Balance of nature: importance of ecosystems underground (Introduction)

by David Turell , Thursday, August 27, 2020, 14:48 (1338 days ago) @ David Turell

Further comment:

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/08/hidden-webs-fungi-protect-some-forests-drought-...

"The future of the world’s flora may depend as much, if not more, on what’s below the ground as what’s above. Beneath 90% of all plants lies an invisible support system—subterranean fungal partners that form a network of filaments connecting plants and bringing nutrients and water to their roots. In return, the plants provide a steady supply of carbon to the fungi. Now, researchers are learning that these hidden partners can shape how ecosystems respond to climate change.

"The right fungal partners can help plants survive warmer and drier conditions, according to a study reported earlier this month at the online annual meeting of the Ecological Society of America. But other studies at the meeting showed climate change can also disrupt these so-called mycorrhizal fungi, possibly speeding the demise of their host plants. “The picture is becoming clearer that we really cannot ignore the responses of mycorrhizal fungi to climate change,” says Matthias Rillig, an ecologist at the Free University of Berlin.

"These fungal associates come in two forms. Arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM), common in tropical and some temperate forests as well as fields and meadows, invade root cells and extend thin hairs called hyphae into the soil. Ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi, in contrast, associate with conifers as well as oak, hickory, alder, and beech. They settle on the outside of roots, and their networks of hyphae give rise to the mushrooms that pop up on moist forest floors.

"Both types absorb phosphorus and other nutrients, capture nitrogen from decaying organic matter, and help store carbon in the soil. “Mycorrhizal associations are arguably the most important symbioses in terrestrial ecosystems because of their importance for plant productivity,” says Christopher Fernandez, a soil ecologist at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

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“'We found that ectomycorrhizal fungi played a critical role in drought tolerance,” Gehring reported at the meeting. Sanna Sevanto, a biophysicist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, watched the fungi in action by dousing seedlings’ roots in heavy water, which served as a tracer. Water moved into the drought-tolerant roots infected with their fungus much faster than when they were sterile, Gehring reported."

Comment: A different kind of ecosystem. Large parts of the bush of life are really interconnected webs of support. All necessary to support the massive populations now living in the confines of Earth. God's planning dhw doesn't recognize.