Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Torbjorn Tyler, Lina Herbertsson, Johan Olofsson, Pal Axel Olsson
Summary: This study introduces a new dataset of species-specific ecological indicator values, physiological and reproductive traits, and indices of relevance for conservation for all vascular plant species of Sweden based on a broad survey of published and unpublished data. The potential uses and limitations of these values, traits and indices are briefly outlined and discussed in the study.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Gabriele Midolo, Tomas Herben, Irena Axmanova, Corrado Marceno, Ricarda Patsch, Helge Bruelheide, Dirk Nikolaus Karger, Svetlana Acic, Ariel Bergamini, Erwin Bergmeier, Idoia Biurrun, Gianmaria Bonari, Andraz Carni, Alessandro Chiarucci, Michele De Sanctis, Olga Demina, Jurgen Dengler, Tetiana Dziuba, Giuliano Fanelli, Emmanuel Garbolino, Gianpietro Giusso del Galdo, Friedemann Goral, Behlul Guler, Guillermo Hinojos-Mendoza, Florian Jansen, Borja Jimenez-Alfaro, Attila Lengyel, Jonathan Lenoir, Aaron Perez-Haase, Remigiusz Pielech, Vadim Prokhorov, Valerijus Rasomavicius, Eszter Ruprecht, Solvita Rusina, Urban Silc, Zeljko Skvorc, Zvjezdana Stancic, Irina Tatarenko, Milan Chytry
Summary: This article presents a new dataset that identifies optimal positioning of European plant species along gradients of natural and anthropogenic disturbance. The dataset includes disturbance indicator values for 6382 vascular plant species. These indicator values are crucial for integrating disturbance niche optima into large-scale vegetation analyses and macroecological studies.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Alija Bajro Mujic, Nahuel Policelli, Martin A. Nunez, Camille Truong, Matthew E. Smith
Summary: This study found that the invasion of Pinaceae plants affects the soil fungi of Nothofagaceae plants in southern South America. The invasive Pinaceae plants reduced the soil organic matter content and the relative abundance of Mortierellaceae fungi and Nothofagaceae-associated ECM fungi in the soil.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Andraz Carni, Spela Conc, Mateja Breg Valjavec
Summary: This study aims to divide karstic sinkholes into sections with high conservation value for cool-adapted species using indicator species. The depth of the sinkhole is found to be the most important factor influencing plant community composition.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jose Ignacio Querejeta, Klaus Schlaeppi, Alvaro Lopez-Garcia, Sara Ondono, Ivan Prieto, Marcel G. A. van Der Heijden, Maria Mar Alguacil
Summary: This study investigated how climate change alters soil fungal community composition in a mixed arbuscular/ectomycorrhizal (AM/EM) semiarid shrubland, showing that warmer and drier climates led to a decrease in ectomycorrhizal fungal abundance and an increase in saprotrophic fungi activity, resulting in accelerated soil organic matter decomposition.
Article
Agronomy
Nan Yang, Yan Zhang, Jingji Li, Xiuxiu Li, Honghua Ruan, Parag Bhople, Katharina Keiblinger, Lingfeng Mao, Dong Liu
Summary: This study investigated how root-associated fungi react to environmental variations and changes in their diversity patterns in three different coniferous forests in subalpine-cold regions. The results showed significant differences in diversity patterns between saprophytic and symbiotic fungal communities, which were closely related to soil properties such as organic carbon content and nitrate content. In nitrogen-deficient soils under Pinus wallichiana forestation, the root-associated fungal community was negatively correlated with plant diversity.
Article
Forestry
Jun Zhang, Yuanxiang Zhao, Hongyang He, Haoyun Wang, Feng Wu
Summary: This study investigated the relationship between Pinus massoniana genotype and ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal communities by examining ECM fungal communities, soil nutrients, extracellular enzyme activity, and leaf nutrient concentrations in families with different growth levels. The results showed that the high-growth (HG) family had more diverse ECM fungal communities compared to the medium-growth (MG) and low-growth (LG) families. Amphinema was the main contributor to the differences among the families and positively affected the growth of the HG family and the accumulation of soil organic carbon.
Article
Soil Science
Teng Yang, Luyao Song, Han-Yang Lin, Ke Dong, Xiao Fu, Gui-Feng Gao, Jonathan M. Adams, Haiyan Chu
Summary: The study found that plant phylogenetic relationships significantly influence fungal community structure in tree roots and surrounding soils. However, little research has been done on whether plant phylogenetic relationships within a single species can also affect fungal communities. The researchers surveyed ectomycorrhizal (EcM) and saprotrophic (SAP) fungal community structure in the fine roots and neighboring soils of Betula ermanii along the Changbai Mountain timberline. They found that within-species plant phylogeny was the main driver of EcM fungal community composition in roots, while geographic distance had the strongest influence on SAP fungal community composition in both soils and roots. Overall, the study shows that within-species plant phylogeny plays a crucial role in shaping EcM fungal communities in roots, and the assembly of fungal communities is dependent on both guild and habitat.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ashley K. Lang, Fiona V. Jevon, Corinne R. Vietorisz, Matthew P. Ayres, Jaclyn Hatala Matthes
Summary: Fine roots and mycorrhizal fungi can either stimulate or slow down leaf litter decomposition; both AM- and ECM-associated fine roots were found to enhance litter decay in this system, indicating the outcome may depend on interactions between mycorrhizal roots and saprotrophic fungi.
