Nature Communications (Jun 2021)

Nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization consistently favor pathogenic over mutualistic fungi in grassland soils

  • Ylva Lekberg,
  • Carlos A. Arnillas,
  • Elizabeth T. Borer,
  • Lorinda S. Bullington,
  • Noah Fierer,
  • Peter G. Kennedy,
  • Jonathan W. Leff,
  • Angela D. Luis,
  • Eric W. Seabloom,
  • Jeremiah A. Henning

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-23605-y
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 1
pp. 1 – 8

Abstract

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Anthropogenic nutrient enrichment may drive shifts in soil microbial communities. Here, the authors analyse nitrogen and phosphorus addition effects on soil fungi in a distributed grassland experiment across four continents, finding promotion of pathogens, suppression of mutualists, and no shifts in saprotrophs.