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Plant productivity response to inter- and intra-symbiont diversity: mechanisms, manifestations, and meta-analyses

Cite this dataset

Magnoli, Susan; Bever, James (2023). Plant productivity response to inter- and intra-symbiont diversity: mechanisms, manifestations, and meta-analyses [Dataset]. Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.12jm63z30

Abstract

Symbiont diversity can have large effects on plant growth but the mechanisms generating this relationship remain opaque. We identify three potential mechanisms underlying symbiont diversity-plant productivity relationships: provisioning with complementary resources, differential impact of symbionts of varying quality, and interference between symbionts. We connect these mechanisms to descriptive representations of plant responses to symbiont diversity, develop analytical tests differentiating these patterns, and test them using meta-analysis. We find generally positive symbiont diversity-plant productivity relationships, with relationship strength varying with symbiont type. Inoculation with symbionts from different guilds (e.g. mycorrhizal fungi and rhizobia) yields strongly positive relationships, consistent with complementary benefits from functionally distinct symbionts. In contrast, inoculation with symbionts from the same guild yields weak relationships, with co-inoculation not consistently generating greater growth than the best individual symbiont, consistent with sampling effects. The statistical approaches we outline, along with our conceptual framework, can be used to further explore plant productivity and community responses to symbiont diversity, and we identify critical needs for additional research to explore context-dependency in these relationships.

Funding

National Science Foundation, Award: BII-2120153

National Science Foundation, Award: DBI-2027458

National Science Foundation, Award: OIA-1656006

National Science Foundation, Award: PFI-2016549

United States Department of Agriculture, Award: 2019-67012-29534