Article
Ecology
Joseph D. Birch, James A. Lutz, Soren Struckman, Jessica R. Miesel, Justine Karst
Summary: Large-diameter trees have a significant impact on aboveground forest dynamics and belowground fungal communities. This study found that they have a larger influence on fungal community richness, particularly ectomycorrhizal fungi. Different fungal guilds are associated with the location, size, and species of aboveground trees.
ECOLOGICAL PROCESSES
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Leticia Perez-Izquierdo, Karina E. Clemmensen, Joachim Strengbom, Gustaf Granath, David A. Wardle, Marie-Charlotte Nilsson, Bjorn D. Lindahl
Summary: Wildfires in boreal pine forests affect soil fungal communities and enzyme activities differently depending on the severity of crown and ground fires. Post-fire salvage logging induces larger shifts in fungal communities in areas with low crown-fire severity. Climate warming and increasing occurrence of high-severity crown fires may have detrimental effects on mycorrhizal-mediated functions essential for maintaining soil fertility and forest resilience.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Microbiology
Marta Elisabetta Eleonora Temporiti, Lidia Nicola, Erik Nielsen, Solveig Tosi
Summary: Plastic pollution is a growing environmental problem that cannot be solved completely by recycling. Thus, research has focused on using fungal enzymes to degrade plastic. Fungal laccases, peroxidases, and esterases have shown promising results in degrading different types of plastics, and these enzymes have demonstrated remarkable efficiency under laboratory conditions.
Article
Microbiology
Litao Lin, Xin Jing, Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja, Congcong Shen, Yugang Wang, Wenting Feng
Summary: Salinization poses a great threat to soil fungal communities, and the rare taxa play a crucial role in mediating the impacts of salinization on the structure of the fungal community. The rare taxa of soil saprotrophic, symbiotrophic, and pathotrophic fungi are more sensitive to changes in soil salinity compared to the abundant taxa. The community composition of rare taxa of saprotrophic and pathotrophic fungi, but not symbiotrophic fungi, is positively associated with soil salinity change. The findings highlight the importance of considering rare taxa in predicting the responses of soil fungal communities to soil salinization.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Joseph E. Carrara, Christopher A. Walter, Zachary B. Freedman, Ashley N. Hostetler, Jennifer S. Hawkins, Ivan J. Fernandez, Edward R. Brzostek
Summary: As nitrogen deposition increases, forest soils dominated by trees that associate with ectomycorrhizal fungi store more carbon compared to those dominated by trees associating with arbuscular mycorrhizae. This difference is likely due to unique nutrient cycling responses to nitrogen between the two types of mycorrhizal soils.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Markus Gorfer, Mathias Mayer, Harald Berger, Boris Rewald, Claudia Tallian, Bradley Matthews, Hans Sanden, Klaus Katzensteiner, Douglas L. Godbold
Summary: Forests on steep slopes play a significant role in European mountain areas, serving as both production and protection forests. This study analyzed the soil fungal community structure in a beech-dominated mountain forest in the Northern Calcareous Alps, revealing distinct patterns influenced by season and soil properties. Despite subtle seasonal differences, soil characteristics like pH and organic carbon content strongly shaped the fungal community composition.
Article
Agronomy
Christoph Rosinger, Gernot Bodner, Luca Giuliano Bernardini, Sabine Huber, Axel Mentler, Orracha Sae-Tun, Bernhard Scharf, Philipp Steiner, Johannes Tintner-Olifiers, Katharina Keiblinger
Summary: Tackling the global carbon deficit through soil organic carbon sequestration in agricultural systems has been a recent focus. However, there is still a lack of comprehensive understanding of on-farm SOC sequestration potentials in order to derive effective strategies.
Article
Agronomy
Orracha Sae-Tun, Katharina M. Keiblinger, Christoph Rosinger, Axel Mentler, Herwig Mayer, Gernot Bodner
Summary: The study aims to assess the structure-related dissolved organic matter (DOM) patterns in conservation farming systems and investigate the underlying bio-chemical drivers. A novel method combining ultrasonication aggregate breakdown and continuous UV-Vis measurement was used to characterize DOM release from soil. The results showed significant differences in DOM release dynamics between land-use and agricultural management systems.
