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Investigation of Plant Interactions Across Common Mycorrhizal Networks Using Rotated Cores
Published on: March 26, 2019
Nitrogen decreases and precipitation increases ectomycorrhizal extramatrical mycelia production in a longleaf pine
Stephanie E Sims1, Joseph J Hendricks2, Robert J Mitchell3
1Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center at Ichauway, Rt. 2, P.O. Box 2324, Newton, GA, 39870, USA. ssims@jonesctr.org.
Abstract:
The rates and controls of ectomycorrhizal fungal production were assessed in a 22-year-old longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) plantation using a complete factorial design that included two foliar scorching (control and 95% plus needle scorch) and two nitrogen (N) fertilization (control and 5 g N m(-2) year(-1)) treatments during an annual assessment. Ectomycorrhizal fungi production comprised of extramatrical mycelia, Hartig nets and mantles on fine root tips, and sporocarps was estimated to be 49 g m(-2) year(-1) in the control treatment plots. Extramatrical mycelia accounted for approximately 95% of the total mycorrhizal production estimate. Mycorrhizal production rates did not vary significantly among sample periods throughout the annual assessment (p = 0.1366). In addition, reduction in foliar leaf area via experimental scorching treatments did not influence mycorrhizal production (p = 0.9374), suggesting that stored carbon (C) may decouple the linkage between current photosynthate production and ectomycorrhizal fungi dynamics in this forest type. Nitrogen fertilization had a negative effect, whereas precipitation had a positive effect on mycorrhizal fungi production (p = 0.0292; r (2) = 0.42). These results support the widely speculated but poorly documented supposition that mycorrhizal fungi are a large and dynamic component of C flow and nutrient cycling dynamics in forest ecosystems.
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