A pulse of summer precipitation after the dry season triggers changes in ectomycorrhizal formation, diversity, and community composition in a Mediterranean forest in California, USA.

ABSTRACT: Rapid responses of microbial biomass and community composition following a precipitation event have been reported for soil bacteria and fungi, but measurements characterizing ectomycorrhizal fungi remain limited. The response of ectomycorrhizal fungi after a precipitation event is crucial to understanding biogeochemical cycles and plant nutrition. Here, we examined changes in ectomycorrhizal formation, diversity, and community composition at the end of a summer drought and following precipitation events in a conifer-oak mixed forest under a semiarid, Mediterranean-type climate in CA, USA. To study the effects of different amounts of precipitation, a water addition treatment was also undertaken. Ectomycorrhizal fungal diversity and community composition changed within 6 days following preci

SUBMITTER: Taniguchi T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6182365 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature