Communications Biology (Oct 2023)
Mycorrhizal feedbacks influence global forest structure and diversity
- Camille S. Delavaux,
- Joseph A. LaManna,
- Jonathan A. Myers,
- Richard P. Phillips,
- Salomón Aguilar,
- David Allen,
- Alfonso Alonso,
- Kristina J. Anderson-Teixeira,
- Matthew E. Baker,
- Jennifer L. Baltzer,
- Pulchérie Bissiengou,
- Mariana Bonfim,
- Norman A. Bourg,
- Warren Y. Brockelman,
- David F. R. P. Burslem,
- Li-Wan Chang,
- Yang Chen,
- Jyh-Min Chiang,
- Chengjin Chu,
- Keith Clay,
- Susan Cordell,
- Mary Cortese,
- Jan den Ouden,
- Christopher Dick,
- Sisira Ediriweera,
- Erle C. Ellis,
- Anna Feistner,
- Amy L. Freestone,
- Thomas Giambelluca,
- Christian P. Giardina,
- Gregory S. Gilbert,
- Fangliang He,
- Jan Holík,
- Robert W. Howe,
- Walter Huaraca Huasca,
- Stephen P. Hubbell,
- Faith Inman,
- Patrick A. Jansen,
- Daniel J. Johnson,
- Kamil Kral,
- Andrew J. Larson,
- Creighton M. Litton,
- James A. Lutz,
- Yadvinder Malhi,
- Krista McGuire,
- Sean M. McMahon,
- William J. McShea,
- Hervé Memiaghe,
- Anuttara Nathalang,
- Natalia Norden,
- Vojtech Novotny,
- Michael J. O’Brien,
- David A. Orwig,
- Rebecca Ostertag,
- Geoffrey G. (‘Jess’) Parker,
- Rolando Pérez,
- Glen Reynolds,
- Sabrina E. Russo,
- Lawren Sack,
- Pavel Šamonil,
- I-Fang Sun,
- Mark E. Swanson,
- Jill Thompson,
- Maria Uriarte,
- John Vandermeer,
- Xihua Wang,
- Ian Ware,
- George D. Weiblen,
- Amy Wolf,
- Shu-Hui Wu,
- Jess K. Zimmerman,
- Thomas Lauber,
- Daniel S. Maynard,
- Thomas W. Crowther,
- Colin Averill
Affiliations
- Camille S. Delavaux
- ETH Zurich, Department of Environmental Systems Science
- Joseph A. LaManna
- Department of Biological Sciences, Marquette University
- Jonathan A. Myers
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis
- Richard P. Phillips
- Department of Biology, Indiana University
- Salomón Aguilar
- Forest Global Earth Observatory, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
- David Allen
- Department of Biology, Middlebury College
- Alfonso Alonso
- Center for Conservation and Sustainability, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park
- Kristina J. Anderson-Teixeira
- Forest Global Earth Observatory, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
- Matthew E. Baker
- Geography & Environmental Systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
- Jennifer L. Baltzer
- Biology Department, Wilfrid Laurier University
- Pulchérie Bissiengou
- Herbier National du Gabon, Institut de Pharmacopée et de Médecine Traditionelle
- Mariana Bonfim
- Department of Biology, Temple Ambler Field Station, Temple University
- Norman A. Bourg
- Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park
- Warren Y. Brockelman
- National Biobank of Thailand, National Science and Technology Development Agency
- David F. R. P. Burslem
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen
- Li-Wan Chang
- Taiwan Forestry Research Institute, Taipei City
- Yang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology/School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University
- Jyh-Min Chiang
- Department of Life Science, Tunghai University
- Chengjin Chu
- School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University
- Keith Clay
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University
- Susan Cordell
- Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, USDA Forest Service
- Mary Cortese
- Department of Biology, Temple Ambler Field Station, Temple University
- Jan den Ouden
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University
- Christopher Dick
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan
- Sisira Ediriweera
- Department of Science and Technology, Uva Wellassa University
- Erle C. Ellis
- Geography & Environmental Systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
- Anna Feistner
- Gabon Biodiversity Program, Center for Conservation and Sustainability, Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
- Amy L. Freestone
- Department of Biology, Temple Ambler Field Station, Temple University
- Thomas Giambelluca
- University of Hawaii at Manoa
- Christian P. Giardina
- Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, USDA Forest Service
- Gregory S. Gilbert
- Environmental Studies Department, University of California, Santa Cruz
- Fangliang He
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta
- Jan Holík
- Department of Forest Ecology, Silva Tarouca Research Institute
- Robert W. Howe
- Department of Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
- Walter Huaraca Huasca
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford
