Site-Specific Nutrient Data Reveal the Importance of Soils in Driving the Mycorrhizal Make-Up of Woody Vegetation Worldwide

Xiaobin Hua; Christopher H. Lusk; Ian A. Dickie; Stephen Adu-Bredu; Kathryn J. Allen; Viviana Araus; Laurent Augusto; Pavel Barsukov; David Bauman; Félix Brédoire; David F.R.P. Burslem; James W. Dalling; Leen Depauw; Kyle G. Dexter; Thomas Drouet; John L. Godlee; Roberto Godoy; Rodrigo A. Gutiérrez; Jonathan Ilunga Muledi; Arnaud Jacobs; Robert Kooyman; Claudio Latorre; Jesús López Angulo; Sébastien Macé; Sybryn L. Maes; Francisco Maiato Pedro Gonçalves; Ben Hur Marimon Junior; Manuel Nicolas; Reuben Nilus; Michael O'Brien; Imma Oliveras Menor; Frida I. Piper; Jennifer Read; Glen Reynolds; Alfredo Saldaña; Beatriz Schwantes Marimon; Kris Verheyen; Mark Westoby; Benjamin Wigley; Ian J. Wright

doi:10.1111/geb.13936

Site-Specific Nutrient Data Reveal the Importance of Soils in Driving the Mycorrhizal Make-Up of Woody Vegetation Worldwide

Xiaobin Hua^*
, Christopher H. Lusk
, Ian A. Dickie
, Stephen Adu-Bredu
, Kathryn J. Allen
, Viviana Araus
, Laurent Augusto
, Pavel Barsukov
, David Bauman
, Félix Brédoire
, David F.R.P. Burslem
, James W. Dalling
, Leen Depauw
, Kyle G. Dexter
, Thomas Drouet
, John L. Godlee
, Roberto Godoy
, Rodrigo A. Gutiérrez
, Jonathan Ilunga Muledi
, Arnaud Jacobs

Robert Kooyman, Claudio Latorre, Jesús López Angulo, Sébastien Macé, Sybryn L. Maes, Francisco Maiato Pedro Gonçalves, Ben Hur Marimon Junior, Manuel Nicolas, Reuben Nilus, Michael O'Brien, Imma Oliveras Menor, Frida I. Piper, Jennifer Read, Glen Reynolds, Alfredo Saldaña, Beatriz Schwantes Marimon, Kris Verheyen, Mark Westoby, Benjamin Wigley, Ian J. Wright

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Aim: Arbuscular mycorrhizas (AM) and ectomycorrhizas (ECM) have different impacts on nutrient cycling, carbon storage, community dynamics and enhancement of photosynthesis by rising CO₂. Recent global analyses have concluded that patterns of AM/ECM dominance in forests worldwide are shaped by climate, with soil nutrients contributing negligible additional explanatory power. However, their reliance on nutrient data from GIS surfaces masks important local influences of parent material, topography and soil age on soil nutrient status. We asked if use of site-specific nutrient data reveals a more important role for nutrients.

Time Period: Present day.

Location: Global dataset comprising 703 sites, encompassing forests, savanna/woodlands, shrublands and deserts on all continents except Antarctica.

Taxa Studied: Arborescent plants, including angiosperms, gymnosperms and tree ferns.

Methods: Generalised Additive Models for Location, Scale and Shape (GAMLSS) to determine the effects of climate variables, soil nitrogen and soil phosphorus on the proportional representation of ECM and of non-mycorrhizal species (NM) in woody vegetation.

Results: GAMLSS showed a strong negative relationship of ECM representation with mean annual temperature (MAT), and a strong negative relationship with soil total nitrogen. NM representation was highest on dry sites and phosphorus-poor sites. Reanalysis showed that GIS-derived soil nutrient data had less explanatory power than site-specific nutrient data, and resulted in poorer model fits.

Conclusions: Our results support the long-held belief that soil nutrients as well as climate influence the relative fitness of different mycorrhizal syndromes worldwide, and demonstrate the value of using site-specific nutrient data. Soil nutrients should be considered when predicting the impact of climate change on the mycorrhizal composition of vegetation and resulting shifts in ecosystem processes.

