficiency, with a 50% reduction in root AMF biomass. We observed distinct, guild- and family-specific responses: edaphophilic AMF declined with nitrogen deficiency, while rhizophilic fungi decreased with phosphorus and potassium deficiencies. Families within each guild, particularly ancestral ones, exhibited differential responses, indicating complementary nutrient specializations at the family level. Our findings underscore the previously unrecognized role of K deficiency in AMF symbiosis, and suggest the existence of nutrient-related functional subgroups within exploration-based AMF guilds.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Details

Title
Strong family- and guild-specific responses of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi to long-term deficiencies and imbalances of N, P and K
Author
Jenab, Kian; Alteio, Lauren; Guseva, Ksenia; Gorka, Stefan; Darcy, Sean; Fuchslueger, Lucia; Canarini, Alberto; Martin, Victoria Sophie; Wiesenbauer, Julia; Spiegel, Felix; Imai, Bruna; Schmidt, Hannes; Hage-Ahmed, Karin; Poetsch, Erich; Richter, Andreas; Jansa, Jan; Kaiser, Christina
University/institution
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press
Section
New Results
Publication year
2024
Publication date
Nov 8, 2024
Publisher
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press
ISSN
2692-8205
Source type
Working Paper
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3126179813
Copyright
© 2024. This article is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (“the License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.