Root causes of below‐ground processes: Tree mycorrhizal associations outweigh tree richness
Caitlin N. Barnes·Stephanie N. Kivlin·Joseph K. Bailey·J. W. Parker·Joseph D. Edwards·R. S. Phillips·Grace Schilling·Jamie Pullen·Dylan Valet·Melissa McCormick·Songlin Fei·James A. Fordyce
Abstract Despite decades of research, the associations between plants and their mycorrhizal fungi remain poorly understood. In ecosystems with a mix of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) and ectomycorrhizal (EM)‐associated trees, tree species richness and tree mycorrhizal association may shape mycorrhizal fungal communities and below‐ground processes. Utilizing a long‐term biodiversity–ecosystem function experiment at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC), we investigated how tree specie