Tag: Mycorrhiza

Without fire, trees become more susceptible to it

by Mac Callaham, research ecologist, and Virginia McDaniel, science writer  • 
Historically, fires frequently burned Southern Appalachian forests. Many tree species evolved traits that aided survival in this fire environment. However, with the exclusion of fire from these forests for many decades, new research suggests traits that once made trees resistant to fire may now make them more susceptible to it. USDA Forest Service scientists Melanie…  More 

Into the Rhizosphere: Soil Fungi and Carbon Dynamics

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
Underneath the Earth’s surface, water, nutrients, and chemical signals are shuttled through a sprawling network between tree roots and soil fungi. “Many forest trees depend on their associated soil fungi for nutrients, as the fungi are better at absorbing nitrogen, phosphorous, and other nutrients,” says U.S. Forest Service ecologist Melanie Taylor. “The trees return the…  More