What are mycorrhizal traits?

Applying trait-based approaches to ecological research on mycorrhizal symbioses broadens ecological inferences, but there is no single unified framework to unite disparate language, terminology, and methods across the many multidisciplinary scientists studying mycorrhizas. We propose an inclusive framework for trait-based mycorrhizal ecology aimed to stimulate scientists around the world to collect and use more mycorrhizal trait data, particularly in understudied areas. This would widen our understanding regarding the ecological role of mycorrhizal symbioses at individual, species, community, and ecosystem scales. Analyzing how mycorrhizal symbioses fit within existing trait definitions highlights significant theoretical and empirical knowledge gaps, novel questions, and new research directions to improve our understanding of trait-based mycorrhizal ecology. Traits are inherent properties of organisms, but how are they defined for organismal networks such as mycorrhizal symbioses? Mycorrhizal symbioses are complex and diverse belowground symbioses between plants and fungi that have proved challenging to fit into a unified and coherent trait framework. We propose an inclusive mycorrhizal trait framework that classifies traits as morphological, physiological, and phenological features that have functional implications for the symbiosis. We further classify mycorrhizal traits by location – plant, fungus, or the symbiosis – which highlights new questions in trait-based mycorrhizal ecology designed to charge and challenge the scientific community. This new framework is an opportunity for researchers to interrogate their data to identify novel insights and gaps in our understanding of mycorrhizal symbioses. Traits are inherent properties of organisms, but how are they defined for organismal networks such as mycorrhizal symbioses? Mycorrhizal symbioses are complex and diverse belowground symbioses between plants and fungi that have proved challenging to fit into a unified and coherent trait framework. We propose an inclusive mycorrhizal trait framework that classifies traits as morphological, physiological, and phenological features that have functional implications for the symbiosis. We further classify mycorrhizal traits by location – plant, fungus, or the symbiosis – which highlights new questions in trait-based mycorrhizal ecology designed to charge and challenge the scientific community. This new framework is an opportunity for researchers to interrogate their data to identify novel insights and gaps in our understanding of mycorrhizal symbioses. a mycorrhizal association where plant roots display intracellular colonization by fungi of the subphylum Glomeromycotina. a specialized mycorrhizal structure present inside plant cells, and the common site of nutrient exchange in arbuscular mycorrhizas (AMs). Other nutrient exchange sites in arbuscular mycorrhizas include hyphal coils. colonization of plant roots by two different mycorrhizal types (i.e., AM and EcM), generally demonstrating ontological shifts in particular plant species (e.g., Quercus sp., Salix sp., Populus sp.). a mycorrhizal association between plant roots and fungi characterized by an intercellular interface consisting of a branched hyphal lattice and mantle. a mycorrhizal association between plants in the family Ericaceae and certain fungi, characterized by intracellular coils. traits that do not measure a function directly but instead are indicators of functions (e.g., hyphal production by mycorrhizal fungi that influences soil aggregate formation). the branching filaments of mycorrhizal fungi that make up the mycelium and conjoin to plant roots either intracellularly or extracellularly. Hyphae differ with respect to morphology, environmental persistence, and function (e.g., nutrient absorption vs. transport). sheath of fungal hyphae enveloping plant roots in EcM associations. the fungal symbiotic partner in a mycorrhizal association. symbiotic associations between plant roots and certain fungi. Synonym: mycorrhiza. morphological, physiological, or phenological characteristics of mycorrhizal fungi, plants, and mycorrhizal associations that have functional implications for the symbiosis. mycorrhizal association between plants in the family Orchidaceae and certain fungi characterized by intracellular coils called pelotons. alternative root colonization strategies in arbuscular mycorrhizas. The Paris type is characterized by coiled hyphae that spread intracellularly from plant cortical cell to cell, while the Arum type spreads in the plant root cortex via intercellular hyphae. fungal cells specialized for asexual or sexual reproduction and dispersal. They can be borne on specialized fungal fruiting bodies or directly from mycelial networks. an association between organisms that live in close physical contact. any measurable characteristic (morphological, physiological, phenological, behavioral, or cultural) of an individual organism that is measured at either the individual or other relevant level of organization.