Exploring the role of ectomycorrhizal fungi in soil carbon dynamics

First author: Donald R. Zak; Affiliations: University of Michigan (密歇根大学): Ann Arbor, USA

Corresponding author: Donald R. Zak

The extent to which ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi enable plants to access organic nitrogen (N) bound in soil organic matter (SOM) and transfer this growth‐limiting nutrient to their plant host, has important implications for our understanding of plant–fungal interactions, and the cycling and storage of carbon (C) and N in terrestrial ecosystems. Empirical evidence currently supports a range of perspectives, suggesting that ECM vary in their ability to provide their host with N bound in SOM, and that this capacity can both positively and negatively influence soil C storage. To help resolve the multiplicity of observations, we gathered a group of researchers to explore the role of ECM fungi in soil C dynamics, and propose new directions that hold promise to resolve competing hypotheses and contrasting observations. In this Viewpoint, we summarize these deliberations and identify areas of inquiry that hold promise for increasing our understanding of these fundamental and widespread plant symbionts and their role in ecosystem‐level biogeochemistry.

外生菌根真菌会吸收植物所需的土壤有机质中的有机氮，并将这种植物生长限速营养物质转送到植物中去，对于这一过程的研究将有助于我们深度理解植物与真菌之间的互作关系，以及陆地生态系统中碳和氮的循环与存储。以往的研究结果显示外生菌根为其寄主植物提供土壤有机质中的氮的能力是有差异的，并且这种能力可以同时正向和负向影响土壤中碳的存储。为了进一步搞清楚为何会存在这样的研究结果，作者纠集了一群研究人员来探索外生菌根真菌在土壤碳动态中的作用，希望能够为目前具有争议的假说提供新的方向。本文中，作者总结了他们讨论的结果，并且给出了目前急需研究的几个方向，这些研究将有助于增加我们对于这些基础且广泛分布的植物共生体的了解以及其在生态系统级生物地球化学方面的作用。

通讯：Donald R. Zak (https://seas.umich.edu/research/faculty/donald_zak)

个人简介：俄亥俄州立大学，学士；爱达荷大学，硕士；密歇根州立大学，博士。

研究方向：土壤微生物群落对于植物多样性和生态环境的影响。实验室网址：http://zaklab.snre.umich.edu。

doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.15679

Journal: New Phytologist

First Published: January 13, 2019