Preface

Mycorrhiza(also is called as mycorrhizae or mycorrhizas)is a symbiotic(generally mutualistic,but occasionally weakly pathogenic)association between a fungus and the roots of a vascular plant.These fungi are obligate symbionts that form a mutualistic relationship with plant roots known as a mycorrhiza.In terrestrial ecosystems,symbiotic associations between plant roots and mycorrhizal fungi are near ubiquitous,with 90 per cent of all plant species forming mycorrhizas.Their prevalence has led to the assertion that‘the majority of plants,strictly speaking,do not have roots;they have mycorrhizas'.Mycorrhizal fungi receive carbon from their host plants in exchange for nutrient transfer to roots,which benefits plant growth.

There is growing recognition that plant species and plant functional types are important controllers of ecosystem processes and functions,particularly those which link plants with the soils in which they grow.Vascular plant species need to acquire sufficient water,nutrients and light to drive carbon fixation,and make enough carbon profit to ensure continuity to future generations.At the same time,there is consensus that mycorrhizal symbioses between plants and fungi play some key roles in important ecosystem processes and functions.More and more studies have testified the important function of mycorrhizal symbiosis in material cycle and their dynamic balance in ecosystem.Under global climate changes,mycorrhizal functions in response to climate changes have caused wide attentions.

This book provided the author's latest research results.Author paid attention to the functions and their differences in seven mycorrhizal types in this book.The contents mainly included the regulating functions of mycorrhizas in CO₂ efflux from soil and ecosystem,in net preprimary productivity and its response to the changes of temperature and precipitation in forest ecosystem,in foliar stoichiometry,in plant diversity along an altitudinal environmental gradient,and in host plant adaptability in variable soil water content during climate changes.This book is suitable for researchers,graduate students,and senior undergraduates majoring in ecology,environmentology,mycology,microbiology and pedology as a reference book.

The author has referred a lot of published papers in the whole manuscript,which are provided in the section of References.I wish to express my thanks to all authors and publishers.This studies involved in this book were financed by National Natural Science Foundation(40971150),China Postdoctoral Science Foundition(20090450004 and 20103018),the found of State Key laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture(0812201219),Strategic Priority Research Program of CAS(XDA05050301),and Funds for Innovation Research Team in Henan University of Science and Technology(2015TTD002).I also thank the Scholarly Monograph Publication Funds of Henan University of Science and Technology for its half financial support.

Zhao-Yong Shi

July 2015