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Research landscape of experiments on global change effects on mycorrhizas

Summary

Scientists conducted a comprehensive review of research studies examining how mycorrhizal fungi—fungi that help plants grow by living in their roots—respond to environmental changes caused by humans. They analyzed nearly 2,900 studies and found that most research focuses on just one environmental stress at a time, with very little studying how multiple stresses work together. The review identifies important gaps in our knowledge, particularly for emerging environmental threats like microplastics and for certain types of mycorrhizal fungi that haven’t been studied as much.

Background

Mycorrhizal fungi form symbiotic associations with the roots of most plants and have pervasive effects on ecosystems by influencing plant performance, plant communities and soils. Understanding how global environmental change affects these associations is essential for comprehending terrestrial ecosystem responses to anthropogenic factors.

Objective

To systematically map and analyze the research landscape on experimental studies examining global change effects on mycorrhizal fungi, identifying knowledge clusters and gaps across different mycorrhizal types, global change factors, geographic regions and study conditions.

Results

Of 2,884 eligible articles, 76.5% focused on arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, 22.1% on ectomycorrhizal fungi and 1.2% on ericoid mycorrhizal fungi. Most research targeted single global change factors (93.5%), with only 6.5% examining multiple factor combinations. Drought, heavy metals and sodicity were most commonly tested for AM fungi. Geographic analysis revealed major contributions from North America, Europe and Asia, with underrepresentation from Africa, South America and Australia.

Conclusion

Research on mycorrhizal responses to global change is heterogeneously structured with significant knowledge gaps, particularly regarding multiple factor interactions, emerging global change factors like microplastics, ectomycorrhizal and ericoid fungi, and non-Glomeraceae AM fungal species. Future research should prioritize multiple-factor experiments, emerging stressors, underrepresented mycorrhizal types and phylogenetically diverse species.
  • Published in:New Phytologist,
  • Study Type:Systematic Mapping Review,
  • Source: 10.1111/nph.70452, PMID: 41097913
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