Observational Constraints on Mycorrhizal Nutrient Acquisition Reduce Future Land Carbon Sink Projections

Observational Constraints on Mycorrhizal Nutrient Acquisition Reduce Future Land Carbon Sink Projections | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 28 July 2025 V1 Latest version Share on Observational Constraints on Mycorrhizal Nutrient Acquisition Reduce Future Land Carbon Sink Projections Authors : Renato Kerches Braghiere 0000-0002-7722-717X [email protected] , Michael Van Nuland 0000-0002-3333-0212 , Toby Kiers 0000-0002-0597-1653 , H-J. Hawkins , Rosie A. Fisher 0000-0003-3260-9227 , Joshua B Fisher , Nadia Soudzilovskaia , A. Anthony Bloom 0000-0002-1486-1499 , Richard P. Phillips , Woodward Fischer , and Christian Frankenberg 0000-0002-0546-5857 Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.175373155.55094522/v1 335 views 241 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract Accurately projecting the global carbon cycle requires Earth System Models (ESMs) to represent plant nutrient acquisition and associated carbon costs. However, most ESMs either neglect or oversimplify the role of mycorrhizal fungi, despite their key function in mediating plant-soil nutrient exchanges. Here, we integrate global satellite and field-based datasets on mycorrhizal distributions, soil nitrogen content, and carbon allocation to fungi to constrain nutrient acquisition costs in a land surface model, the Community Land Model (CLM). Incorporating these spatially explicit mycorrhizal costs reduces projected global carbon uptake by 15% over the 21st century. We find that mycorrhizal efficiency varies strongly by biome, with especially high carbon costs in boreal and semi-arid ecosystems. Model performance also improves by 5% in reproducing observed energy, water, and carbon fluxes. These results highlight the critical role of mycorrhizal symbioses in shaping ecosystem carbon balance and underscore the need to integrate fine-scale belowground data together with remote sensing into ESM frameworks for more accurate climate projections. Supplementary Material File (1040910_0_merged_1752194980.pdf) Download 1.05 MB File (braghiere et al 2025 mycorrhizae.docx) Download 8.83 MB File (si_braghiere et al 2025 mycorrhizae.docx) Download 3.84 MB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 28 July 2025 Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Keywords carbon cost climatology (global change) earth system model ecology environmental sciences land surface model mycorrhizal fungi nutrient acquisition remote sensing Authors Affiliations Renato Kerches Braghiere 0000-0002-7722-717X [email protected] Jet Propulsion Laboratory View all articles by this author Michael Van Nuland 0000-0002-3333-0212 Society for the Protection of Underground Networks View all articles by this author Toby Kiers 0000-0002-0597-1653 Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam View all articles by this author H-J. Hawkins University of Cape Town View all articles by this author Rosie A. Fisher 0000-0003-3260-9227 CICERO Center for International Climate Research View all articles by this author Joshua B Fisher Chapman University View all articles by this author Nadia Soudzilovskaia Leiden University View all articles by this author A. Anthony Bloom 0000-0002-1486-1499 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology View all articles by this author Richard P. Phillips Indiana University Bloomington View all articles by this author Woodward Fischer California Institute of Technology View all articles by this author Christian Frankenberg 0000-0002-0546-5857 California Institute of Technology View all articles by this author Funding Information Resnick Sustainability Institute for Science, Energy and Sustainability, California Institute of Technology Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 335 views 241 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Renato Kerches Braghiere, Michael Van Nuland, Toby Kiers, et al. Observational Constraints on Mycorrhizal Nutrient Acquisition Reduce Future Land Carbon Sink Projections. Authorea . 28 July 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.175373155.55094522/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . Format Please select one from the list RIS (ProCite, Reference Manager) EndNote BibTex Medlars RefWorks Direct import Tips for downloading citations document.getElementById('citMgrHelpLink').addEventListener('click', function() { popupHelp(this.href); return false; }); $(".js__slcInclude").on("change", function(e){ if ($(this).val() == 'refworks') $('#direct').prop("checked", false); $('#direct').prop("disabled", ($(this).val() == 'refworks')); }); View Options View options PDF View PDF Figures Tables Media Share Share Share article link Copy Link Copied! Copying failed. 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