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Title: Decomposition by ectomycorrhizal fungi alters soil carbon storage in a simulation model

Journal Article · · Ecosphere
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1890/ES14-00301.1· OSTI ID:1439446
 [1];  [2];  [1];  [3]
  1. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)
  2. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, Knoxville, TN (United States)
  3. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Univ. of Copenhagen, Copenhagen (Denmark)

Carbon cycle models often lack explicit belowground organism activity, yet belowground organisms regulate carbon storage and release in soil. Ectomycorrhizal fungi are important players in the carbon cycle because they are a conduit into soil for carbon assimilated by the plant. It is hypothesized that ectomycorrhizal fungi can also be active decomposers when plant carbon allocation to fungi is low. Here, we reviewed the literature on ectomycorrhizal decomposition and we developed a simulation model of the plant-mycorrhizae interaction where a reduction in plant productivity stimulates ectomycorrhizal fungi to decompose soil organic matter. Our review highlights evidence demonstrating the potential for ectomycorrhizal fungi to decompose soil organic matter. Our model output suggests that ectomycorrhizal activity accounts for a portion of carbon decomposed in soil, but this portion varied with plant productivity and the mycorrhizal carbon uptake strategy simulated. Lower organic matter inputs to soil were largely responsible for reduced soil carbon storage. Using mathematical theory, we demonstrated that biotic interactions affect predictions of ecosystem functions. Specifically, we developed a simple function to model the mycorrhizal switch in function from plant symbiont to decomposer. In conclusion, we show that including mycorrhizal fungi with the flexibility of mutualistic and saprotrophic lifestyles alters predictions of ecosystem function.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER). Biological Systems Science Division
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0010562
OSTI ID:
1439446
Journal Information:
Ecosphere, Vol. 6, Issue 3; ISSN 2150-8925
Publisher:
Ecological Society of AmericaCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 26 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (10)

Beyond the black box: promoting mathematical collaborations for elucidating interactions in soil ecology journal July 2019
Plant Aquaporins and Mycorrhizae: Their Regulation and Involvement in Plant Physiology and Performance book January 2017
Fungal guilds are evenly distributed along a vertical spruce forest soil profile while individual fungi show pronounced niche partitioning journal May 2018
Intensive tropical land use massively shifts soil fungal communities journal March 2019
Forest carbon allocation modelling under climate change journal November 2019
Host phenology and potential saprotrophism of ectomycorrhizal fungi in the boreal forest journal July 2016
Interactions among roots, mycorrhizas and free-living microbial communities differentially impact soil carbon processes journal October 2015
Revisiting the ‘Gadgil effect’: do interguild fungal interactions control carbon cycling in forest soils? journal September 2015
Exploring the role of ectomycorrhizal fungi in soil carbon dynamics journal February 2019
Forest carbon allocation modelling under climate change text January 2019