Forest Sciences Commons^™

Quantifying Carbon Allocation To Mycorrhizal Fungi By Temperate Forest Tree Species Across A Nitrogen Availability Gradient, Shersingh Joseph Tumber-Davila

Honors Theses and Capstones

Terrestrial ecosystems make up the largest carbon pool with a major portion of that being forests. With carbon being a major concern due to global climate change, being able to make accurate models is increasingly important. Studies have shown that trees may allocate up to 50% of their photosynthetically fixed carbon underground; however these values haven’t been accurately quantified and underground carbon allocation has been historically overlooked. Mycorrhizal fungi may be a large portion of underground carbon allocation, as they have a symbiotic relationship with trees where they provide the plant with water and nutrients in return for sugars (carbon). …