bei Google ScholarTitelangaben
Guhr, Alexander ; Borken, Werner ; Spohn, Marie ; Matzner, Egbert:
Redistribution of soil water by a saprotrophic fungus enhances carbon mineralization.
In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
Bd. 112
(2015)
Heft 47
.
- S. 14647-14651.
ISSN 1091-6490
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1514435112
Abstract
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 fungalbasedfood webs are less sensitive and better adapted to soildesiccation than bacterial-based food webs. One reason for a betterfungal adaptation to soil desiccation may be hydraulic redistributionof water by mycelia networks. Here we show that a saprotrophicfungus (Agaricus bisporus) redistributes water frommoist (–0.03 MPa) into dry (–9.5 MPa) soil at about 0.3 cm·min−1 in single hyphae, resulting in an increase in soil water potential after 72 h. The increase in soil moisture by hydraulic redistribution significantly enhanced carbonmineralization by 2,800% and enzymatic activity by 250–350% inthe previously dry soil compartment within 168 h. Our results demonstrate that hydraulic redistribution can partly compensate water deficiency if water is available in other zones of the mycelia network.Hydraulic redistribution is likely one of themechanisms behind higherdrought resistance of soil fungi compared with bacteria. Moreover,hydraulic redistribution by saprotrophic fungi is an underrated pathway of water transport in soils and may lead to a transfer of water to zones of high fungal activity.