Systems Biology Commons^™

Ectomycorrhizal Fungal Communities And Enzymatic Activities Vary Across An Ecotone Between A Forest And Field, Megan A. Rúa, Becky Moore, Nicole Hergott, Lily Van, Colin R. Jackson, Jason D. Hoeksema

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Extracellular enzymes degrade macromolecules into soluble substrates and are important for nutrient cycling in soils, where microorganisms, such as ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi, produce these enzymes to obtain nutrients. Ecotones between forests and fields represent intriguing arenas for examining the effect of the environment on ECM community structure and enzyme activity because tree maturity, ECM composition, and environmental variables may all be changing simultaneously. We studied the composition and enzymatic activity of ECM associated with loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) across an ecotone between a forest where P. taeda is established and an old field where P. taeda saplings had been growing …