MYCORRHIZAE AND NUTRIENT CYCLING IN NATURAL FOREST ECOSYSTEMS

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Abstract
SUMMARY: The widespread occurrence of mycorrhizae in nature and their importance in the mineral nutrition of almost all plants has been extensively documented but despite this mycorrhizae have not been included in nutrient cycling studies of forest ecosystems. This neglect may be due to a failure on the part of researchers to recognize the functional differences between mycorrhizae and roots and to the labour‐intensive effort needed to study mycorrhizae.Biomass or surface area of mycorrhizae must be measured before information on ion absorption by mycorrhizae can be applied to forest ecosystems. A full assessment of the importance of mycorrhizae in nutrient cycling also requires data on mycorrhiza production, senescence, and decomposition. Few mycorrhiza studies have provided such data. Consequently, our information on nutrient cycling is derived from fine root (≥ 5 mm in diameter) data which may or may not include mycorrhizae.Recent studies have shown that most of the organic input to the decomposition process results from fine root production. Fine root mortality and decomposition is also more important than other mechanisms for returning nitrogen immobilized in vegetation to the soil in both deciduous and coniferous forests. A recently completed study indicates that mycorrhizae account for 50% of the annual throughput of biomass and for 43% of the nitrogen released annually in a Douglas fir ecosystem. These transfers are five times larger than the releases from litterfall or litter decomposition. Clearly, the study of mycorrhizal nutrient cycling is in an embryonic state and considerable additional research is needed.