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Dynamics within the Plant — Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Mutualism: Testing the Nature of Community Feedback

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Mycorrhizal Ecology

Part of the book series: Ecological Studies ((ECOLSTUD,volume 157))

Summary

A growing body of work demonstrates that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities can be diverse and that individual fungal species within fungal communities are ecologically distinct. Specifically, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have been shown to differ in their effect on plant hosts and differ in their response to plant hosts. The mutual interdependence of plant and AMF relative growth rates can result in an active dynamic interaction between plant and AMF communities. In this chapter, we describe two possible types of dynamics: that of positive feedback and that of negative feedback. In the case of positive feedback, initial differences in the community composition are reinforced and the dynamic is predicted to lead to the loss of diversity from the community. In the case of negative feedback, the dynamic between the plant and fungal community directly contributes to the maintenance of diversity within both communities.

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Authors
  1. James D. Bever
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  2. Anne Pringle
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  3. Peggy Ann Schultz
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Systems Ecology, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Free University of Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1087, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Marcel G. A. van der Heijden

  2. Institute of Ecology, University of Lausanne, Biology Building, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Ian R. Sanders

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© 2003 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Bever, J.D., Pringle, A., Schultz, P.A. (2003). Dynamics within the Plant — Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Mutualism: Testing the Nature of Community Feedback. In: van der Heijden, M.G.A., Sanders, I.R. (eds) Mycorrhizal Ecology. Ecological Studies, vol 157. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-38364-2_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-38364-2_11

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-00204-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-38364-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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