Responses of AM fungal abundance to the drivers of global climate change: A meta-analysis

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), playing critical roles in carbon cycling, are vulnerable to climate change. However, the responses of AM fungal abundance to climate change are unclear. A global-scale meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the response patterns of AM fungal abundance to warming, elevated CO2 concentration (eCO(2)), and N addition. Both warming and eCO(2) significantly stimulated AM fungal abundance by 18.6% (95%CI: 5.9%-32.8%) and 21.4% (15.1%-28.1%) on a global scale, respectively. However, the response ratios (RR) of AM fungal abundance decreased with the degree of warming while increased with the degree of eCO(2). Furthermore, in warming experiments, as long as the warming exceeded 4 degrees C, its effects on AM fungal abundance changed from positive to negative regardless of the experimental durations, methods, periods, and ecosystem types. The effects of N addition on AM fungal abundance are -5.4% (-10.6%-0.2%), and related to the nitrogen fertilizer input rate and ecosystem type. The RR of AM fungal abundance is negative in grasslands and farmlands when the degree of N addition exceeds 33.85 and 67.64 kg N ha(-1) yr(-1), respectively; however, N addition decreases AM fungal abundance in forests only when the degree of N addition exceeds 871.31 kg N ha(-1) yr(-1). The above results provide an insight into predicting ecological functions of AM fungal abundance under global changes. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

A global-scale meta-analysis revealed that warming and eCO2 significantly stimulate the abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, while nitrogen addition has a negative impact. The response of AM fungal abundance is influenced by the degree of warming, nitrogen fertilizer input rate, and ecosystem type.