The soil mycobiome is composed of a complex and diverse fungal community, which includes functionally diverse species ranging from plant pathogens to mutualists. Among the latter are arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) that provide phosphorous (P) to plants. While plant hosts and abiotic parameters are known to structure AMF communities, it remains largely unknown how higher trophic level organisms, including protists and nematodes, affect AMF abundance and community composition. Here, we explored the connections between AMF, fungivorous protists and nematodes that could partly reflect trophic interactions, and linked those to rhizosphere P dynamics and plant performance in a long-term manure application setting. Our results revealed that manure addition increased AMF biomass and the density of fungivorous nematodes, and tailored the community structures of AMF, fungivorous protists, and nematodes. We detected a higher abundance of AMF digested by the dominant fungivorous nematodes Aphelenchoides and Aphelenchus in high manure treatments compared to no manure and low manure treatments. Structural equation modeling combined with network analysis suggested that predation by fungivorous protists and nematodes stimulated AMF biomass and modified the AMF community composition. The mycorrhizal-fungivore interactions catalyzed AMF colonization and expression levels of the P transporter gene ZMPht1;6 in maize roots, which resulted in enhanced plant productivity. Our study highlights the importance of predation as a key element in shaping the composition and enhancing the biomass of AMF, leading to increased plant performance. As such, we clarify novel biological mechanism of the complex interactions between AMF, fungivorous protists, and nematodes in driving P absorption and plant performance.

中文翻译：

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营养作用相互作用的丛枝菌根真菌群落决定性的植物促进后果。

土壤真菌组由复杂多样的真菌群落组成，其中包括功能多样的物种，从植物病原体到互惠生。后者是向植物提供磷（P）的丛枝菌根真菌（AMF）。虽然已知植物寄主和非生物参数构成AMF群落，但仍然高度未知营养级生物（包括原生生物和线虫）如何影响AMF的丰度和群落组成。在这里，我们探讨了AMF，真菌性原生生物和线虫之间的联系，这些联系可以部分反映营养相互作用，并在长期施用肥料的情况下将其与根际磷动力学和植物性能联系起来。我们的研究结果表明，添加粪肥可增加AMF生物量和真菌性线虫的密度，并调整了AMF，真菌性原生生物和线虫的群落结构。与无肥料和低肥料处理相比，我们在高肥料处理中检测到优势真菌线虫Aphelenchoides和Aphhelenchus消化的AMF含量更高。结构方程模型与网络分析相结合表明，真菌性原生生物和线虫的捕食刺激了AMF生物量并改变了AMF群落组成。菌根-真菌的相互作用催化玉米根部的AMF定植和P转运蛋白基因ZMPht1; 6的表达水平，从而提高了植物的生产力。我们的研究突出了捕食作为塑造AMF组成和增强AMF生物量的关键要素的重要性，从而提高了植物的生长性能。因此，