Climate-linked biogeography of mycorrhizal fungal spore traits

Significance A trait-based approach in microbial ecology offers powerful insights into how climate shapes microbial distribution, yet global patterns remain largely unknown. This study provides the first global assessment of climate influences on spore traits of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. These fungi are key microorganisms that influence plant productivity and ecosystems functioning. We uncover clear climate–trait relationships, with variation in spore volume, wall thickness, ornamentation, shape, and pigmentation significantly influenced by climatic conditions. We also identify a potential trade-off wherein certain traits associated with persistence are linked to smaller geographic range sizes. These findings reinforce the importance of traits as a powerful lens for understanding ecological patterns and processes across diverse forms of life.

• Publication year

  2025

• Venue

  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

• Publication date

  2025-07-15

• Fields of study

  Biology, Medicine, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1073/pnas.2505059122PMID 40663605PMCID 12304957
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

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