Abstract
Ectomycorrhizal (EM) and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are often studied independently, and thus little is known regarding differences in vertical distribution of these two groups in forests where they co-occur. We sampled roots at two soil depths in two northern hardwood stands in Bartlett, New Hampshire, co-dominated by tree species that associate with AM or EM fungi. Root length of both groups declined with depth. More importantly, root length of EM plant species exceeded that of AM plants at 0–10-cm depth, while AM exceeded EM root length at 30–50-cm depth. Colonization rates were similar between mineral and organic portions of the shallow (0–10 cm) samples for EM and AM fungi and declined dramatically with depth (30–50 cm). The ratio of EM to AM fungal colonization declined with depth, but not as much as the decline in root length with depth, resulting in greater dominance by EM fungi near the surface and by AM fungi at depth. The depth distribution of EM and AM roots may have implications for soil carbon accumulation as well as for the success of the associated tree species.
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Acknowledgements
Natalie Cleavitt collected the shallow samples and April Melvin collected the deep samples. Samples were processed in the lab of Tom Horton. Shiyi Li helped organize the data for analysis, and Tom Horton and Dave Janos provided valuable input on the manuscript. The Bartlett Experimental Forest is owned and operated by the US Forest Service Northern Research Station.
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This research was supported by the NSF Long-Term Ecological Research Program (DEB-0423259 and DEB-1114804) and by NSF (DEB-0949317) and the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (2019–67019-29464). This paper contributes pre-treatment information to a study of Multiple Element Limitation in Northern Hardwood Ecosystems (MELNHE), which forms part of the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study.
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RDY designed the study and obtained the funding. FMD analyzed the samples. JMN analyzed the data and made the figures. FMD drafted the first report, and JMN picked it up again, years later, under the direction of RDY.
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Nash, J.M., Diggs, F.M. & Yanai, R.D. Length and colonization rates of roots associated with arbuscular or ectomycorrhizal fungi decline differentially with depth in two northern hardwood forests. Mycorrhiza 32, 213–219 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00572-022-01071-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00572-022-01071-8