Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi shape the adaptive strategy of plants by mediating nutrient acquisition in a shrub-dominated community in the Mu Us Desert

Aims Whether Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) influence community composition by changing plant adaptation to resource limitation remains unclear. This study examined how AMF affect the biodiversity and functional traits of plant functional groups in a shrub-dominated community in Mu Us Desert. Methods In a field experiment, mycorrhizae were suppressed via benomyl to address how AMF alter the adaptive strategy of plants and community structure in a shrub-dominated community. The relationship between nutrient acquisition and proxies of growth and reproduction of dominant plant functional groups (shrubs and perennial grasses) were determined using a structure equation model. Results The diversity and aboveground biomass of plant functional groups were not affected by benomyl treatment. Shrubs' vegetative biomass responded negatively to AMF owing to the nitrogen (N) limitation induced by phosphorous (P) increase, whereas a positive response in reproduction was related to foliar carbon (C) accumulation for drought tolerance. The abundance and height of perennial grasses varied with AMF, and it was correlated with foliar P and N contents. Conclusions Different local adaptive strategies of shrubs and perennial grasses were associated with AMF through the regulation of plant nutrient acquisition. The link between AMF and plant adaptation highlights a potential mechanism underlying plant community dynamics in the resource-limited desert ecosystem.