News Release

October 13, 2020 – Mycorrhizal fungi play a crucial role in soil processes, including nitrogen and carbon storage. The “Mycorrhizal Fungi as Modulators of Soil Organic Matter Dynamics” symposium speakers will discuss the mechanisms underlying the connection between the traits of mycorrhizal fungi activities and ecosystem-level responses. 

This symposium is part of the Translating Visionary Science to Practice ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting being held virtually, Nov. 9-13, 2020. The meeting is hosted by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America. Media are invited; preregistration is required.

The presentations are:

1. How Mycorrhizal Associations Affect Mineral-Associated Organic Matter will be presented by Caitlin Hicks Pries. She studied forest soils across the eastern United States. She will report on their findings about fungal influences on carbon and nitrogen, as well as associated factors.
2. Does the Functional Diversity of Ectomycorrhizal Communities Control the Deceleration of Forest Soil Carbon Cycling? will be presented by Christopher Fernandez, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. He will present results from a series of studies examining the contribution of tree hosts and their associated fungal communities to differential effects on soil carbon and nutrient cycling. Generally, the findings from these studies support the hypothesis that ectomycorrhizal fungi can decelerate carbon cycling via nitrogen competition.
3. Trait Differences between Mycorrhizal Guilds Promotes Variation in Soil Organic Matter Dynamics will be presented by Richard Phillips, Indiana University-Bloomington. He will present research about roots and mycorrhizal associates, and their effects on soil organic matter. Their finding about the actions of various fungi may information decisions about forest management and forest productivity under global changes such as rising atmospheric carbon dioxide. Collectively, their results suggest that shifts in the relative abundance of various fungal-tree relationships may have profound implications for soil organic matter dynamics, nutrient cycling, and forest sensitivity to global change.
4. Ectomycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Acquisition of Nitrogen from Soil Organic Matter: Ecosystem Implications for a Changing Climate will be presented by Peter Pellitier, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. This team is looking at the decay capacity of ectomycorrhizal fungi in relation to soil inorganic nitrogen availability. They built synthetic understanding of the ecology and genetic mechanisms involved in the fungal transformation of soil organic matter and demonstrate that shifts in the functional attributes of fungal communities represent a mechanistic basis for plant flexibility in nutrient foraging strategies.

Presentations may be watched asynchronously, and there will be a scheduled Q&A time to speak with presenters during the meeting. Presentations will be available for online viewing for 90 days after the meeting for all registrants. For more information about the Translating Visionary Science to Practice meeting, visit https://www.acsmeetings.org/.

Media are invited to attend the conference. Pre-registration by Nov. 2, 2020 is required. Visit https://www.acsmeetings.org/media for registration information.

To speak with one of the scientists, contact Susan V. Fisk, 608-273-8091, sfisk@sciencesocieties.org to arrange an interview.