A critical review of the use of lipid signature molecules for the quantification of arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi
(2022) In Soil Biology and Biochemistry 166.- Abstract
Tools for accurate measurements of microbial biomass/abundance are imperative in soil ecology. This perspective was prompted by a lack of consistency in how the neutral lipid fatty acid (NLFA) and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) 16:1ω5 are used to estimate arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal abundance, which we argue can lead to erroneous conclusions within studies and complicate among-study comparisons. We show that more than half of all studies published to date use PLFA 16:1ω5 to quantify AM fungal biomass without proper controls. This is problematic because AM fungi cannot be separated from the bacterial contribution to this fatty acid signature. We provide a set of recommendations for future research and specifically urge researchers... (More)
Tools for accurate measurements of microbial biomass/abundance are imperative in soil ecology. This perspective was prompted by a lack of consistency in how the neutral lipid fatty acid (NLFA) and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) 16:1ω5 are used to estimate arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal abundance, which we argue can lead to erroneous conclusions within studies and complicate among-study comparisons. We show that more than half of all studies published to date use PLFA 16:1ω5 to quantify AM fungal biomass without proper controls. This is problematic because AM fungi cannot be separated from the bacterial contribution to this fatty acid signature. We provide a set of recommendations for future research and specifically urge researchers to extract and analyze NLFA 16:1ω5 for more accurate and sensitive assessments of AM fungal biomass as this can be done without doubling effort.
(Less)
- author
- Olsson, Pål Axel LU and Lekberg, Ylva
- organization
- publishing date
- 2022-03
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- 16:1ω5, Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal biomass, Neutral lipid fatty acid, Phospholipid fatty acid
- in
- Soil Biology and Biochemistry
- volume
- 166
- article number
- 108574
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85123868665
- ISSN
- 0038-0717
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.soilbio.2022.108574
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Elsevier Ltd
- id
- fc549e2c-17fa-4eeb-bff9-b0b1e22783b5
- date added to LUP
- 2022-02-15 17:07:10
- date last changed
- 2025-04-04 13:58:37
@article{fc549e2c-17fa-4eeb-bff9-b0b1e22783b5,
abstract = {{<p>Tools for accurate measurements of microbial biomass/abundance are imperative in soil ecology. This perspective was prompted by a lack of consistency in how the neutral lipid fatty acid (NLFA) and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) 16:1ω5 are used to estimate arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal abundance, which we argue can lead to erroneous conclusions within studies and complicate among-study comparisons. We show that more than half of all studies published to date use PLFA 16:1ω5 to quantify AM fungal biomass without proper controls. This is problematic because AM fungi cannot be separated from the bacterial contribution to this fatty acid signature. We provide a set of recommendations for future research and specifically urge researchers to extract and analyze NLFA 16:1ω5 for more accurate and sensitive assessments of AM fungal biomass as this can be done without doubling effort.</p>}},
author = {{Olsson, Pål Axel and Lekberg, Ylva}},
issn = {{0038-0717}},
keywords = {{16:1ω5; Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal biomass; Neutral lipid fatty acid; Phospholipid fatty acid}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Soil Biology and Biochemistry}},
title = {{A critical review of the use of lipid signature molecules for the quantification of arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2022.108574}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.soilbio.2022.108574}},
volume = {{166}},
year = {{2022}},
}