Journal
ECOLOGY LETTERS
Volume 10, Issue 6, Pages 470-480Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2007.01035.x
Keywords
Baas-Becking; biogeography; competition; dispersal; ectomycorrhiza; fungi; microbe; species-area; trade-off
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While the effects of habitat size and isolation have been successfully studied for macro-organisms, there is currently debate about their relative importance in explaining patterns of microbial species richness. In this study, we examine the species richness of a dominant group of eukaryotic soil microbes, ectomycorrhizal fungi, on 'tree islands' of constant age and host composition that range in size from < 10 to > 10 000 m(2). Our results show that ectomycorrhizal species richness is significantly reduced on smaller and more isolated tree islands, and the species-area slope that we observe (0.20-0.23) is similar to average slopes reported for macro-organisms. Additionally, species' occurrence patterns across tree islands and investment trends in fungal fruit bodies suggest that a trade-off between competition and dispersal could play an important role in structuring ectomycorrhizal assemblages.
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