Root-associated fungi as determinants of long-term biodiversity effects on ecosystem functioning

Ecosystem functioning, and primary plant production in particular, is positively associated with plant diversity across grassland ecosystems, a relationship that strengthens with time. Root-associated fungi are considered important determinants of biodiversity-productivity relationships, but the actual contribution of pathogens, mutualists, and saprotrophs is not understood. We studied the relationships between diversity and composition of root-associated fungal communities and the plant diversity-productivity relationship over time. We characterized by ITS MiSeq amplicon sequencing the fungal communities associated with roots of plants growing in experimental grassland plots of the delta-BEF experiment in Jena (https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.aecr.2019.06.006), which vary in plant community diversity, composition, and age. This study was aimed at better understanding the role of fungi on the effects of biodiversity on ecosystems function, with importance for predicting the consequences of species losses worldwide and managing ecosystems under changing environmental conditions.