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Toward harnessing biodiversity-ecosystem function relationships in fungi
Kadri Runnel1, Leho Tedersoo2, Franz-Sebastian Krah3
1Goethe University Frankfurt, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; University of Tartu, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, 50409 Tartu, Estonia.
Fungal diversity significantly impacts ecosystem functions like plant growth and carbon storage. Community composition is often a better predictor than species richness for these vital ecological roles.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Mycology
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Fungi are essential for terrestrial ecosystems.
- The precise impact of fungal diversity on ecosystem functions is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize existing knowledge on fungal biodiversity and ecosystem function (BEF) relationships.
- To investigate BEF relationships concerning plant biomass, carbon storage, decomposition, and resistance to pathogens/parasites.
Main Methods:
- Literature synthesis of fungal BEF studies.
- Analysis of relationships between fungal diversity metrics and ecosystem functions.
Main Results:
- Fungal BEF relationships vary in strength and direction, making generalizations difficult.
- Simultaneous consideration of multiple ecosystem functions often reveals strong positive relationships.
- Fungal community composition frequently predicts ecosystem functions more effectively than species richness.
Conclusions:
- Future research should focus on natural communities and multiple fungal guilds across scales.
- Integrating community assembly concepts is recommended for comprehensive fungal BEF research.
- A conceptual framework and hypotheses are proposed for future studies.
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