PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Fungi may determine the future of soil carbon

2014-01-09
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Beth King
kingb@si.edu
202-633-4700 x28216
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Fungi may determine the future of soil carbon

When scientists discuss global change, they often focus on the amount of carbon in the atmosphere and vegetation. But soil contains more carbon than air and plants combined. This means that even a minor change in soil carbon could have major implications for the Earth's atmosphere and climate. New research by Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute scientist Benjamin Turner and colleagues points to an unexpected driver of soil carbon content: fungi.

"This finding puts soil biology at the front and center of the debate about the factors that drive soil carbon storage," said Turner, who collaborated with researchers at the University of Texas at Austin and Boston University.

Previous studies considered soil degradation, climate and plant productivity to be the most important regulators of soil carbon content. However, findings published this week in Nature by researchers including Turner suggest that soil biology plays a greater role. Some types of symbiotic fungi can lead to 70 percent more carbon in the soil. The role of these fungi is currently not considered in global climate models.

The majority of plants team up with fungi, exchanging plant carbon for soil nutrients supplied by the fungus. These mutually beneficial relationships can be broadly grouped into three major categories: arbuscular mycorrhizas AM, ectomycorrhizas, and ericoid mycorrhizas. The AM symbiosis is most common, occurring in approximately 85 percent of plant families, while ecto- and ericoid mycorrhizas EEM occur in a few common families.

After an exhaustive number of model runs on data from more than 200 soil profiles from around the globe, the authors found that soils supporting EEM plant communities contained 70 percent more carbon per unit nitrogen than soils supporting AM-dominated plant communities. The effect is significant at the global scale, because it is independent of biomass accumulation, temperature, precipitation and soil clay content.

The marked difference in soil carbon levels between AM and EEM ecosystems is due to the way the two kinds of mycorrhizal fungi acquire nutrients. EEM fungi produce enzymes that allow them to access organic forms of nitrogen, which are not available to AM fungi. By depleting nitrogen from the soil organic matter, EEM fungi limit the activity of the microorganisms that break down dead organic matter and return the carbon to the atmosphere. AM ecosystems impose fewer restrictions on the growth of carbon-consuming microbes.

"This study shows that trees and decomposers are really connected via these mycorrhizal fungi, and that you can't accurately predict future carbon cycling without thinking about how the two groups interact," said Colin Averill, the study's lead author, currently a graduate student at UT Austin. "We need to think of these systems holistically."

Turner said the study provides strong evidence to support a theory published in 2011 by researchers in the United Kingdom and New Zealand. The results suggest any widespread shift in the species composition of forests could change the amount of carbon stored in soil, with consequences for atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations.

"These findings will help to refine Earth-system models and promote debate on the extent to which soil microbes influence the global carbon cycle," said Turner.



INFORMATION:

The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, headquartered in Panama City, Panama, is a unit of the Smithsonian Institution. The Institute furthers the understanding of tropical nature and its importance to human welfare, trains students to conduct research in the tropics and promotes conservation by increasing public awareness of the beauty and importance of tropical ecosystems. Website: http://www.stri.si.edu.

Averill, C, Turner, B.L, Finzi, AC., 2014. Mycorrhizal-mediated competition between plants and decomposers drives soil carbon storage. Nature 505, doi:10.1038/nature12901.



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

A 1-percent measure of galaxies half the universe away

2014-01-09
A 1-percent measure of galaxies half the universe away Researchers from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) today announced that they have measured the distance to galaxies more than six billion light years away to an ...

Molecular engines star in new model of DNA repair

2014-01-09
Molecular engines star in new model of DNA repair Study reveals major role of RNA polymerase and other enzymes in DNA repair Our health depends in large part upon the ability of specialized enzymes to find and repair ...

International Tree Nut Council funded study links nut intake with lower risks of obesity

2014-01-09
International Tree Nut Council funded study links nut intake with lower risks of obesity New Findings on tree nuts, metabolic syndrome and obesity in PlosOne A new study , published today in the online journal PLOS ONE, looks at the association between tree nuts (almonds, ...

Marine bacteria to fight tough infections

2014-01-09
Marine bacteria to fight tough infections Aggressive infections are a growing health problem all over the world. The development of resistant bacteria is rampant and, in the United States, resistant staphylococci cause more deaths than AIDS on an annual basis. Researchers ...

Controlling blood sugar levels in critically ill children could save NHS £12 million per year

2014-01-09
Controlling blood sugar levels in critically ill children could save NHS £12 million per year A major UK-wide study (The CHiP trial) led by Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical ...

Climate changes the distribution of plants and animals

2014-01-09
Climate changes the distribution of plants and animals Swiss plants, butterflies and birds have moved 8 to 42 meters uphill between 2003 and 2010, as scientists from the University of Basel write in the online journal "Plos One". Climate warming is changing the distribution ...

Emperor Penguins breeding on ice shelves

2014-01-09
Emperor Penguins breeding on ice shelves A new study of four Antarctic emperor penguin colonies suggest that unexpected breeding behaviour may be a sign that the birds are adapting to environmental change. Analysis of satellite observations reveals that penguin ...

First shark genome decoded

2014-01-09
First shark genome decoded Genome of the elephant shark provides new insights into immunity and bone formation This news release is available in German. An international team of researchers, including scientists of the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology ...

Bio-inspired glue keeps hearts securely sealed

2014-01-09
Bio-inspired glue keeps hearts securely sealed Adhesive may improve how surgeons treat congenital heart defects and other heart problems Boston, MA – When a child is born with a heart defect such as a hole in the heart, the highly invasive therapies are ...

Coral chemical warfare: Suppressing a competitor enhances susceptibility to a predator

2014-01-09
Coral chemical warfare: Suppressing a competitor enhances susceptibility to a predator Competition may have a high cost for at least one species of tropical seaweed. Researchers examining the chemical warfare taking place on Fijian coral reefs have found that ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Thirty-year mystery of dissonance in the “ringing” of black holes explained

Less intensive works best for agricultural soil

Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation

Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests

Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome

UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership

New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll

Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes

University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025

Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025

AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials

New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age

Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker

Chips off the old block

Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia

Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry

Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19

Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity

State and sociodemographic trends in US cigarette smoking with future projections

Young adults drive historic decline in smoking

NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research

Chimpanzee stem cells offer new insights into early embryonic development

This injected protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a heart attack

FlexTech inaugural issue launches, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation in flexible technology

In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity

Methyl eugenol: potential to inhibit oxidative stress, address related diseases, and its toxicological effects

A vascularized multilayer chip reveals shear stress-induced angiogenesis in diverse fluid conditions

AI helps unravel a cause of Alzheimer's disease and identify a therapeutic candidate

Coalition of Autism Scientists critiques US Department of Health and Human Services Autism Research Initiative

Structure dictates effectiveness, safety in nanomedicine

[Press-News.org] Fungi may determine the future of soil carbon