Mycelium chemistry differs markedly between ectomycorrhizal and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

The chemical quality of soil carbon (C) inputs is a major factor controlling litter decomposition and soil C dynamics. Mycorrhizal fungi constitute one of the dominant pools of soil microbial C, while their litter quality (chemical proxies of litter decomposability) is understood poorly, leading to...

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Published inCommunications biology Vol. 5; no. 1; pp. 398 - 8
Main Authors Huang, Weilin, van Bodegom, Peter M., Declerck, Stéphane, Heinonsalo, Jussi, Cosme, Marco, Viskari, Toni, Liski, Jari, Soudzilovskaia, Nadejda A.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Nature Publishing Group UK 28.04.2022
Nature Publishing Group
Nature Portfolio
Subjects
631/158/47/4113
631/326/171/1818
631/326/47/4113
Arbuscular mycorrhizas
Biology
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Carbon
Ectomycorrhizas
Ethanol
Fungi
Guilds
Life Sciences
Litter
Mycelium
Mycorrhizae
Plants - microbiology
Soil - chemistry
Soil microorganisms
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Summary:The chemical quality of soil carbon (C) inputs is a major factor controlling litter decomposition and soil C dynamics. Mycorrhizal fungi constitute one of the dominant pools of soil microbial C, while their litter quality (chemical proxies of litter decomposability) is understood poorly, leading to major uncertainties in estimating soil C dynamics. We examined litter decomposability of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) and ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungal species using samples obtained from in vitro cultivation. We showed that the chemical composition of AM and EM fungal mycelium differs significantly: EM fungi have higher concentrations of labile (water-soluble, ethanol-soluble) and recalcitrant (non-extractable) chemical components, while AM fungi have higher concentrations of acid-hydrolysable components. Our results imply that differences in decomposability traits among mycorrhizal fungal guilds represent a critically important driver of the soil C cycle, which could be as vital as is recognized for differences among aboveground plant litter. Chemical profiles of arbuscular (AM) and ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi reveal that differences in decomposability-relevant chemistry are larger between AM and EM fungi than across plant functional groups.
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ISSN:2399-3642
2399-3642
DOI:10.1038/s42003-022-03341-9