Soil fungal communities in distinct vegetation types of Padjelanta National park

We studied soils of historical grazing fields and surrounding vegetation, collectively forming a system of gradients from grasslands (AM) to either heathland (ErM) or forest (ECM) in the boreo-alpine ecotone. Comparisons of historical photographs have documented that although rather stable, some of these grasslands are slowly being colonized by the surrounding vegetation from the edges. The high degree of stability of these systems are likely due to strong positive plant-soil interactions in all the vegetation types, including the historical grazing fields. Thus, this is a unique system to study above-belowground interactions across a landscape-level mosaic of ecosystems dominated by,and transitioning between, different mycorrhizal types, without other confounding effects such as climate.

本研究针对北方高山交错带（boreo-alpine ecotone）内的历史放牧草地及其周边植被开展调查，二者共同构成了一条从以丛枝菌根（Arbuscular Mycorrhiza, AM）为特征的草地，向以欧石楠菌根（Ericoid Mycorrhiza, ErM）为特征的欧石楠灌丛，或以外生菌根（Ectomycorrhiza, ECM）为特征的森林过渡的梯度生态系统。通过历史照片对比分析证实，尽管该系统整体稳定性较强，但部分此类草地正缓慢被周边植被从边缘处逐步定植入侵。该系统的高度稳定性大概率源于所有植被类型（包括历史放牧草地）中存在的强烈正向植物-土壤互作效应。因此，该系统为研究不同菌根类型主导且相互演替的景观尺度生态系统镶嵌体中的地上-地下互作提供了独特的研究载体，且不受气候等其他混杂因素的干扰。