Mycorrhizal Network Signaling in Temperate Forest Understory
Chen L, Berglund T, Nakamura K
Mycorrhizal Networks
Oak and beech trees in your local park or forest are quietly cooperating underground, and understanding how they share resources during drought could reshape how we think about forest resilience as climate change intensifies.
Scientists traced how carbon — the basic building block trees make from sunlight — moves underground between oak and beech trees through a web of fungi connecting their roots. They found this sharing goes both directions, not just one way, and happens three times faster when trees are stressed by drought. This suggests forests aren't just a collection of competing individuals but function more like cooperative communities that look out for each other when times get tough.
Key Findings
Carbon transfer between oak and beech trees via fungal networks is bidirectional, not unidirectional
Transfer rates increase 3x during drought stress conditions
The fungus Cortinarius glaucopus mediates this adaptive resource-sharing in temperate forests
chevron_right Technical Summary
Trees in temperate forests share carbon with each other through underground fungal networks, and this sharing accelerates dramatically during drought — suggesting forests have built-in resource-sharing systems that help them survive climate stress.
Abstract Preview
We characterized chemical signaling pathways in ectomycorrhizal networks connecting Quercus and Fagus species. Using isotope tracing, we demonstrate bidirectional carbon transfer mediated by Cortin...
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An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus Quercus of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere, with some 500 species, both deciduous and evergreen. ...