Saprotrophic capabilities as functional traits to study functional diversity and resilience of ectomycorrhizal community.
In an accompanying editorial Dr Petr Baldrian made a case casting doubt on our recent work addressing the saprophytic potential of ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi. Dr Baldrian's statements illustrate a very valid truth: the book is still very much open on this subject. The point he raised that the only logical reason for these fungi to be responding to high carbon demand or decreased host photosynthetic capacity by up-regulating enzymes is for the purpose of carbon acquisition is valid as well. Despite this, he makes the case that there is no compelling evidence that EM fungi exhibit saprophytic activity. The concept central to Dr Baldrian's conclusion is that even though some EM fungi possess the genes necessary for saprophytic behaviour and may even express these genes, EM fungi do not inhabit a position in the soil column that provides access to usable substrate. In this paper we present both previously published and newly obtained data that demonstrate that this assumption is erroneous, and we present arguments that place the saprophytic potential of EM fungi within a broad ecological context.
Cullings
Ken
K
NASA-Ames Research Center, MS 239-11, Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000, USA. cullings1@earthlink.net
Courty
Pierre-Emmanuel
PE
D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D017753:Ecosystem; D038821:Mycorrhizae / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D010788:Photosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology; D010944:Plants / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology; D011157:Population Dynamics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012987:Soil; D012988:Soil Microbiology
D012987:Soil; D002244:Carbon
Oecologia. 2008 Nov;158(1):77-83
18679722
Proc Biol Sci. 2004 Sep 7;271(1550):1799-806
15315895
New Phytol. 2005 Jul;167(1):309-19
15948852
Biophys J. 2003 Jun;84(6):3883-93
12770894
FEMS Microbiol Ecol. 2007 Jul;61(1):153-63
17466024
J Biol Chem. 2002 Jul 26;277(30):26879-85
11983689
Mycol Res. 2006 Dec;110(Pt 12):1426-32
17123810
Mycorrhiza. 2006 May;16(3):197-206
16518613
J Basic Microbiol. 2001;41(3-4):185-227
11512451
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2003 Jul;69(7):3772-6
12839743
Nature. 2000 Sep 28;407(6803):506-8
11029000
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2008 Sep;74(18):5792-801
18658284
New Phytol. 2008;178(2):230-233
18312537
New Phytol. 2009;182(3):736-750
19243515
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2008 Nov;74(21):6598-605
18791033