With the development of human industrial activities, nitrogen (N) emissions and atmospheric N deposition have increased significantly. When atmospheric N deposition exceeds the critical load that plants can bear, it may exert a negative effect on plants and lead to a decrease in species abundance. As an important biotic factor affecting species abundance, mycorrhizae can affect plant diversity and community structure through nutrient supply and hyphal network mechanism. Objective To compare the critical load of N deposition of understory herbaceous plants with different mycorrhizal types and explore how mycorrhizal types affect the responses of understory herbaceous plants to N deposition. Methods According to the database of long-term N deposition critical load of forest herbaceous plants, and the published literature, critical load database of herbaceous plants under different mycorrhizal types of forest forests in response to N deposition was established. We identified three mycorrhizal types of forest dominant species, which included arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM), ectomycorrhiza (ECM), and AM+ECM. The effects of mycorrhizal types on the critical load of N deposition of understory herbaceous plants were investigated. Results The critical load of N deposition of understory herbaceous plants varied in forests of different mycorrhizal types (P<0.05). The critical load of N deposition was the highest [9.28 kg N/(ha·a)] in the forest of the AM+ECM type, the second [8.41 kg N/(ha·a)] in the forest of the ECM type, and the lowest [7.19 kg N/(ha·a)] in the forest of the AM type. In forests of different mycorrhizal types, the critical loads of understory herbaceous plants of different functional groups (gramineous and non-gramineous) in response to N precipitation were consistent with the responses of all understory herbaceous plants of different mycorrhizal types. N deposition caused changes in the abundance of understory herbaceous plants. The species abundance of understory herbaceous plants in the forest of the AM type showed an increasing trend, while that in the forest of the ECM type mainly decreased. Conclusion Mycorrhizal types affect the critical load of N deposition of understory herbaceous plants (P<0.05), which is related to the niche differentiation, N concentration of litter, and N acquisition strategies of different mycorrhizal types of plants. In addition, the abundance of understory herbaceous plants will also vary due to different mycorrhizal types.
| 科 Family | 属数 Number of genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) | 属 Genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae | 2 | 11 | 5.26 | 鹅膏菌属 Amanita | 10 | 4.78 |
| 小菇科 Mycenaceae | 2 | 12 | 5.74 | 丝盖伞属 Inocybe | 5 | 2.39 |
| 多孔菌科 Polyporaceae | 8 | 14 | 6.70 | 蜡蘑属 Laccaria | 5 | 2.39 |
| 红菇科 Russulaceae | 3 | 23 | 11.00 | 小皮伞属 Marasmius | 6 | 2.87 |
| 小菇属 Mycena | 11 | 5.26 | ||||
| 光柄菇属 Pluteus | 5 | 2.39 | ||||
| 红菇属 Russula | 17 | 8.13 | ||||
| 栓菌属 Trametes | 5 | 2.39 |