What are mycorrhizal traits?

Research output: Journal contributionsComments / Debate / ReportsResearch

Authors

  • V. Bala Chaudhary
  • E. Penelope Holland
  • Suw Charman-Anderson
  • Aidee Guzman
  • Lukas Bell-Dereske
  • Tanya E. Cheeke
  • Adriana Corrales
  • Jessica Duchicela
  • Cameron Egan
  • Manju M. Gupta
  • S. Emilia Hannula
  • Rachel Hestrin
  • Shabana Hoosein
  • Amit Kumar
  • Genet Mhretu
  • Lena Neuenkamp
  • Pushpa Soti
  • Yichun Xie
  • Thorunn Helgason

Traits are inherent properties of organisms, but how are they defined for organismal networks such as mycorrhizal symbioses? Mycorrhizal symbioses are complex and diverse belowground symbioses between plants and fungi that have proved challenging to fit into a unified and coherent trait framework. We propose an inclusive mycorrhizal trait framework that classifies traits as morphological, physiological, and phenological features that have functional implications for the symbiosis. We further classify mycorrhizal traits by location – plant, fungus, or the symbiosis – which highlights new questions in trait-based mycorrhizal ecology designed to charge and challenge the scientific community. This new framework is an opportunity for researchers to interrogate their data to identify novel insights and gaps in our understanding of mycorrhizal symbioses.

Original languageEnglish
JournalTrends in Ecology and Evolution
Volume37
Issue number7
Pages (from-to)573-581
Number of pages9
ISSN0169-5347
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.07.2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Elsevier Ltd

    Research areas

  • community ecology, ecosystem function, fungal traits, mycorrhizas, plant traits, symbiosis
  • Biology