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Modelling the environmental and soil factors that shape the niches of two common arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal families

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Abstract

Aims

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, a group of obligate symbionts of terrestrial plants, have a global distribution range. Yet, we lack concrete synthetic and empirical evidence that could reveal whether distinct ecological niches are distributed across Glomeromycota through determining linkages between environmental factors and the distribution of these taxa.

Methods

We have modelled the probability of occurrence of Gigasporaceae and Acaulosporaceae as a function of candidate environmental factors. These families are among the most common but non-ubiquitous taxa in AM-driven ecosystems. We have constructed our database using studies with a global scope and carried out our analysis through a logistic regression approach.

Results

The probability of occurrence of Acaulosporacae increased in acidic environments and soils with high bulk density. By contrast, a key factor that affected probability of occurrence of Gigasporaceae was precipitation.

Conclusions

Through the analysis of an unprecedentedly large amount of data we could infer that niche processes mediate occurrence of a group of fungi at scales broader than the local scale of the individual studies gathered in the analysed dataset. Knowledge of well-supported niche features could enhance discovery of new taxa of AM fungi, and would facilitate development of study designs with greater ecological realism.

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Acknowledgements

TC was supported by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. We thank Dr Jeff Powell and Dr Federico Luebert for comments on an earlier version of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Altensteinstr. 6, 14195, Berlin, Germany

    Stavros D. Veresoglou, Tancredi Caruso & Matthias C. Rillig

Authors
  1. Stavros D. Veresoglou
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  2. Tancredi Caruso
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  3. Matthias C. Rillig
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stavros D. Veresoglou.

Additional information

Responsible Editor: Duncan D. Cameron.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Esm 1

Sensitivity analysis and predictive models for Gigasporaceae and Acaulosporaceae (DOC 216 kb)

Esm 2

List of articles included in the database and their corresponding study codes. (PDF 89 kb)

Esm 3

Raw data used for the model construction (PDF 92 kb)

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Veresoglou, S.D., Caruso, T. & Rillig, M.C. Modelling the environmental and soil factors that shape the niches of two common arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal families. Plant Soil 368, 507–518 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-012-1531-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-012-1531-x

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