The Functional Role of Mycorrhizal Fungi in Forest Ecosystems

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Soil".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 125

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Forest Pathology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 71c, 60-625 Poznań, Poland
Interests: fungi; fungal community; forest pathology

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 71c, 60-625 Poznan, Poland
Interests: fungal identification; plant protection; fungal community; forest pathology; biodiversity; dead wood

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mycorrhizal fungi are organisms that play an important role in the forest ecosystem, where under natural conditions, most plants, including almost all forest trees, live in a symbiotic relationship, supplying the plants with water and mineral salts but also protecting the roots from pathogen infection. These fungi are commonly found in the environment forming mycorrhiza, a mutualistic relationship with the roots of most trees. This obligate relationship is stable and long-lasting. This symbiosis also helps to achieve biological balance in ecosystems. Research shows that mycorrhiza can promote tolerance to numerous abiotic (e.g., drought, salt, heavy metals) and biotic (e.g., pathogenic fungi) stresses. Trees benefit from protection from pathogens by both arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and ectomycorrhizal fungi. Although ectomycorrhizae only form on the roots of about 2% of plant species, they are extremely important in many temperate and boreal forests. In return for increasing the plant's access to soil nutrients, the fungi receive carbon (C) from photosynthesis as a source of energy for the fungus, and the fungus (mycobiont) significantly increases the plant's supply of biogenic elements, mainly nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), taken up from the soil via the root hairs. In recent years, research has indicated an additional role for mycorrhizae in learning, memory and communication between host trees via a common mycorrhizal network. Research on ECM mycorrhizal hyphae shows that mycorrhizal fungi have a strong influence on soil structure but also directly on soil carbon fixation processes through its accumulation in the frass and indirectly by influencing decomposition. Mycorrhizae are very sensitive to anthropogenic changes leading to the disruption of biogeochemical cycles, including carbon and nitrogen.

Dr. Wojciech Szewczyk
Prof. Dr. Jolanta Behnke-Borowczyk
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • mycorrhiza
  • fungi
  • fungal mycorrhizal diversity
  • mycorrhizal function
  • ECM fungi
  • forest
  • symbiosis
  • ectomycorrhizal diversity
  • fungal diversity

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission.
Back to TopTop