An inter-laboratory comparison of gaseous and liquid fumigation based methods for measuring microbial phosphorus (Pmic) in forest soils with differing P stocks.

In an inter-laboratory trial, gaseous ("CFE") and liquid fumigation ("Resin") based methods for measuring microbial phosphorus (Pmic) were compared, based on the analysis of soil samples from five forests, which differ in their P stocks. Both methods reliably detected the same Pmic gradient in the different soils. However, when the individual recovery rates of spiked P were taken into account, the "CFE" based methods consistently generated higher Pmic values (factor 2) compared to the "Resin" based approaches.

Phosphorus resorption by young beech trees and soil phosphatase activity as dependent on phosphorus availability.

Motivated by decreasing foliar phosphorus (P) concentrations in Fagus sylvatica L. forests, we studied P recycling depending on P fertilization in mesocosms with juvenile trees and soils of two contrasting F. sylvatica L.

Response to Comment on "Worldwide evidence of a unimodal relationship between productivity and plant species richness".

Tredennick et al. criticize one of our statistical analyses and emphasize the low explanatory power of models relating productivity to diversity. These criticisms do not detract from our key findings, including evidence consistent with the unimodal constraint relationship predicted by the humped-back model and evidence of scale sensitivities in the form and strength of the relationship.

Extensive management of field margins enhances their potential for off-site soil erosion mitigation.

Soil erosion is a widespread problem in agricultural landscapes, particularly in regions with strong rainfall events. Vegetated field margins can mitigate negative impacts of soil erosion off-site by trapping eroded material. Here we analyse how local management affects the trapping capacity of field margins in a monsoon region of South Korea, contrasting intensively and extensively managed field margins on both steep and shallow slopes.

Pest control of aphids depends on landscape complexity and natural enemy interactions.

Aphids are a major concern in agricultural crops worldwide, and control by natural enemies is an essential component of the ecological intensification of agriculture. Although the complexity of agricultural landscapes is known to influence natural enemies of pests, few studies have measured the degree of pest control by different enemy guilds across gradients in landscape complexity. Here, we use multiple natural-enemy exclosures replicated in 18 fields across a gradient in landscape complexity to investigate (1) the strength of natural pest control across landscapes, measured as the difference between pest pressure in the presence and in the absence of natural enemies; (2) the differential contributions of natural enemy guilds to pest control, and the nature of their interactions across landscapes.

Effects of Drought, Pest Pressure and Light Availability on Seedling Establishment and Growth: Their Role for Distribution of Tree Species across a Tropical Rainfall Gradient.

Tree species distributions associated with rainfall are among the most prominent patterns in tropical forests. Understanding the mechanisms shaping these patterns is important to project impacts of global climate change on tree distributions and diversity in the tropics. Beside direct effects of water availability, additional factors co-varying with rainfall have been hypothesized to play an important role, including pest pressure and light availability.

Redistribution of soil water by a saprotrophic fungus enhances carbon mineralization.

The desiccation of upper soil horizons is a common phenomenon, leading to a decrease in soil microbial activity and mineralization. Recent studies have shown that fungal communities and fungal-based food webs are less sensitive and better adapted to soil desiccation than bacterial-based food webs. One reason for a better fungal adaptation to soil desiccation may be hydraulic redistribution of water by mycelia networks.

High intraspecific ability to adjust both carbon uptake and allocation under light and nutrient reduction in Halimium halimifolium L.

The allocation of recently assimilated carbon (C) by plants depends on developmental stage and on environmental factors, but the underlying mechanisms are still a matter of debate. In the present study, we investigated the regulation of C uptake and allocation and their adjustments during plant growth. We induced different allocation strategies in the Mediterranean shrub Halimium halimifolium L.

The importance of associations with saprotrophic non-Rhizoctonia fungi among fully mycoheterotrophic orchids is currently under-estimated: novel evidence from sub-tropical Asia.

Background And Aims: Most fully mycoheterotrophic (MH) orchids investigated to date are mycorrhizal with fungi that simultaneously form ectomycorrhizas with forest trees. Only a few MH orchids are currently known to be mycorrhizal with saprotrophic, mostly wood-decomposing, fungi instead of ectomycorrhizal fungi. This study provides evidence that the importance of associations between MH orchids and saprotrophic non-Rhizoctonia fungi is currently under-estimated.

Do microsporidia function as "biological weapon" for Harmonia axyridis under natural conditions?

Invasive alien species, such as the multicoloured Asian ladybird Harmonia axyridis, are often regarded as major drivers of biodiversity loss. Therefore understanding which characteristics or mechanisms contribute to their invasive success is important. Here the role of symbiotic microsporidia in the hemolymph of H.

Outbreeding effects in an inbreeding insect, Cimex lectularius.

