How Mycorrhizal Associations Drive Plant Communities in Forest Ecosystems

Dear Colleagues,

Mycorrhizal fungi play a crucial role in forest ecosystems. In temperate and boreal forests, ectomycorrhizal symbiosis with Ascomycota and Basidiomycota fungi is the overriding symbiosis of trees. In tropical and subtropical zones, symbioses between trees and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are more common, but some trees form symbiosis with both groups of symbiotic organisms. Dual mycorrhizal symbiosis between trees and both arbuscular and ectomycorrhizal fungi and tripartite symbiosis between trees, mycorrhizal fungi, and nitrogen-fixing bacteria have the most substantial and influential effects on the survival and growth of trees in the subtropical and tropical zones. Mycorrhizal associations are a key element of the survival of indigenous trees, so the ecology of soil mycorrhizal communities in forest ecosystems is a substantial and prospective field of knowledge. This Special Issue will provide an interdisciplinary approach to mycorrhizal associations, and its influence on the biology of plant communities, with special consideration for forest ecosystems. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Mycorrhizal associations in forest ecosystems and urban stands.
• Functional diversity of mycorrhizal associations.
• Mutual interactions between arbuscular and ectomycorrhizal fungi.
• Influence of mycorrhizal associations on plant growth and development.

Dr. Robin Wilgan
Dr. Marta Brygida Kujawska
Prof. Dr. Hojka Kraigher
Guest Editors

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