Mycorrhizae
Much is yet to be learned about the factors that structure arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) communities and the consequences of that variation for plant communities. Several recent experiments in the Casper lab have examined the functional significance of AMF community composition. Functional differences have been documented, for example, in AMF communities associated with the same plant species in serpentine and prairie soils such that host plant growth is enhanced with native fungi. Another large greenhouse experiment examined the roles of particular AMF species within the context of co-occurring AMF species. Additional studies have examined interactions between AMF and other soil microbes and how those interactions impact host plant performance. These studies have been set in a Pennsylvania serpentine grassland, another native Pennsylvania grassland heavily polluted by 100 years of zinc smelting, and the Northern Mongolian steppe.