Claim · model-written summary
girdling of trees connected by EcM networks reduced needle NSC by 33 % in droughted plots
Pinus ponderosaVerbatim
e0“We reduced carbon allocation to ectomycorrhizal (EcM) networks by girdling Pinus ponderosa trees exposed to drought or ambient conditions and manipulated putative fungal connections between trees by trenching”
e1“in droughted plots, trees putatively connected to girdled trees by EcM networks had 33 % less needle NSC and >10% less turgor than those connected to ungirdled trees”
Title
Ectomycorrhizal networks propagate carbon deficit and drought stress among trees
Gerard Sapes; Mary Ellyn DuPre; Alex Goke; et al. bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) 2026. doi:10.64898/2026.05.07.723550
Other claims from this paper (5)
- Intervention effect girdling of trees connected by EcM networks reduced turgor by more than 10% in droughted plots
- Intervention effect trenching that disconnected trees from the mycorrhizal network increased their NSC
- Association the NSC gains from trenching were offset in the presence of ectomycorrhizal networks
- Mechanism increased carbon demand by EcM fungi after reduced carbon inputs from some trees can deplete NSC in neighboring trees via shared mycorrhizal networks
- Mechanism allocation trade-offs under carbon-limiting conditions may expose networked trees to carbon deficits