Summary
This controlled microcosm study demonstrates that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) substantially enhance the stability of grassland ecosystems under multiple global change stressors. AMF improved plant productivity and diversity whilst reducing nitrogen losses under both drought and nitrogen enrichment conditions, and critically enabled both resistance during stress and resilience (post-stress recovery) of plant communities and ecosystem functions. The findings underscore AMF's role as an 'insurance' mechanism buffering grassland ecosystems against compounding climate and atmospheric deposition pressures.
UK applicability
These findings are potentially applicable to UK grassland management, particularly given increasing drought frequency and atmospheric nitrogen deposition in British agricultural systems. The results suggest that management practices preserving or restoring AMF communities in grasslands could enhance ecosystem stability, though field validation under UK soil and climate conditions would be needed to determine practical agronomic relevance.
Key measures
Plant productivity, plant diversity, nitrogen cycling efficiency, nitrogen leaching, N₂O emissions, resistance to drought stress, resilience (recovery post-drought), plant community structure recovery
Outcomes reported
The study measured plant productivity, plant diversity, nitrogen cycling, nitrogen leaching, N₂O emissions, and ecosystem resistance and resilience to drought and nitrogen enrichment in grassland microcosms with and without arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF).
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