Classical theory identifies resource competition as the major structuring force of biotic communities and predicts that (i) levels of dominance and richness in communities are inversely related, (ii) narrow niches allow dense “packing” in niche space and thus promote diversity, and (iii) dominants are generalists with wide niches, such that locally abundant taxa also exhibit wide distributions. Current empirical support, howev...

Aim Organisms on our planet form spatially congruent and functionally distinct communities, which at large geographical scales are called “biomes”. Understanding their pattern and function is vital for sustainable use and protection of biodiversity. Current global terrestrial biome classifications are based primarily on climate characteristics and functional aspects of plant community assembly. These and other existing biome s...

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are obligate plant symbionts that have important functions in most terrestrial ecosystems, but there remains an incomplete understanding of host–fungus specificity and the relationships between species and functional groups of plants and AM fungi. Here, we aimed to provide a comprehensive description of plant–AM fungal interactions in a biodiverse semi‐natural grassland. We sampled all plant s...

The arbuscular mycorrhizal ( AM ) symbiosis is a key plant–microbe interaction in sustainable functioning ecosystems. Increasing anthropogenic disturbance poses a threat to AM fungal communities worldwide, but there is little empirical evidence about its potential negative consequences. In this global study, we sequenced AM fungal DNA in soil samples collected from pairs of natural (undisturbed) and anthropogenic (disturbed) p...