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Forests
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The Role of Mycorrhizas in Forest Structure and Dynamics
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The Role of Mycorrhizas in Forest Structure and Dynamics

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (5 October 2021) | Viewed by 6239

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Oriol Grau

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
1. CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Global Ecology Unit, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
2. Cirad, UMR EcoFoG (AgroParisTech, CNRS, Inra, Univ Antilles, Univ Guyane), Campus Agronomique, 97310 Kourou, French Guiana
Interests: ecosystem functioning; environmental gradient; fungi; forest dynamics; forest structure; mycorrhizal symbiosis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mycorrhizal symbioses are essential for ecosystem functioning as they regulate carbon, nutrient, and water transport between plants and soil. The outstanding diversity of fungal species that establish mycorrhizal associations with trees is key to understand the distribution of tree species worldwide, from the biome to microhabitat scale. Abiotic conditions and forest management are commonly used to explain forest structure (e.g., stem density, basal area, canopy height) and dynamics (e.g., growth rate, mortality rate). However, little information is available on the interplay between mycorrhization characteristics (e.g., mycorrhizal type, abundance of mycorrhizal tissue in roots, efficiency of mycorrhizas) and forest structure and dynamics in contrasting environmental and management conditions. This information is essential for fully understanding the impacts of environmental changes and management on forest functioning and stability. For this Special Issue, we are inviting papers that provide novel insights into the role of mycorrhization on forest structure and dynamics in contrasting successional stages (e.g., young vs. old growth forests), management (managed vs. primary forests), and/or environmental conditions (e.g., along latitudinal, altitudinal, or other environmental gradients).

Dr. Oriol Grau
Guest Editor

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

  • ecosystem functioning
  • forest dynamics
  • forest structure
  • forest succession
  • global change
  • management
  • mycorrhizal interactions
  • tree ontogeny

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 3293 KiB  
Article
Characterizing Ectomycorrhizal Fungal Community Structure and Function of Two Varieties of Pinus clausa That Differ in Disturbance History
by Megan A. Rúa
Forests 2021, 12(2), 219; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12020219 - 13 Feb 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2160
Abstract
Despite the immense amount of diversity present in the soil biota, the ecological and evolutionary processes that regulate species diversity and abundance of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi across space and time remain elusive. In forest ecosystems, ECM fungal diversity may be maintained by periodic [...] Read more.
Despite the immense amount of diversity present in the soil biota, the ecological and evolutionary processes that regulate species diversity and abundance of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi across space and time remain elusive. In forest ecosystems, ECM fungal diversity may be maintained by periodic disturbances which operate at different time scales due to their effects on host genetic and phenotypic characteristics and the associated environment. To investigate the degree to which these factors shape ECM fungal community composition and function, I sampled 10 independent sites for a pine species indicative of an endangered ecosystem, the Florida scrub, where disturbance history has driven the divergence of a single species into two genetically distinct varieties (Pinus clausa var. immuginata and var. clausa). A total of 300 ECM fungal species were identified based on rDNA ITS sequences, but each variety harbors different ECM species composition and function. A follow-up greenhouse experiment, in which the seed from each variety was grown in its own soil (“home”) and in the soil of the other variety (“away”), suggests these communities differentially impact the growth of their host seedlings. While var. clausa seedlings had the same total biomass regardless of soil origin, var. immuginata had higher biomass in their own soil compared to var. clausa. This is likely due to an increased number of ECM colonized tips in the home soil compared to in away soil. Taken together, these results may suggest different evolutionary histories where structure host genetic and phenotypic characteristics may be important for structuring their dynamics with ECM fungi. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Mycorrhizas in Forest Structure and Dynamics)
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21 pages, 2654 KiB  
Article
Distance from the Forest Edge Influences Soil Fungal Communities Colonizing a Reclaimed Soil Borrow Site in Boreal Mixedwood Forest
by Tod Ramsfield, Philip-Edouard Shay, Tony Trofymow, Colin Myrholm, Bradley Tomm, Patrick Gagné and Jean Bérubé
Forests 2020, 11(4), 427; https://doi.org/10.3390/f11040427 - 9 Apr 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3169
Abstract
Soil fungi are important components of boreal forest ecosystems; for example, saprotrophic fungi regulate nutrient cycling, and mycorrhizal species facilitate nutrient uptake by plants. This study aimed to assess soil fungal communities in a reclaimed area and an adjacent natural mixedwood forest and [...] Read more.
Soil fungi are important components of boreal forest ecosystems; for example, saprotrophic fungi regulate nutrient cycling, and mycorrhizal species facilitate nutrient uptake by plants. This study aimed to assess soil fungal communities in a reclaimed area and an adjacent natural mixedwood forest and to identify the distribution of taxa available for seedling colonization. Soil fungal microbiomes were assessed along three transects (from 10 m inside the interior of the undisturbed forest to 40 m inside the reclaimed area) and in the roots of small aspen within the natural forest. Using high-throughput deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequencing of internal transcribed spacer amplicons, a total of 2796 unique fungal taxa were detected across fine roots, forest floor, and mineral soils collected along the transects, whereas 166 taxa were detected in the aspen roots from the natural forest. Within the interior of the forest, ectomycorrhizal fungi were more common, whereas in the reclaimed areas, arbuscular mycorrhizae and saprophytes were more common. This survey showed that natural areas of adjacent undisturbed forest can act as a source of ectomycorrhizal fungi for dispersal into reclaimed areas. Notably, soil fungal taxa colonizing the root systems of small aspen included species that are specifically associated with soils from the undisturbed forest (primarily ectomycorrhizae) or the reclaimed clearing (saprotrophs and plant pathogens). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Mycorrhizas in Forest Structure and Dynamics)
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