Where have all the fungi gone? The effects of fertilization on mycorrhizal fungi in permanent grasslands

This project has the principal investigator at the Dept. of Ecosystem Biology, but other team members are from the Dept. of Botany (M. Šmilauerová, J. Košnar, E. Holá, B. Divišová, and two master students). Using data from six field experiments, we will explore what effects the fertilization of permanent grasslands has on the communities of arbuscular and fine endophyte mycorrhizal fungi in the context of intensifying agriculture. These effects will be examined with a special focus on the prevailing nitrogen addition, but taking into account its interactions with the availability of phosphorus in soil. Using molecular methods, we will look at the changes in fungal community composition, its taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversities, and - using light microscopy - fungal colonisation of roots. For frequent taxa of mycorrhizal fungi, our project will quantify the response of hyphae to the addition of nitrogen, phosphorus and organic matter to soil, by using a novel, further improved method of estimating, under field conditions, two hyphal functional traits. Our project will provide new insights into the functioning of the communities of symbiotic fungi in managed grasslands and therefore enable better understanding of their responses to agricultural intensification pressure.