In some species, populations with few founding individuals can be resilient to extreme inbreeding. Inbreeding seems to be the norm in the common bed bug, Cimex lectularius, a flightless insect that, nevertheless, can reach large deme sizes and persist successfully. However, bed bugs can also be dispersed passively by humans, exposing inbred populations to gene flow from genetically distant populations.

Are carbon and nitrogen exchange between fungi and the orchid Goodyera repens affected by irradiance?

Background And Aims: The green orchid Goodyera repens has been shown to transfer carbon to its mycorrhizal partner, and this flux may therefore be affected by light availability. This study aimed to test whether the C and N exchange between plant and fungus is dependent on light availability, and in addition addressed the question of whether flowering and/or fruiting individuals of G. repens compensate for changes in leaf chlorophyll concentration with changes in C and N flows from fungus to plant.

Genitalia-associated microbes in insects.

In sexual reproduction different types of symbiotic relationships between insects and microbes have become established. For example, some bacteria have evolved almost exclusive vertical transmission and even define the compatibility of insect mating partners. Many strictly sexually transmitted diseases have also been described in insects.

Temporal variation in mycorrhizal diversity and carbon and nitrogen stable isotope abundance in the wintergreen meadow orchid Anacamptis morio.

Many adult orchids, especially photoautotrophic species, associate with a diverse range of mycorrhizal fungi, but little is known about the temporal changes that might occur in the diversity and functioning of orchid mycorrhiza during vegetative and reproductive plant growth. Temporal variations in the spectrum of mycorrhizal fungi and in stable isotope natural abundance were investigated in adult plants of Anacamptis morio, a wintergreen meadow orchid. Anacamptis morio associated with mycorrhizal fungi belonging to Tulasnella, Ceratobasidium and a clade of Pezizaceae (Ascomycetes).

Unifying external and internal immune defences.

External immune defence, such as antimicrobial secretions, is not generally viewed as part of the immune system. Nevertheless, it constitutes a first barrier to pathogens and manipulates the microbial environment. Hygienic measures from the protection of oneself or conspecifics, of the nesting site, or of stored food might be more efficient with secreted antimicrobials.

Giants, dwarfs and the environment - metamorphic trait plasticity in the common frog.

In order to understand adaptation processes and population dynamics, it is central to know how environmental parameters influence performance of organisms within populations, including their phenotypes. The impact of single or few particular parameters in concert was often assessed in laboratory and mesocosm experiments. However, under natural conditions, with many biotic and abiotic factors potentially interacting, outcomes on phenotypic changes may be different.

Carbon and nitrogen gain during the growth of orchid seedlings in nature.

For germination and establishment, orchids depend on carbon (C) and nutrients supplied by mycorrhizal fungi. As adults, the majority of orchids then appear to become autotrophic. To compare the proportional C and nitrogen (N) gain from fungi in mycoheterotrophic seedlings and in adults, here we examined in the field C and N stable isotope compositions in seedlings and adults of orchids associated with ectomycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungi.

Redox stability of As(III) on schwertmannite surfaces.

As(III)-enriched mine discharge often drains through Fe(III)-mineral abundant land covers which makes the understanding of its fate and redox behaviour extremely important. We therefore conducted batch kinetic and equilibrium studies at pH 3.0±0.

Limited carbon and mineral nutrient gain from mycorrhizal fungi by adult Australian orchids.

Premise Of The Study: In addition to autotrophic and fully mycoheterotrophic representatives, the orchid family comprises species that at maturity obtain C and N partially from fungal sources. These partial mycoheterotrophs are often associated with fungi that simultaneously form ectomycorrhizas with trees. This study investigates mycorrhizal nutrition for orchids from the southwestern Australian biodiversity hotspot.

C and N stable isotope signatures reveal constraints to nutritional modes in orchids from the Mediterranean and Macaronesia.

We compared the nutritional modes and habitats of orchids (e.g., autotrophic, partially or fully mycoheterotrophic) of the Mediterranean region and adjacent islands of Macaronesia.

Stable isotope signatures confirm carbon and nitrogen gain through ectomycorrhizas in the ghost orchid Epipogium aphyllum Swartz.

Epipogium aphyllum is a rare Eurasian achlorophyllous forest orchid known to associate with fungi that form ectomycorrhizas, while closely related orchids of warm humid climates depend on wood- or litter-decomposer fungi. We conducted (13) C and (15) N stable isotope natural abundance analyses to identify the organic nutrient source of E. aphyllum from Central Norway.

The degree of mycoheterotrophic carbon gain in green, variegated and vegetative albino individuals of Cephalanthera damasonium is related to leaf chlorophyll concentrations.

• Achlorophyllous variants of some forest orchids are known to reach almost the same size as their green forms. These vegetative albino forms cover their entire carbon (C) demand through fungi that simultaneously form ectomycorrhizae with trees, while green variants partially draw on C from photosynthesis and C from fungal hosts. Here, we investigate whether the amount of C derived from either source is proportional to leaf chlorophyll concentration.