Soil food webs process the majority of terrestrial carbon, and influence overall ecosystem function. A primary distinction among soil food webs is based on fungal versus bacterial pathways of decomposition; these lead to fundamentally different soil function, and are expected to differ in dominance between meadows and forests. This assumption...
Mycorrhizae are important for plant growth, particularly in nutritionally poor soils. Vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM) are the primary form of mycorrhizae found in tropical plants, and their persistence in the soil as colonizing fungal propagules following deforestation cannot be directly
measured. Utilizing the "most probable number" (MPN) method for estimating infective...
Seedlings of Gaultheria shallon, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Rhododendron macrophyllum and Tsuga heterophylla were grown together in the greenhouse in soils from three young managed Douglas-fir forests in the Oregon Coast Range. The main objectives were 1 )to evaluate the ability of ericaceous plants and overstory conifers to share compatible mycorrhizal fungi...
Ectomycorrhizal fungi (EmF) form symbioses with trees. These symbioses profoundly influence forest ecology. Certain EmF form specialized profusions of hyphae, known as ectomycorrhizal fungal mats (mats) which are visible to the naked eye, alter forest soil biogeochemistry, substantially contribute to soil microbial biomass/respiration and support unique microbial communities. Piloderma and...
Fuel accumulation and climate shifts are predicted to increase the frequency of high-severity fires in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws) forests of central Oregon. The combustion of fuels containing large downed wood can result in intense soil heating, alteration of soil properties, and mortality of microbes. Previous studies...
Background information is presented that provides historical perspectives on the field of mycology in the Pacific Northwest and its role in forest management. The series of events and decisions that have led to previous studies (or lack of studies) in the field also dictate the directions of current research. Culture,...
