Ectomycorrhizal fungi and root water uptake respond independently to water availability

Temperate forests on their warm and dry distribution limits are expected to be most vulnerable to reductions in water availability. This prediction is mostly based on studies assessing single forest functions, mainly growth. Water and nutrient cycling are functions that rely on tree roots and their symbiotic association with ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi. Trees can compensate for seasonal reductions in water availability by shifting root water-uptake (RWU) towards deeper soil layers, but ECM fungi mostly dwell in the topsoil, thus suffering from desiccation and compromising nutrient uptake. We hypothesised that drier sites should depict larger seasonal shifts in RWU, but at the expense of lower ECM fungal diversity and colonization of fine roots by ECM fungi. We selected three beech (Fagus sylvatica) forests in their warm distribution limit with contrasting geographic locations and mean annual precipitation: northern Atlantic (2500mm), intermediate transitional (1150mm), and southern Medi..., , # Data from: Ectomycorrhizal fungi and root water uptake respond independently to water availability

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.0gb5mkmdg](10.5061/dryad.0gb5mkmdg)

## Description of the data and file structure

This dataset includes ten datafiles and one script used in this publication:

Title: Ectomycorrhizal fungi and root water uptake respond independently to water availability

Authors list: Asun Rodríguez-Uña, David Moreno-Mateos, Silvia Matesanz, Lisa Wingate, Adrià Barbeta, Javier Porras-Gómez , Teresa E. Gimeno

Accepted for publication in Oikos on the 28th June 2025

Corresponding author: Asun Rodríguez-Uña ([[e-mail]](mailto:[e-mail]), [[e-mail]](mailto:[e-mail]))

Data corresponds to soil, stem and root samples collected in spring (wet) and summer (dry) from three beech forests in their warm distribution limit with contrasting geographic locations and mean annual precipitation. Data analyses enable to (1) quantify fine-root density...,