Publications by authors named "Joseph E Carrara"
Inoculation of black turtle beans () with mycorrhizal fungi increases the nutritional quality of seeds.
Plant Environ Interact
February 2024
The use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) as biofertilizers has proven successful in boosting the yield and nutritional quality of a variety of crops. AMF associate with plant roots and exchange soil nutrients for photosynthetically derived C in the form of sugars and lipids. Past research has shown that not all AMF species are equal in their benefit to nutrient uptake and crop health, and that the most beneficial AMF species appear to vary by host species.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGiven that global change is predicted to increase the frequency and severity of drought in temperate forests, it is critical to understand the degree to which plant belowground responses cascade through the soil system to drive ecosystem responses to water stress. While most research has focused on plant and microbial responses independently of each other, a gap in our understanding lies in the integrated response of plant-microbial interactions to water stress. We investigated the extent to which divergent belowground responses to reduced precipitation between sugar maple trees (Acer saccharum) versus oak trees (Oak spp.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurrently, root colonization measurements of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) require staining and microscopy, and species-level identification of the fungi by such observations is not possible. Here, we present novel multiplex real-time PCR assays targeting the glomalin genes of 11 different species of AMF commonly found in temperate agricultural soils, which independently detect and measure the abundance of these fungi using DNA extracts from soil and or root tissue. The availability of these tools will not only increase throughput in determining levels of root colonization but can provide species-specific levels of root colonization from a single sample.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Nitrogen from the atmosphere has helped forests in the northeastern USA store more carbon by giving them what they need to grow better.
- A study showed that when trees got extra nitrogen, they used less carbon for roots and more for growing taller, which means more carbon is stored above ground.
- The research found that even though the amount of leaf litter was the same, the soil in fertilized areas held more carbon and nitrogen because the plant litter broke down more slowly.
Article Synopsis
- Forests with trees that connect to a type of fungi called ectomycorrhizal (ECM) store more carbon in the soil compared to those with trees linked to arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) fungi when nitrogen levels go up.
- The researchers thought this was because ECM trees get nitrogen differently than AM trees, which affects how nutrients cycle in the soil.
- After studying soil samples over 27 years, they found that in ECM areas, fungal communities changed in the rhizosphere (around the roots), while in AM areas, bacterial communities changed in the bulk soil, helping to explain why ECM soils can hold more carbon despite the increased nitrogen.
Article Synopsis
- - The study looked at how adding nitrogen to forests affects the ground's ability to break down organic matter, which is important for soil health.
- - Researchers found that when trees received more nitrogen, they sent less carbon to their roots, which changed the types of bacteria and fungi in the soil.
- - The changes in bacterial communities and enzyme activity showed that the whole ecosystem reacts to more nitrogen, not just the fungi as previously thought.