The effects of stem-girdling on ectomycorrhizal fungi growth and nitrogen cycling.

Abstract

Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi have a symbiotic relationship with tree roots; the fungi make various nutrients in the soil, specifically nitrogen, accessible to trees in exchange for the carbohydrates produced by the tree via photosynthesis (Smith and Read 2008). This relationship makes hyphal growth of ECM fungi a relevant substrate for studying nitrogen cycling in forest ecosystems. Under the Forest Accelerated Succession ExperimenT (FASET), tree girdling was used to replicate disturbance and early forest succession. Labeled nitrogen was used to examine nutrient flux in hyphae varied by experimental plots. Although no significant relationship was found between stem-girdling and nitrogen levels in ECM fungi, nor stem-girdling and hyphae biomass, more data was added to the FASET study.