Mycorrhizal Fungi Promote Greater Tree Species Diversity
Published:27 Feb.2022 Source:University of Montreal
Fungi, specifically those that are "mycorrhizal," are natural allies of the forest because they improve tree nutrient acquisition. But which of the mycorrhizal feeding strategies yields the greatest tree diversity in a forest: strategy A (ectomycorrhiza) or strategy B (arbuscular mycorrhiza)?
Biologists from Université de Montréal and the Plant Biology Research Institute asked the question and found the answer is neither one nor the other, but rather a combination of the two -- proving that there is strength in numbers -- or rather, in diversity.