尽管丛枝菌根(AM)真菌对干旱下植物性能的积极影响已得到充分证明,AM真菌如何调节土壤功能和多功能性需要进一步研究。在这项研究中,我们首先进行了荟萃分析,以测试AM真菌在干旱下维持土壤功能的潜在作用。然后,我们做了一个温室实验,使用一对菌丝向内生长核心在空间上分离AM真菌菌丝和植物根的生长,研究AM真菌对土壤多功能性及其抗旱性的影响。我们的荟萃分析表明,AM真菌促进多种土壤功能,包括土壤聚集,与养分循环相关的微生物生物量和土壤酶活性。温室实验进一步表明,AM真菌可以减轻干旱对这些土壤功能的负面影响,从而减少多功能性。因此,提高他们对干旱的抵抗力。此外,AM真菌的这种缓冲作用在不同频率的供水和植物物种中持续存在。这些发现强调了AM真菌通过减轻干旱的负面影响在维持多种土壤功能方面的独特作用。我们的研究强调了AM真菌作为在干旱事件加剧的世界中维持多种土壤功能的自然解决方案的重要性。
Although positive effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi on plant performance under drought have been well documented, how AM fungi regulate soil functions and
multifunctionality requires further investigation. In this study, we first performed a meta-analysis to test the potential role of AM fungi in maintaining soil functions under drought. Then, we conducted a greenhouse experiment, using a pair of hyphal ingrowth cores to spatially separate the growth of AM fungal hyphae and plant roots, to further investigate the effects of AM fungi on soil
multifunctionality and its resistance against drought. Our meta-analysis showed that AM fungi promote multiple soil functions, including soil aggregation, microbial biomass and activities of soil enzymes related to nutrient cycling. The greenhouse experiment further demonstrated that AM fungi attenuate the negative impact of drought on these soil functions and thus
multifunctionality, therefore, increasing their resistance against drought. Moreover, this buffering effect of AM fungi persists across different frequencies of water supply and plant species. These findings highlight the unique role of AM fungi in maintaining multiple soil functions by mitigating the negative impact of drought. Our study highlights the importance of AM fungi as a nature-based solution to sustaining multiple soil functions in a world where drought events are intensifying.