Record ID No. |
5274 |
Author(s) |
Swaty R., Michael H M., Deckert R., A. Gehring C. , 2016 |
Affiliation |
The Nature Conservancy's LANDFIRE Team, Wilmette, IL 60091, USA. |
Title |
Mapping the potential mycorrhizal associations of the conterminous United States of America |
Source. Vol.(no):Page |
Fungal Ecology |
Categories |
Mycorrhiza General |
Subjects |
Ecology |
Sub-subjects |
Burning |
Country |
United States of America |
Abstracts |
Mycorrhizal associations are recognized as key symbioses in a changing world, yet our understanding of their geographic distribution and temporal dynamics remains limited. We combined data on mycorrhizal associations and historical dominant vegetation to map the pre-European Settlement mycorrhizal associations of the conterminous United States of America (USA). As a demonstration of the map's utility, we estimated changes in mycorrhizal associations due to urbanization, agriculture and the establishment of non-native species in two regions. We found that the conterminous USA was dominated by vegetation associated with arbuscular mycorrhizas, but that ∼40% of vegetation types included multiple mycorrhizal associations. Shifting land use to agriculture and the introduction of non-native species has disproportionately affected ectomycorrhizas, as did urbanization. These preliminary results set a baseline for mycorrhizal biogeography of the USA and illustrate how synthesis of available data can help us understand the impact of anthropogenic changes on an important mutualism. |