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Mycorrhizal distributions impact global patterns of carbon and nutrient cycling
  • +9
  • Renato K. Braghiere,
  • Joshua Fisher,
  • Rosie A. Fisher,
  • Mingjie Shi,
  • Brian N Steidinger,
  • Benjamin N Sulman,
  • Nadia Soudzilovskaia,
  • Xiaojuan Yang,
  • Jingjing Liang,
  • Kabir G Peay,
  • Thomas W Crowther,
  • Richard P. Phillips
Renato K. Braghiere
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Joshua Fisher
Jet Propulsion Lab, Jet Propulsion Lab
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Rosie A. Fisher
National Center for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), National Center for Atmospheric Research (UCAR)
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Mingjie Shi
Jet Propulsion Lab (NASA), Jet Propulsion Lab (NASA)
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Brian N Steidinger
Stanford University, Stanford University
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Benjamin N Sulman
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
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Nadia Soudzilovskaia
Leiden University, Leiden University
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Xiaojuan Yang
Oak Ridge National Lab, Oak Ridge National Lab
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Jingjing Liang
Purdue University, Purdue University
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Kabir G Peay
Stanford University, Stanford University
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Thomas W Crowther
ETH Zürich, ETH Zürich
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Richard P. Phillips
Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana University Bloomington
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Abstract

Most tree species predominantly associate with a single type of mycorrhizal fungi, which can differentially affect plant nutrient acquisition and biogeochemical cycling. Here, we address for the first time the impact of mycorrhizal distributions on global carbon and nutrient cycling. Using the state-of-the-art carbon-nitrogen economics within the Community Land Model version 5 (CLM5) we found Net Primary Productivity (NPP) increased throughout the 21st century by 20%; however, as soil nitrogen has progressively become limiting, the costs to NPP for nitrogen acquisition — i.e., to mycorrhizae — have increased at a faster rate by 60%. This suggests that nutrient acquisition will increasingly demand a higher portion of assimilated carbon to support the same productivity. Uncertainties in mycorrhizal distributions are non-trivial, however, with uncertainties in NPP by up to 345 Tg C yr-1, depending on which published distribution is used. Remote sensing capabilities for mycorrhizal detection show promise for refining these estimates further.
16 Oct 2021Published in Geophysical Research Letters volume 48 issue 19. 10.1029/2021GL094514