Summary
This meta-analysis of 1100 paired observations across 181 plant species demonstrates that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi significantly ameliorate plant responses to major global change factors. AMF-inoculated plants showed substantially improved performance under drought stress, whilst nitrogen addition and elevated CO₂ enhanced AM plants but not non-inoculated controls. The findings underscore the functional importance of AMF symbiosis in supporting plant resilience to multiple simultaneous environmental stressors.
UK applicability
These findings are broadly relevant to UK agriculture and horticulture, particularly as drought frequency increases and nitrogen management faces regulatory scrutiny. However, the meta-analysis synthesises global datasets across diverse climates and crop types; UK-specific field trials would be needed to quantify AMF benefits under typical British soil and weather conditions.
Key measures
Plant performance (growth, biomass, or survival) under drought, warming, nitrogen addition, and elevated CO₂, stratified by AMF inoculation status
Outcomes reported
The study quantified how arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) inoculation affects plant performance across four global change factors: drought, warming, nitrogen addition, and elevated CO₂. Performance metrics were synthesised across 1100 paired observations from 181 plant species to assess AMF-mediated responses.
Topic tags
Dig deeper with Pulse AI.
Pulse AI has read the whole catalogue. Ask about this record, its theme, or how the findings apply to UK farming and policy — every answer cites the underlying studies.