Article
Soil Science
Erika Salas, Markus Gorfer, Dragana Bandian, Baorong Wang, Christina Kaiser, Wolfgang Wanek
Summary: Microbial necromass, including dead archaea, bacteria, and fungi, contributes significantly to soil organic matter. Amino sugars, neutral sugars, and uronic acids can serve as biomarkers for microbial residues in the soil. This study developed a rapid and sensitive method for quantifying these compounds using PMP derivatization and UPLC-Orbitrap MS.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Anne Charlott Fitzky, Lisa Kaser, Arianna Peron, Thomas Karl, Martin Graus, Danny Tholen, Heidi Halbwirth, Heidelinde Trimmel, Mario Pesendorfer, Boris Rewald, Hans Sand
Summary: Drought and salt stress significantly affect the emission spectra of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) in temperate cities. Different species of trees show specific changes in BVOC emissions under stress, and these changes can impact plant communication and tropospheric ozone formation. Oxygenated VOCs and green leaf volatiles increased in salt-sensitive species under stress, while effects under drought were less clear. These findings highlight the importance of considering abiotic stressors when studying BVOC emissions in urban environments.
URBAN FORESTRY & URBAN GREENING
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Giulio Galamini, Giacomo Ferretti, Christoph Rosinger, Sabine Huber, Valeria Medoro, Axel Mentler, Eugenio Diaz-Pin, Markus Gorfer, Barbara Faccini, Katharina Maria Keiblinger
Summary: Recycling nutrients is important, and struvite and nitrogen enriched zeolite fertilizers from wastewater treatments are gaining attention in European markets. Their effects on agricultural soil, especially struvite, are uncertain. This study investigated their effects on acid sandy arable soil, evaluating N dynamics, potential losses, and effects on soil parameters compared to traditional fertilization. The results showed that struvite quickly solubilized due to soil acidity, stimulating nitrifying and denitrifying microorganisms. Zeolite amendments decreased NOx gas emissions and NH3 emissions, but high dosage increased NH3 emissions. The two zeolitic tuffs had contrasting effects on microbial biomass, with chabazite tuff having a positive effect and clinoptilolite tuff having a negative effect on microbial N. Overall, there is potential for struvite and zeolites to mitigate nutrient outfluxes, but recommendations based on soil type are important for best results.
Article
Forestry
Jo Biehl, Hans Sanden, Boris Rewald
Summary: Adapted management methodologies are required to alleviate increasing and/or more frequent water stress under climate change, enabling successful tree seedling establishment after planting. Hydrogel amendments have been suggested to increase soil water holding capacity, tree seedling growth and survival. However, the effect of a non-uniform addition of hydrogels to tree planting pits as compared to homogenously admixed hydrogels in agricultural soils, as well as effects of hydrogels on woody root system establishment, have been poorly studied.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Mathias Mayer, Bradley Matthews, Hans Sanden, Klaus Katzensteiner, Frank Hagedorn, Markus Gorfer, Harald Berger, Torsten W. Berger, Douglas L. Godbold, Boris Rewald
Summary: Ectomycorrhizal fungi can either accelerate or decelerate decomposition of organic matter depending on soil fertility. This study suggests that under low fertility, ECM fungi slow down decomposition, while under high fertility, they speed it up.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Heidelinde Trimmel, Paul Hamer, Monika Mayer, Stefan F. Schreier, Philipp Weihs, Josef Eitzinger, Hans Sanden, Anne Charlott Fitzky, Andreas Richter, Jean-Christophe Calvet, Bertrand Bonan, Catherine Meurey, Islen Vallejo, Sabine Eckhardt, Gabriela Sousa Santos, Safae Oumami, Joaquim Arteta, Virginie Marecal, Leonor Tarrason, Thomas Karl, Harald E. Rieder
Summary: To estimate the impact of vegetation stress and BVOC emissions on urban ozone levels, an analysis was performed in Vienna, Austria. Observations and numerical models were combined to study the relationship between formaldehyde (HCHO) mixing ratios, drought indicators, and ozone levels. The results showed that drought conditions lead to reduced BVOC emissions and lower ozone levels in spring, while local drought conditions and advection from nearby forest areas contribute to elevated ozone levels in summer.
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Matthias Steinparzer, Johanna Schaubmayr, Douglas L. Godbold, Boris Rewald
Summary: Particulate matter (PM) pollution is a major threat to human health. Greenery, especially trees, can effectively filter PM and reduce associated health risks. The accumulation of PM on leaves is influenced by tree traits and varies across different tree species and geographical locations. Understanding the problem of PM pollution and the role of greenery in urban environments is crucial, but further research and data collection are needed due to the lack of comprehensive data.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Aila Fakhimahmadi, Ilir Hasanaj, Gerlinde Hofstetter, Clara Pogner, Markus Gorfer, Markus Wiederstein, Nathalie Szepannek, Rodolfo Bianchini, Zdenek Dvorak, Sebastian A. Jensen, Markus Berger, Erika Jensen-Jarolim, Karin Hufnagl, Franziska Roth-Walter
Summary: The major allergen Alt a 1 from Alternaria alternata is highly associated with severe allergic asthma. Alt a 1 can bind to micronutrients such as iron-quercetin complexes (FeQ2) and affect antigen presentation. It functions as an innate defense protein, binding strongly to FeQ2, and shows different enzymatic activity depending on its ligand-filled state. The uptake of Alt a 1 by cells alters cellular iron levels and can activate the Arylhydrocarbon receptor (AhR).
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
