Precipitation shapes communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in Tibetan alpine steppe

• DOI: 10.1038/srep23488
• Publication Date: 2016-03-22T10:12:09Z
• Authors: Jing Zhang; Fang Wang; Rongxiao Che; Ping Wang; Hanke Liu; Baoming Ji; Xiaoyong Cui
• Keywords: Steppe

Abstract Tibetan Plateau is one of the largest and most unique habitats for organisms including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). However, it remains unclear how AMF communities respond to key environmental changes in this harsh environment. To test if precipitation could be a driving force shaping community structures at regional scale, we examined associated with dominant plant species along gradient alpine steppe. Rhizosphere soils were collected from five sites annual decreasing 400 50 mm. A total 31 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) identified. composition varied significantly among sites, whereas did not vary species. Path analysis revealed that directly affected hyphal length density, indirectly influenced richness likely through mediation coverage. Our results suggested water availability drive scale. Given important roles play dynamics communities, exploring gradients would help us better predict ecosystem level responses vegetation future climate change.