- Stephen P. Hubbell
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles
- Faith Inman
- Department of Biology, University of Hawaii
- Patrick A. Jansen
- Forest Global Earth Observatory, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
- Daniel J. Johnson
- School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida
- Kamil Kral
- Department of Forest Ecology, Silva Tarouca Research Institute
- Andrew J. Larson
- Department of Forest Management, W. A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana
- Creighton M. Litton
- University of Hawaii at Manoa
- James A. Lutz
- The Ecology Center, Utah State University
- Yadvinder Malhi
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford
- Krista McGuire
- Department of Biology, University of Oregon
- Sean M. McMahon
- Forest Global Earth Observatory, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
- William J. McShea
- Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park
- Hervé Memiaghe
- Department of Biology, University of Oregon
- Anuttara Nathalang
- National Biobank of Thailand, National Science and Technology Development Agency
- Natalia Norden
- Programa Ciencias de la Biodiversidad, Instituto de Investigacion de Recursos Biologicos Alexander von Humboldt
- Vojtech Novotny
- Biology Centre, Institute of Entomology, Czech Academy of Sciences
- Michael J. O’Brien
- Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas
- David A. Orwig
- Harvard Forest, Harvard University
- Rebecca Ostertag
- Department of Biology, University of Hawaii
- Geoffrey G. (‘Jess’) Parker
- Forest Ecology Group, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
- Rolando Pérez
- Forest Global Earth Observatory, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
- Glen Reynolds
- The Royal Society SEARRP (UK/Malaysia)
- Sabrina E. Russo
- School of Biological Sciences and Center for Plant Science Innovation, University of Nebraska – Lincoln
- Lawren Sack
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles
- Pavel Šamonil
- Department of Forest Ecology, Silva Tarouca Research Institute
- I-Fang Sun
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, National Dong Hwa University
- Mark E. Swanson
- School of the Environment, Washington State University
- Jill Thompson
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
- Maria Uriarte
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University
- John Vandermeer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan
- Xihua Wang
- Tiantong National Forest Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University
- Ian Ware
- U.S. Forest Service, Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, Pacific Southwest Research Station
- George D. Weiblen
- Department of Plant & Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota
- Amy Wolf
- Department of Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
- Shu-Hui Wu
- Botanical Garden Division, Taiwan Forestry Research Institute
- Jess K. Zimmerman
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Puerto Rico
- Thomas Lauber
- ETH Zurich, Department of Environmental Systems Science
- Daniel S. Maynard
- ETH Zurich, Department of Environmental Systems Science
- Thomas W. Crowther
- ETH Zurich, Department of Environmental Systems Science
- Colin Averill
- ETH Zurich, Department of Environmental Systems Science
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-023-05410-z
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 6,
no. 1
pp. 1 – 11
Abstract
Abstract One mechanism proposed to explain high species diversity in tropical systems is strong negative conspecific density dependence (CDD), which reduces recruitment of juveniles in proximity to conspecific adult plants. Although evidence shows that plant-specific soil pathogens can drive negative CDD, trees also form key mutualisms with mycorrhizal fungi, which may counteract these effects. Across 43 large-scale forest plots worldwide, we tested whether ectomycorrhizal tree species exhibit weaker negative CDD than arbuscular mycorrhizal tree species. We further tested for conmycorrhizal density dependence (CMDD) to test for benefit from shared mutualists. We found that the strength of CDD varies systematically with mycorrhizal type, with ectomycorrhizal tree species exhibiting higher sapling densities with increasing adult densities than arbuscular mycorrhizal tree species. Moreover, we found evidence of positive CMDD for tree species of both mycorrhizal types. Collectively, these findings indicate that mycorrhizal interactions likely play a foundational role in global forest diversity patterns and structure.
