Experiments

Experiment 297 - Investigating the role of soil organic matter as a primary determinant of ectomycorrhizal fungal richness

We propose to experimentally investigate the effect of soil organic matter availability on the richness of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal communities. Previous correlative studies have shown that ECM fungal richness is significantly higher in organic than mineral soils; however, we do not understand the mechanism behind this pattern. We hypothesize that ECM fungal richness is limited by the supply of organic N, which co-varies with organic matter content across the soil profile. To test this hypothesis, we propose to manipulate the organic matter and nutrient content of soil placed into mesh in-growth bags across two forest types (Quercus and Pinus) at Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve. In-growth bags will be buried in eight sites (four sites/forest type) to assess the effect of soil nutrient content on ECM richness and composition following four months of fungal colonization.

Methods for e297

Datasets