2003/05/06 by M.F. Allen, Michael F. Allen, William A. Swenson +7 · 310 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Environmental Science · #Biodiversity #Biology #Computational biology #Ecology #Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies #Ecosystem #Evolutionary biology #Function (biology) #Functional diversity #Genetics #Metacommunity #Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions #Nestedness #Plant and animal studies #Symbiosis
paper · doi:10.1146/annurev.phyto.41.052002.095518
published in Annual Review of Phytopathology 41(1), 271-303 (Annual Reviews)
openalex publication_date 2003/05/06 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/25
Mycorrhizae regulate elemental and energy flows in terrestrial ecosystems. We understand much of how mycorrhizae work, but integrating all possible mechanisms into a whole has proven elusive. Multiple evolutionary events and the long evolutionary history mean that different plants and fungi bring independent characteristics to the symbiosis. This variety results in extensive physiological variation. How do we integrate functional responses with diversity to understand the role of mycorrhizae in ecosystems? We review ecophysiological mechanisms of mycorrhizae and organize these into functional groups. Species-area relationships are not curvilinear, but resemble the "broken stick" model. We coupled functional groups with a metacommunity analysis to show how complex behavior can be generated using a simple matrix model of resource exchange. This approach provides insights into how we might integrate diversity and function across landscapes.