Mycorrhizas in Ecosystems

In nature, the roots of most plants are infected by symbiotic fungi to form mycorrhiza which play a central role in the capture of nutrients from the soil. Most of our knowledge of the biology of the mycorrhizal symbiosis has been derived from studies carried out under controlled conditions in the laboratory or glasshouse. There is an increasing awareness of the need to extend these studies to the more natural situations in which the symbiosis evolved and in which it normally functions. This volume brings together a series of papers which place major emphasis upon mycorrhizal function in nature. They consist of edited and revised contributions to the Third European Symposium on Mycorrhizas, held at the University of Sheffield, 19-23 August 1991. All of the major types of mycorrhiza are considered. Factors determining their distribution and effectiveness in different ecosystems, from the boreal forest to the tropics, are examined in depth and attempts to improve productivity of ecosystems by inoculation with more effective fungal symbionts are described. Several papers describe the application of the latest techniques for the study of intact host-fungus systems and discuss the results obtained with reference to mycorrhizal function in the field. These contributions include considerations of the capture of ions from soil and the factors which influence their transfer by way of fungal hyphae to the root and into the plant cell. Recent views on the functional relationship between fungal associations of roots "mycorrhiza" and those of shoots, "mycophylla" are also explored. The volume will be of interest to a wide range of research workers in mycology, soil biology and plant ecology.