You are here:
PATTERNS OF NITROGEN AND CARBON STABLE ISOTOPE RATIOS IN MACROFUNGI, PLANTS AND SOILS IN TWO OLD-GROWTH CONIFER FORESTS
Citation:
Trudell, S. A., P T. Rygiewicz, AND R. L. Edmonds. PATTERNS OF NITROGEN AND CARBON STABLE ISOTOPE RATIOS IN MACROFUNGI, PLANTS AND SOILS IN TWO OLD-GROWTH CONIFER FORESTS. NEW PHYTOLOGIST. Blackwell Publishing, Malden, MA, 164(2):317-335, (2004).
Description:
Natural abundance stable isotope ratios represent a potentially valuable tool for studying fungal ecology. We measured 15N and 13C in ectomycorrhizal and saprotrophic macrofungi from two old-growth conifer forests, and in plants, woody debris, and soils. Fungi, plants, and soils exhibited distinct 15N/ 13C signatures. Overall patterns were similar at the two forests, but there were important differences that correlated with relative nitrogen abundance. There were significant differences in 15N and 13C among genera and species of fungi, and the different macrofungi present in the two forests appears to be the dominant factor contributing to differences in overall 15N. Differences in 15N among ectomycorrhizal fungi appear to reflect ecophysiological traits that can be interpreted in terms of life history strategies. Stable isotope ratios in field-collected fungi can provide important information for ecosystem studies, especially when replicate collections and samples of other ecosystem pool are included. However, more information on metabolic processes and ecophysiological traits of individual fungi will be required before the full value of isotope measurements can be realized.