Climate change distances trees from the soil fungi that sustain them

He climate change is causing the trees They may gradually move because their historic habitats become inhospitable, but that movement will have a negative effect, as they may be moving into soils that lack the necessary fungal life.

A study published today by PNAS and led by the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN) focuses on North America to analyze the movement of trees towards new areas that could support them better and that occurs more slowly than other plants or animals.

Most plants form underground symbioses with mycorrhizal fungi, which connect with roots to supply essential nutrients in exchange for carbon. Most large conifers of northern latitudes establish ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) relationships.

Trees, especially those in the far north, may be moving into soils that lack the fungal life needed to support them, researchers say.

Climate change will negatively affect the 35% of associations between trees and HEM by reducing their shared habitat conditions, according to Michael Van Nuland of SPUN and lead author of the study.

The study also found that delayed tree migration is linked to lower HEM diversity, indicating that symbiotic imbalance is a challenge facing tree species responses to climate change.

The species most exposed to this climate imbalance in North America is the pine family and the areas of greatest concern are the edges of the species’ ranges, where trees often face the harshest conditions.

Trees with a higher survival rate in these places have more diverse mycorrhizal fungi, a sign that these symbioses may be essential in helping trees resist the effects of climate change.

The study sheds light on how climate change could be affecting symbioses, and while the authors expect climate-driven migrations to be limited by abiotic factors, such as the availability of space at higher latitudes and elevations, they are not typically taken into account. account for biotic constraints such as the availability of symbiotic partners.

“It is absolutely vital that we continue working to understand how climate change affects mycorrhizal symbioses,” Well, these relationships -Van Nuland highlighted. “They support all life on Earth: it is essential that we understand and protect them.”

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