As the Arctic warms at record speed, scientists are investigating how environmental changes affect the underground web of microbes and fungi that form crucial partnerships with Arctic plants.
A new study examined thousands of soil and root samples across the Arctic to explore how plants and fungi interact under different environmental conditions.
Because fungi help plants access nutrients and shape soil conditions, shifts in these relationships can ripple through whole ecosystems.
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The findings show that environmental conditions, such as local temperature and soil acidity, are the main drivers that determine which fungal species are present around a plant’s roots, while the identity of the plant itself plays a much smaller role.
Arctic fungi appear to form opportunistic partnerships with whatever plant hosts are available, rather than maintaining exclusive relationships. This flexibility may help both plants and fungi cope with rapid environmental change. These results point to a high degree of adaptability among Arctic plants and fungi, which may be an encouraging sign for ecosystem resilience in a rapidly changing climate.
Read the article: Opportunistic partner choice among arctic plants and root-associated fungi is driven by environmental conditions
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