Original language	English
Article number	e13936
Number of pages	13
Journal	Global Ecology and Biogeography
Volume	34
Issue number	1
Early online date	13 Dec 2024
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13936
Publication status	Published - Jan 2025

Bibliographical note

We thank The Royal Society of New Zealand for funding through Marsden grant 20-UOW-041 to CHL and IAD, and the referees for their constructive comments. Fifty-seven Chinese sites were provided by National Ecosystem Science Data Centre, National Science & Technology Infrastructure of China (http://www.nesdc.org.cn). Another 45 sites from five European countries were extracted from the ICP Forests database (level 1). The evaluation was based on data that was collected by partners of the official UNECE ICP Forests Network (http://icp-forests.net/contributors).

Data Availability Statement

Our data set is available at figshare: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.27184413.v1. Our R code is also available at figshare: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.27184338.v1.

Funding

Funding: This work was supported by The Royal Society of New Zealand, Marsden 20-UOW-041. Part of the data collection was co-financed by the European Commission (Data accessed on 15/06/2022). Data collection in Angola and Democratic Republic of Congo was funded by NERC grants NE/T01279X/1 and NE/P008755/1, and by National Geographic Society Grant EC-51464R-18.

Funders	Funder number
Natural Environment Research Council	NE/T01279X/1, NE/P008755/1
European Commission	15/06/2022
National Geographic Society	EC‐51464R‐18
Royal Society Te Apārangi	20‐UOW‐041

Keywords

aridity
ectomycorrhiza
non-mycorrhizal plants
soil nitrogen
soil phosphorus
temperature

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1111/geb.13936

Cite this

Hua, X., Lusk, C. H., Dickie, I. A., Adu-Bredu, S., Allen, K. J., Araus, V., Augusto, L., Barsukov, P., Bauman, D., Brédoire, F., Burslem, D. F. R. P., Dalling, J. W., Depauw, L., Dexter, K. G., Drouet, T., Godlee, J. L., Godoy, R., Gutiérrez, R. A., Muledi, J. I., ... Wright, I. J. (2025). Site-Specific Nutrient Data Reveal the Importance of Soils in Driving the Mycorrhizal Make-Up of Woody Vegetation Worldwide. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 34(1), Article e13936. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13936

Hua, X, Lusk, CH, Dickie, IA, Adu-Bredu, S, Allen, KJ, Araus, V, Augusto, L, Barsukov, P, Bauman, D, Brédoire, F, Burslem, DFRP, Dalling, JW, Depauw, L, Dexter, KG, Drouet, T, Godlee, JL, Godoy, R, Gutiérrez, RA, Muledi, JI, Jacobs, A, Kooyman, R, Latorre, C, Angulo, JL, Macé, S, Maes, SL, Gonçalves, FMP, Junior, BHM, Nicolas, M, Nilus, R, O'Brien, M, Menor, IO, Piper, FI, Read, J, Reynolds, G, Saldaña, A, Marimon, BS, Verheyen, K, Westoby, M, Wigley, B & Wright, IJ 2025, 'Site-Specific Nutrient Data Reveal the Importance of Soils in Driving the Mycorrhizal Make-Up of Woody Vegetation Worldwide', Global Ecology and Biogeography, vol. 34, no. 1, e13936. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13936

@article{a76172552497420faf8466b9326e9729,

title = "Site-Specific Nutrient Data Reveal the Importance of Soils in Driving the Mycorrhizal Make-Up of Woody Vegetation Worldwide",

abstract = "Aim: Arbuscular mycorrhizas (AM) and ectomycorrhizas (ECM) have different impacts on nutrient cycling, carbon storage, community dynamics and enhancement of photosynthesis by rising CO2. Recent global analyses have concluded that patterns of AM/ECM dominance in forests worldwide are shaped by climate, with soil nutrients contributing negligible additional explanatory power. However, their reliance on nutrient data from GIS surfaces masks important local influences of parent material, topography and soil age on soil nutrient status. We asked if use of site-specific nutrient data reveals a more important role for nutrients. Time Period: Present day. Location: Global dataset comprising 703 sites, encompassing forests, savanna/woodlands, shrublands and deserts on all continents except Antarctica. Taxa Studied: Arborescent plants, including angiosperms, gymnosperms and tree ferns. Methods: Generalised Additive Models for Location, Scale and Shape (GAMLSS) to determine the effects of climate variables, soil nitrogen and soil phosphorus on the proportional representation of ECM and of non-mycorrhizal species (NM) in woody vegetation. Results: GAMLSS showed a strong negative relationship of ECM representation with mean annual temperature (MAT), and a strong negative relationship with soil total nitrogen. NM representation was highest on dry sites and phosphorus-poor sites. Reanalysis showed that GIS-derived soil nutrient data had less explanatory power than site-specific nutrient data, and resulted in poorer model fits. Conclusions: Our results support the long-held belief that soil nutrients as well as climate influence the relative fitness of different mycorrhizal syndromes worldwide, and demonstrate the value of using site-specific nutrient data. Soil nutrients should be considered when predicting the impact of climate change on the mycorrhizal composition of vegetation and resulting shifts in ecosystem processes.",

