The enigma of desert ecosystems: the importance of interactions among the soil biota to fungal biodiversity

In arid and semi-arid ecosystems, the extremely short periods in which soil water potentials are conducive for bacterial growth suggest that soil food webs are primarily fungal-based, since fungi are less dependent on free water for growth. Fungivores then transfer energy and nutrients to higher trophic levels. Other components of the soil microbial community are discussed in this context, and interactions among root-region biotic components are noted. Fungi may have developed a greater functional diversity to cope with the extreme spatial and temporal heterogeneity characteristic of arid ecosystems compared with mesic environments. -P.J.Jarvis