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The supply of carbon (C) from tree photosynthesis to ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi is known to decrease with increasing plant nitrogen (N) supply, but how this affects fungal nutrition and growth remains to be clarified. We placed mesh-bags with quartz sand, with or without an organic N (15N-, 13C-labeled) source, in the soil along a natural N supply gradient in boreal forest, to measure growth and
The local media organisations in Sweden have the last years been involved in initiating new model of business (Melesko 2013). They have mainly been based on economical actions, as cut-downs of editorial staff, integration of different pressrooms and expanded co-operation between papers within same media organisations (Nygren 2013). For instance, editorials and cover of culture news has on several
It is not clear how different rewetting intensities (rapid, slow or partial rewetting) influence soil respiration and nitrogen (N) availability. Moist soil left unamended or amended with low C/N faba bean residue and incubated for 21 days was dried to <5% WHC within 3 days. After 14 days of incubation, dry soils were rewetted to 50% water holding capacity (WHC), once within few seconds (rapid), by
A predictive understanding of adaptation to changing environments hinges on a mechanistic understanding of the extent and causes of variation in natural selection. Estimating variation in selection is difficult due to the complex relationships between phenotypic traits and fitness, and the uncertainty associated with individual selection estimates. Plant-pollinator interactions provide ideal syste
In seasonally variable environments, phenotypic plasticity in phenology may be critical for adaptation to fluctuating environmental conditions. Using an 18-generation longitudinal dataset from natural damselfly populations, we show that phenology has strongly advanced. Individual fitness data suggest this is likely an adaptive response towards a temperature-dependent optimum. A laboratory experime
Hybridization is increasingly recognized as an important evolutionary force. Novel genetic methods now enable us to address how the genomes of parental species are combined in hybrid lineages. However, we still do not know the relative importance of admixed proportions, genome architecture and local selection in shaping hybrid genomes. Here, we take advantage of the genetically divergent island po
Anthropogenic warming is expected to accelerate global soil organic carbon (SOC) losses via microbial decomposition, yet, there is still no consensus on the loss magnitude. In this Perspective, we argue that, despite the mechanistic uncertainty underlying these losses, there is confidence that a strong, positive land carbon–climate feedback can be expected. Two major lines of evidence support net
During the last decade it has been increasingly acknowledged that carbon (C) contained in root exudates can accelerate decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM), a phenomenon known as rhizosphere priming effect (RPE). However, the controlling factors and the role of different soil microorganisms in RPE are not yet well understood. There are some indications that the response of the soil microbial
A substantial portion of grassland photosynthates is allocated belowground to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), but controversy remains about whether this carbon (C) contributes to soil organic carbon (SOC) under warming. The goal of this study was to investigate how AMF biomass and C sequestered by AMF (CNew) are influenced by soil warming. We estimated the AMF biomass and CNew, assumed to be m
Aims: Although nitrogen (N) fixation by moss-associated bacteria is the main source of new N in N-limited ecosystems like arctic tundra, we do not know which nutrient, molybdenum (Mo) or phosphorus (P), is rate-limiting for sustaining this process in the long-term. Further, how moss-associated N2 fixation impacts the belowground microbial regulation of decomposition remains unresolved. Methods: Mo
The magnitude and ecological impact of climate change varies with latitude. Several recent models have shown that tropical ectotherms face the greatest risk from warming because they currently experience temperatures much closer to their physiological optimum than temperate taxa. Even a small increase in temperature may thus result in steep fitness declines in tropical species but increased fitnes
Alpine soils are warming strongly, leading to profound alterations in carbon cycling and greenhouse gas budgets, mediated via the soil microbiome. To explore microbial responses to global warming, we incubated eight alpine soils between 4 and 35 °C and linked the temperature dependency of bacterial growth with alterations in community structures and the identification of temperature sensitive taxa
Biochar has been extensively studied as a soil amendment for carbon sequestration and for improving soil quality; however, a systematic understanding of the responses of soil microbial biomass and diversity to biochar addition is lacking. Here, a meta-analysis of 999 paired data points from 194 studies shows that biochar increases microbial biomass but has variable effects on microbial diversity.
Recent studies have revealed effects of various tree species on soil physical and chemical properties. However, effects of various tree species on composition and activity of soil microbiota and the relevant controls remain poorly understood. We evaluated the influence of tree species associated with two different mycorrhizal types, ectomycorrhiza (EcM) and arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM), on growth, b
Parasite species evolve by switching to new hosts, cospeciating with their current hosts, or speciating on their current hosts. Vector transmitted parasites are expected to speciate by host switching, but confirming this hypothesis has proved challenging. Parasite DNA can be difficult to sequence, thus well resolved parasite phylogenies that are needed to distinguish modes of parasite speciation a
Flowering plants display an extraordinary floral- and reproductive diversity. Variation in the size, shape, colour and scent of flowers, and in systems and strategies of mating, is ubiquitous in comparisons of different species, but also exists among different conspecific populations. Diversity in these characters is central to the evolution of flowering plants and the formation of new species. In
