Synergies between mycorrhizal fungi and soil microbial communities increase plant nitrogen acquisition

Hestrin, Rachel; Hammer, Edith C.; Mueller, Carsten W.; Lehmann, Johannes

doi:10.1038/s42003-019-0481-8

Synergies between mycorrhizal fungi and soil microbial communities increase plant nitrogen acquisition

Journal Article · Fri Jun 21 00:00:00 EDT 2019 · Communications Biology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-019-0481-8· OSTI ID:1624532

^[1]; Hammer, Edith C. ^[2]; ^[3]; ^[4]

Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States). Soil and Crop Sciences, School of Integrative Plant Science; DOE/OSTI
Lund Univ. (Sweden). Department of Biology
Lehrstuhl für Bodenkunde, TU München, Freising-Weihenstephan (Germany)
Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States). Soil and Crop Sciences, School of Integrative Plant Science; Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States). Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future; Institute for Advanced Studies, TU München, 85748, Garching (Germany)

Nitrogen availability often restricts primary productivity in terrestrial ecosystems. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are ubiquitous symbionts of terrestrial plants and can improve plant nitrogen acquisition, but have a limited ability to access organic nitrogen. Although other soil biota mineralize organic nitrogen into bioavailable forms, they may simultaneously compete for nitrogen, with unknown consequences for plant nutrition. Here, we show that synergies between the mycorrhizal fungus Rhizophagus irregularis and soil microbial communities have a highly non-additive effect on nitrogen acquisition by the model grass Brachypodium distachyon. These multipartite microbial synergies result in a doubling of the nitrogen that mycorrhizal plants acquire from organic matter and a tenfold increase in nitrogen acquisition compared to non-mycorrhizal plants grown in the absence of soil microbial communities. This previously unquantified multipartite relationship may contribute to more than 70 Tg of annually assimilated plant nitrogen, thereby playing a critical role in global nutrient cycling and ecosystem function.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC)

Grant/Contract Number:: FC02-07ER64494; SC0018409

OSTI ID:: 1624532

Journal Information:: Communications Biology, Journal Name: Communications Biology Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 2; ISSN 2399-3642

Publisher:: Springer NatureCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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