keywords = "aridity, ectomycorrhiza, non-mycorrhizal plants, soil nitrogen, soil phosphorus, temperature",

author = "Xiaobin Hua and Lusk, \{Christopher H.\} and Dickie, \{Ian A.\} and Stephen Adu-Bredu and Allen, \{Kathryn J.\} and Viviana Araus and Laurent Augusto and Pavel Barsukov and David Bauman and F{\'e}lix Br{\'e}doire and Burslem, \{David F.R.P.\} and Dalling, \{James W.\} and Leen Depauw and Dexter, \{Kyle G.\} and Thomas Drouet and Godlee, \{John L.\} and Roberto Godoy and Guti{\'e}rrez, \{Rodrigo A.\} and Muledi, \{Jonathan Ilunga\} and Arnaud Jacobs and Robert Kooyman and Claudio Latorre and Angulo, \{Jes{\'u}s L{\'o}pez\} and S{\'e}bastien Mac{\'e} and Maes, \{Sybryn L.\} and Gon{\c c}alves, \{Francisco Maiato Pedro\} and Junior, \{Ben Hur Marimon\} and Manuel Nicolas and Reuben Nilus and Michael O'Brien and Menor, \{Imma Oliveras\} and Piper, \{Frida I.\} and Jennifer Read and Glen Reynolds and Alfredo Salda{\~n}a and Marimon, \{Beatriz Schwantes\} and Kris Verheyen and Mark Westoby and Benjamin Wigley and Wright, \{Ian J.\}",

note = "We thank The Royal Society of New Zealand for funding through Marsden grant 20-UOW-041 to CHL and IAD, and the referees for their constructive comments. Fifty-seven Chinese sites were provided by National Ecosystem Science Data Centre, National Science \& Technology Infrastructure of China (http://www.nesdc.org.cn). Another 45 sites from five European countries were extracted from the ICP Forests database (level 1). The evaluation was based on data that was collected by partners of the official UNECE ICP Forests Network (http://icp-forests.net/contributors). ",

year = "2025",

month = jan,

doi = "10.1111/geb.13936",

language = "English",

volume = "34",

journal = "Global Ecology and Biogeography",

issn = "1466-822X",

publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell",

number = "1",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Site-Specific Nutrient Data Reveal the Importance of Soils in Driving the Mycorrhizal Make-Up of Woody Vegetation Worldwide

AU - Hua, Xiaobin

AU - Lusk, Christopher H.

AU - Dickie, Ian A.

AU - Adu-Bredu, Stephen

AU - Allen, Kathryn J.

AU - Araus, Viviana

AU - Augusto, Laurent

AU - Barsukov, Pavel

AU - Bauman, David

AU - Brédoire, Félix

AU - Burslem, David F.R.P.

AU - Dalling, James W.

AU - Depauw, Leen

AU - Dexter, Kyle G.

AU - Drouet, Thomas

AU - Godlee, John L.

AU - Godoy, Roberto

AU - Gutiérrez, Rodrigo A.

AU - Muledi, Jonathan Ilunga

AU - Jacobs, Arnaud

AU - Kooyman, Robert

AU - Latorre, Claudio

AU - Angulo, Jesús López

AU - Macé, Sébastien

AU - Maes, Sybryn L.

AU - Gonçalves, Francisco Maiato Pedro

AU - Junior, Ben Hur Marimon

AU - Nicolas, Manuel

AU - Nilus, Reuben

AU - O'Brien, Michael

AU - Menor, Imma Oliveras

AU - Piper, Frida I.

AU - Read, Jennifer

AU - Reynolds, Glen

AU - Saldaña, Alfredo

AU - Marimon, Beatriz Schwantes

AU - Verheyen, Kris

AU - Westoby, Mark

AU - Wigley, Benjamin

AU - Wright, Ian J.

