Elevation gradients affect the differences of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi diversity between root and rhizosphere soil

Despite the evident importance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM fungal) associated with the root and rhizosphere system of elevation gradients, limit is known about the difference in AM fungal diversity between root and rhizosphere and their influencing factors along elevation gradients. AM fungal Here, we designed an elevation gradient experiment, which covered six elevations and three vegetation types, and collected plant and soil samples. We used Illumina gene sequencing to analyze AM fungal diversity in roots and rhizosphere soils; other potential factors, such as plant diversity, leaf C, N, and P, litter, soil and microbial biomass, extracellular enzymes activity, and the bacterial and ITS broad-fungal diversity, were also determined. We found that AM fungal diversity differences between root and rhizosphere soil diminished as elevation increased, despite that AM fungal diversity had a well-known pattern with elevation (unimodal patterns). Compared with plant characteristics, soil properties (soil C, N, P, C:N, C:P, N:P) were stronger effect on AM fungal diversity between root and rhizosphere. Particularly, soil extracellular enzymes activity and bacterial and ITS broad-fungal diversity explained more variation in AM fungal diversity dynamics along the elevation gradients. Our findings indicate that the diminishment of AM fungal diversity in root and rhizosphere soil are a response to elevation gradients through changes of soil extracellular enzymes activity and the bacterial and fungi communities, which provided evidence that AM fungal community dynamics link to climate change.