Journal
FUNGAL ECOLOGY
Volume 4, Issue 3, Pages 233-240Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.funeco.2010.09.010
Keywords
Belowground; Dispersal; Functional ecology; Hyphae; Microbial; Mutualism; Mycorrhiza; Rhizomorph; Succession; Symbiosis
Funding
- National Science Foundation [DEB 236096, DEB 0742868]
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Ectomycorrhizal exploration types have become an increasingly popular functional explanation for observed patterns of fungal community structure. In this study, we examined the relationship between exploration types of ectomycorrhizal fungi and root density. We did so by sampling across a root density gradient formed by the edge-interior transition on 'tree islands', patches of ectomycorrhizal forest in a non-ectomycorrhizal vegetation matrix. We found evidence that long-distance exploration types were more prevalent in areas of low root density while short-distance exploration types were more common in areas of high root density. Gradients in root density are common in ectomycorrhizal forests and change predictably at forest edges, within a soil profile, or over early succession. Based on these results, we propose a general model using the concept of exploration types that could explain some of the spatial or temporal patterns commonly observed in ectomycorrhizal assemblages. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd and The British Mycological Society. All rights reserved.
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