Arbuscular mycorrhizal diversity sustains plant performance under
multiple global changes with varying impacts on soil functions
Abstract
High biodiversity can mitigate the negative impacts of global change
factors (GCFs) on differing ecosystem functions captured in
multifunctionality. However, multiple GCFs occurring simultaneously may
diminish the positive effects of high biodiversity on
multifunctionality. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play a crucial
role in determining ecosystem functionality, yet it remains unclear
whether AMF alleviate the negative impact of multiple GCFs on ecosystem
multifunctionality. In this study, we conducted a microcosm experiment
to explore the role of AMF in maintaining ecosystem multifunctionality
under multiple GCFs. We found that ecosystem multifunctionality under
high AMF diversity was greater than under low AMF diversity under
multiple GCFs. Notably, AMF diversity significantly improved plant
growth simultaneously. While AMF inoculation significantly influenced
soil functions, the diversity of AMF showed limited effect on soil
functions. Our findings emphasize the importance of conserving AMF
diversity to maintain ecosystem functionality.