Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities with contrasting life-history traits and trait diversity influence host nutrient acquisition

Life-history traits differ substantially among arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal families, potentially affecting hyphal nutrient acquisition efficiency, host nutrition, and thereby plant health and ecosystem function. Despite these implications, AM fungal community life-history strategies and community trait diversity effects on host nutrient acquisition are poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, we grew Sudan grass ( Sorghum sudanense ) with AM fungal communities representing contrasting life-history traits and trait diversity: either 1) five species in the AM family Gigasporaceae , representing competitor traits, 2) five species in the family Glomeraceae , representing ruderal traits, or 3) a mixed-family community combining all ten AM species. After 12 weeks, we measured above and below ground plant biomass and the uptake and concentration of 12 nutrients in aboveground biomass. Overall, AM fungal colonization increased host nutrition, biomass, and foliar 15 nitrogen enrichment compared to the uncolonized control. We observed the largest effects between the mixed-family community and the single-family communities for plant tissue quality, especially plant phosphorus (P), and in colonization rates. The mixed community increased plant P 1.2 and 1.3 times more than Glomeraceae and Gigasporaceae communities. However, this higher P did not translate to the greatest gains in plant biomass. Between the single-family communities, the Glomeraceae community generally outperformed the Gigasporaceae community in host nutrition and plant growth, increasing plant P concentrations 1.1 times more than the Gigasporaceae community. These findings demonstrate that AM fungal community trait composition established at the family level affects plant nutrition and that AM family diversity increases colonization and plant tissue quality.