DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119509

发表期刊：Journal of Environmental Management

链接：https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119509

作者：Jiqiong Zhou^a1*, Yingying Su^a1, Xiangjun Li^a1, Yakov Kuzyakov^b,c, Pengsen Wang^a, Jinchao Gong^a, Xuxu Li^a, Lin Liu^a, Xinquan Zhang^a, Congyu Ma^a, Xiao Ma^a, Ting Huang^a, Yanfu Bai^a, Feida Sun^a

Abstract

Grassland degradation decreases ecosystem productivity and diminishes soil biodiversity, leading to the loss of beneficial microorganisms. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play a critical role in ecosystem functioning, being a key link between plant and microbial communities, soil, and vegetation. Here, we evaluated the potential of increasing the productivity of degraded grassland by AMF inoculation.

A gradient of soil biodiversity: complete sterilization, low, moderate, and high biodiversity was established using the dilution-to-extinction approach. Grassland microcosms under greenhouse conditions were inoculated with three AMF taxa in an increasing diversity: no AMF, single AMF taxa, and all three AMF taxa together.

The loss of soil biodiversity decreased plant community productivity, primarily due to reduced biomass of legumes and non-N2-fixing forbs. AMF inoculation raised plant community productivity by 190%, mainly attributed to the greater biomass of legumes and non-N2-fixing forbs. This positive effect of AMF inoculation was particularly pronounced on soils with low biodiversity, where soil mutualists were absent. The biomass of grasses remained independent of AMF inoculation. This differential responsiveness to mycorrhiza was mainly due to the distinctive plant traits of each plant functional group. Inoculating with a single AMF was more beneficial for plant biomass production than inoculation with multiple AMF under lower levels of soil biodiversity, probably due to high functional redundancy among AMF taxa.

In conclusion, AMF inoculation reduced the adverse impact of soil degradation and biodiversity loss on plant biomass and vegetation development, highlighting the key roles and importance of AMF for grassland restoration.

Keywords

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, AMF diversity, dilution-to-extinction approach, grassland degradation, soil biodiversity, vegetation productivity