Global Plant Protection News

Tuesday, 04 October 2022 12:01:49

PestNet

Grahame Jackson posted a new submission ‘Researchers propose ectomycorrhizal fungi’s role to be integrated into carbon accounting’

Submission

Researchers propose ectomycorrhizal fungi’s role to be integrated into carbon accounting

Mirage
https://www.miragenews.com/researchers-propose-ectomycorrhizal-fungis-role-866860/

Researchers from the University of Helsinki, Natural Resources Institute Finland and Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences propose that the role of the ectomycorrhizal fungi should be taken into account in models of carbon accounting.

A new study led by the University of Helsinki provides evidence that the observed decline of carbon use efficiency and net ecosystem exchange from south to north in the boreal forest may be caused by the abundance of ectomycorrhizal fungi.

The proposed approach could easily be included in carbon balance models for quantifying ectomycorrhizal fungi carbon use without having to engage in more complex analysis of carbon and nutrient interactions underlying ectomycorrhizal fungi processes.

“The results of the study underline the need for a better understanding of the role of micro-organisms as users of carbon but also as a machinery generating carbon residues that may have longer lifespans,” says the first author of the study Annikki Mäkelä from the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Helsinki.

The study suggests that this approach can improve prediction of biomass growth across different soils with different microbial composition.