N1 - We thank The Royal Society of New Zealand for funding through Marsden grant 20-UOW-041 to CHL and IAD, and the referees for their constructive comments. Fifty-seven Chinese sites were provided by National Ecosystem Science Data Centre, National Science & Technology Infrastructure of China (http://www.nesdc.org.cn). Another 45 sites from five European countries were extracted from the ICP Forests database (level 1). The evaluation was based on data that was collected by partners of the official UNECE ICP Forests Network (http://icp-forests.net/contributors).

PY - 2025/1

Y1 - 2025/1

N2 - Aim: Arbuscular mycorrhizas (AM) and ectomycorrhizas (ECM) have different impacts on nutrient cycling, carbon storage, community dynamics and enhancement of photosynthesis by rising CO2. Recent global analyses have concluded that patterns of AM/ECM dominance in forests worldwide are shaped by climate, with soil nutrients contributing negligible additional explanatory power. However, their reliance on nutrient data from GIS surfaces masks important local influences of parent material, topography and soil age on soil nutrient status. We asked if use of site-specific nutrient data reveals a more important role for nutrients. Time Period: Present day. Location: Global dataset comprising 703 sites, encompassing forests, savanna/woodlands, shrublands and deserts on all continents except Antarctica. Taxa Studied: Arborescent plants, including angiosperms, gymnosperms and tree ferns. Methods: Generalised Additive Models for Location, Scale and Shape (GAMLSS) to determine the effects of climate variables, soil nitrogen and soil phosphorus on the proportional representation of ECM and of non-mycorrhizal species (NM) in woody vegetation. Results: GAMLSS showed a strong negative relationship of ECM representation with mean annual temperature (MAT), and a strong negative relationship with soil total nitrogen. NM representation was highest on dry sites and phosphorus-poor sites. Reanalysis showed that GIS-derived soil nutrient data had less explanatory power than site-specific nutrient data, and resulted in poorer model fits. Conclusions: Our results support the long-held belief that soil nutrients as well as climate influence the relative fitness of different mycorrhizal syndromes worldwide, and demonstrate the value of using site-specific nutrient data. Soil nutrients should be considered when predicting the impact of climate change on the mycorrhizal composition of vegetation and resulting shifts in ecosystem processes.

AB - Aim: Arbuscular mycorrhizas (AM) and ectomycorrhizas (ECM) have different impacts on nutrient cycling, carbon storage, community dynamics and enhancement of photosynthesis by rising CO2. Recent global analyses have concluded that patterns of AM/ECM dominance in forests worldwide are shaped by climate, with soil nutrients contributing negligible additional explanatory power. However, their reliance on nutrient data from GIS surfaces masks important local influences of parent material, topography and soil age on soil nutrient status. We asked if use of site-specific nutrient data reveals a more important role for nutrients. Time Period: Present day. Location: Global dataset comprising 703 sites, encompassing forests, savanna/woodlands, shrublands and deserts on all continents except Antarctica. Taxa Studied: Arborescent plants, including angiosperms, gymnosperms and tree ferns. Methods: Generalised Additive Models for Location, Scale and Shape (GAMLSS) to determine the effects of climate variables, soil nitrogen and soil phosphorus on the proportional representation of ECM and of non-mycorrhizal species (NM) in woody vegetation. Results: GAMLSS showed a strong negative relationship of ECM representation with mean annual temperature (MAT), and a strong negative relationship with soil total nitrogen. NM representation was highest on dry sites and phosphorus-poor sites. Reanalysis showed that GIS-derived soil nutrient data had less explanatory power than site-specific nutrient data, and resulted in poorer model fits. Conclusions: Our results support the long-held belief that soil nutrients as well as climate influence the relative fitness of different mycorrhizal syndromes worldwide, and demonstrate the value of using site-specific nutrient data. Soil nutrients should be considered when predicting the impact of climate change on the mycorrhizal composition of vegetation and resulting shifts in ecosystem processes.

KW - aridity

KW - ectomycorrhiza

KW - non-mycorrhizal plants

KW - soil nitrogen

KW - soil phosphorus

KW - temperature

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85212066382

U2 - 10.1111/geb.13936

DO - 10.1111/geb.13936

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85212066382

SN - 1466-822X

VL - 34

JO - Global Ecology and Biogeography

JF - Global Ecology and Biogeography

IS - 1

M1 - e13936

ER -

Site-Specific Nutrient Data Reveal the Importance of Soils in Driving the Mycorrhizal Make-Up of Woody Vegetation Worldwide

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Data Availability Statement

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

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