Dilution of specialist pathogens drives productivity benefits from diversity in plant mixtures.

Productivity benefits from diversity can arise when compatible pathogen hosts are buffered by unrelated neighbors, diluting pathogen impacts. However, the generality of pathogen dilution has been controversial and rarely tested within biodiversity manipulations. Here, we test whether soil pathogen dilution generates diversity- productivity relationships using a field biodiversity-manipulation experiment, greenhouse assays, and feedback modeling.

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Taxa Show Variable Patterns of Micro-Scale Dispersal in Prairie Restorations.

Human land use disturbance is a major contributor to the loss of natural plant communities, and this is particularly true in areas used for agriculture, such as the Midwestern tallgrass prairies of the United States. Previous work has shown that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) additions can increase native plant survival and success in plant community restorations, but the dispersal of AMF in these systems is poorly understood. In this study, we examined the dispersal of AMF taxa inoculated into four tallgrass prairie restorations.

Celebrating INVAM: 35 years of the largest living culture collection of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.

The International Culture Collection of (Vesicular-) Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi-INVAM-the largest living culture collection of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) celebrated its 35th year in 2020. The authors record here the mission and goals of INVAM, its contribution as a living culture collection, some historical aspects of INVAM, and describe the advances in mycorrhizology and AMF systematics after INVAM moved to West Virginia University. This commentary emphasizes the importance of a living culture collection to preserve germplasm and to educate and assist researchers in mycorrhizal science.

Symbionts as Filters of Plant Colonization of Islands: Tests of Expected Patterns and Environmental Consequences in the Galapagos.

The establishments of new organisms that arrive naturally or with anthropogenic assistance depend primarily on local conditions, including biotic interactions. We hypothesized that plants that rely on fungal symbionts are less likely to successfully colonize remote environments such as oceanic islands, and this can shape subsequent island ecology. We analyzed the mycorrhizal status of Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos flora compared with the mainland Ecuador flora of origin.

Non-native plants and soil microbes: potential contributors to the consistent reduction in soil aggregate stability caused by the disturbance of North American grasslands.

• Soil aggregate stability is an important ecosystem property that is altered by anthropogenic disturbance. Yet, the generalization of these alterations and the identification of the main contributors are limited by the absence of cross-site comparisons and the application of inconsistent methodologies across regions. • We assessed aggregate stability in paired remnant and post-disturbance grasslands across California, shortgrass and tallgrass prairies, and in manipulative experiments of plant composition and soil microbial inoculation.