Global negative effects of nutrient enrichment on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, plant diversity and ecosystem multifunctionality

Abstract

Despite widespread anthropogenic nutrient enrichment, it remains unclear how nutrient enrichment influences plant–arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) symbiosis and ecosystem multifunctionality at the global scale. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis to examine the worldwide effects of nutrient enrichment on AMF and plant diversity and ecosystem multifunctionality using data of field experiments from 136 papers. Our analyses showed that nutrient addition simultaneously decreased AMF diversity and abundance belowground and plant diversity aboveground at the global scale. The decreases in AMF diversity and abundance associated with nutrient addition were more pronounced with increasing experimental duration, mean annual temperature (MAT) and mean annual precipitation (MAP). Nutrient addition-induced changes in soil pH and available phosphorus (P) predominantly regulated the responses of AMF diversity and abundance. Furthermore, AMF diversity correlated with ecosystem multifunctionality under nutrient addition worldwide. Our findings identify the negative effects of nutrient enrichment on AMF and plant diversity and suggest that AMF diversity is closely linked with ecosystem function. This study offers an important advancement in our understanding of plant–AMF interactions and their likely responses to ongoing global change.