The ecology of ectomycorrhizal fungi

The ecology of ectomycorrhizal fungi

Carbon allocation to ectomycorrhizal fungi correlates with belowground allocation in culture studies.

Ectomycorrhizal fungi form symbioses with most temperate and boreal tree species, but difficulties in measuring carbon allocation to these symbionts have prevented the assessment of their importance in forest ecosystems. Here, I surveyed allocation patterns in 14 culture studies and five field studies of ectomycorrhizal plants. In culture studies, allocation to ectomycorrhizal fungi (NPPf) was ...

Ecosystem Ecology

Nitrogen isotopes (N/N ratios, expressed as dN values) are useful markers of the mycorrhizal role in plant nitrogen supply because discrimination against N during creation of transfer compounds within mycorrhizal fungi decreases the N/N in plants (low dN) and increases the N/N of the fungi (high dN). Analytical models of N distribution would be helpful in interpreting dN patterns in fungi and p...

Evidence that saprotrophic fungi mobilise carbon and mycorrhizal fungi mobilise nitrogen during litter decomposition.

With improvements in molecular techniques, identification of taxa in mycorrhizal ecology has expanded from fruitbodies to mycorrhizal roots to extraradical hyphae (Anderson & Cairney, 2004). These molecular techniques are, in general, equally applicable to saprotrophic fungi, although this important functional group has received relatively little focus in community studies (Allmer et al ., 2006...

A single ectomycorrhizal fungal species can enable a Pinus invasion.

Like all obligately ectomycorrhizal plants, pines require ectomycorrhizal fungal symbionts to complete their life cycle. Pines introduced into regions far from their native range are typically incompatible with local ectomycorrhizal fungi, and, when they invade, coinvade with fungi from their native range. While the identities and distributions of coinvasive fungal symbionts of pine invasions a...