Mycorrhizal fungal abundance is affected by long-term climatic manipulations in the field

  1. Philip L. Staddon1,2,
  2. Ken Thompson3,
  3. Iver Jakobsen2,
  4. J. Philip Grime3,
  5. Andrew P. Askew3,
  6. Alastair H. Fitter1

Article first published online: 5 FEB 2003

DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2486.2003.00593.x

Issue

Global Change Biology

Global Change Biology

Volume 9, Issue 2, pages 186–194, February 2003

Additional Information

How to Cite

Staddon, P. L., Thompson, K., Jakobsen, I., Grime, J. P., Askew, A. P. and Fitter, A. H. (2003), Mycorrhizal fungal abundance is affected by long-term climatic manipulations in the field. Global Change Biology, 9: 186–194. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2486.2003.00593.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Biology, University of York, PO Box 373, York, YO10 5YW, UK,

  2. 2

    Risø National Laboratory, Plant Research Department, PO Box 49, Roskilde, DK-4000, Denmark,

  3. 3

    Buxton Climate Change Impacts Laboratory (BCCIL), Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK

* Dr Philip L. Staddon, Risø National Laboratory, Plant Research Department, Building 313, PO Box 49, Roskilde, DK-4000, Denmark, tel. +45 46774289, fax +45 46774122, e-mail: philip.louis.staddon@risoe.dk

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 5 FEB 2003
  2. Article first published online: 5 FEB 2003
  3. Received 10 May 2002; revised version received 24 July 2002 and accepted 2 August 2002

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Keywords:

  • arbuscular mycorrhizas;
  • climate change;
  • drought;
  • global environmental change;
  • warming

Abstract

Climate change treatments – winter warming, summer drought and increased summer precipitation – have been imposed on an upland grassland continuously for 7 years. The vegetation was surveyed yearly. In the seventh year, soil samples were collected on four occasions through the growing season in order to assess mycorrhizal fungal abundance. Mycorrhizal fungal colonisation of roots and extraradical mycorrhizal hyphal (EMH) density in the soil were both affected by the climatic manipulations, especially by summer drought. Both winter warming and summer drought increased the proportion of root length colonised (RLC) and decreased the density of external mycorrhizal hyphal. Much of the response of mycorrhizal fungi to climate change could be attributed to climate-induced changes in the vegetation, especially plant species relative abundance. However, it is possible that some of the mycorrhizal response to the climatic manipulations was direct – for example, the response of the EMH density to the drought treatment. Future work should address the likely change in mycorrhizal functioning under warmer and drier conditions.

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