Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal investment in vesicles and hyphae in perennial prairie plants

How might arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) influence grassland plant community response to global change? AMF influence grassland plant communities via competition and survivorship among plant species. One under-explored mechanism for these differences is AMF investment in producing hyphae and vesicles. Recent work shows vesicle and hyphae presence differs between annuals and perennials and can change seasonally. These interactions may have major impacts on the resilience of grassland plant communities and ecosystem-scale functions to changing precipitation and temperature. What might be driving these differences? How might that impact grasslands in the uncertain future?