Abstract
Abstract Subantarctic Nothofagus forests are the southernmost forests in the world, with negligible atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition. Most paradigms about the role of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi in N cycling and plant N uptake at high latitudes have been tested in boreal coniferous forests, while in the southern hemisphere, ECM hosts are primarily angiosperms. Using ITS1 meta‐barcoding, we characterized ECM and saprotrophic fungal communities in evergreen and deciduous Nothofagus forests forming monodominant and mixed stands in the archipelago of Tierra del Fuego (Chile and Argentina). We assessed the N economy of Nothofagus by correlating host species with fungal relative abundances, edaphic variables, net N mineralization, microbial biomass N and the activity of eight extracellular soil enzymes activities. The N economy of deciduous N. pumilio forests was strikingly similar to boreal coniferous forests, with the lowest inorganic N availability and net N mineralization, in correlation to higher relative abundances of ECM fungi with enzymatic capacity for organic N mobilization (genus Cortinarius ). In contrast, the N economy of evergreen N. betuloides forests was predominantly inorganic and correlated with ECM lineages from the family Clavulinaceae, in acidic soils with poor drainage. Grassy understory vegetation in deciduous N. antarctica forests likely promoted saprotrophic fungi (i.e., genus Mortierella ) in correlation with higher activities of carbon‐degrading enzymes. Differences between Nothofagus hosts did not persist in mixed forests, illustrating the range of soil fertility of these ECM angiosperms and the underlying effects of soil and climate on Nothofagus distribution and N cycling in southern Patagonia.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record; open copy licensed cc-by. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 7
Claim · model-written summary
The N economy of deciduous N. pumilio forests had the lowest inorganic N availability and net N mineralization, similar to boreal coniferous forests.
- Taxon
- N. pumilio
Nothofagus pumilioe1 - Outcome
- inorganic N availability and net N mineralizatione1
- Direction
- loweste1
- Qualifier
- strikingly similar to boreal coniferous forestse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“The N economy of deciduous N. pumilio forests was strikingly similar to boreal coniferous forests, with the lowest inorganic N availability and net N mineralization”
Claim · model-written summary
In deciduous N. pumilio forests, higher relative abundances of ECM fungi with enzymatic capacity for organic N mobilization, including genus Cortinarius, correlated with the N economy.
- Taxon
- N. pumilioNothofagus pumilioe1
- Interactor
- ECM fungie2symbiont
- Second interactor
- Cortinarius
Cortinariuse3symbiont - Outcome
- relative abundancese2
- Direction
- highere2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“The N economy of deciduous N. pumilio forests was strikingly similar to boreal coniferous forests, with the lowest inorganic N availability and net N mineralization”
e2“in correlation to higher relative abundances of ECM fungi with enzymatic capacity for organic N mobilization”
e3“genus Cortinarius”
Claim · model-written summary
The N economy of evergreen N. betuloides forests was predominantly inorganic.
- Taxon
- N. betuloides
Nothofagus betuloidese4 - Outcome
- N economye4
- Qualifier
- predominantly inorganice4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e4“In contrast, the N economy of evergreen N. betuloides forests was predominantly inorganic and correlated with ECM lineages from the family Clavulinaceae, in acidic soils with poor drainage”
Claim · model-written summary
The N economy of evergreen N. betuloides forests correlated with ECM lineages from the family Clavulinaceae in acidic soils with poor drainage.
- Taxon
- N. betuloidesNothofagus betuloidese4
- Interactor
- ECM lineages from the family Clavulinaceaee4symbiont
- Outcome
- N economye4
- Qualifier
- in acidic soils with poor drainagee4
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e4“In contrast, the N economy of evergreen N. betuloides forests was predominantly inorganic and correlated with ECM lineages from the family Clavulinaceae, in acidic soils with poor drainage”
Claim · model-written summary
Grassy understory vegetation in deciduous N. antarctica forests likely promoted saprotrophic fungi.
- Taxon
- N. antarctica
Nothofagus antarcticae5 - Treatment
- Grassy understory vegetatione5
- Outcome
- saprotrophic fungie5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e5“Grassy understory vegetation in deciduous N. antarctica forests likely promoted saprotrophic fungi”
Claim · model-written summary
Saprotrophic fungi in deciduous N. antarctica forests were correlated with higher activities of carbon‐degrading enzymes.
- Taxon
- N. antarcticaNothofagus antarcticae5
- Interactor
- saprotrophic fungie5other
- Outcome
- activities of carbon‐degrading enzymese6
- Direction
- highere6
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e5“Grassy understory vegetation in deciduous N. antarctica forests likely promoted saprotrophic fungi”
e6“in correlation with higher activities of carbon‐degrading enzymes”
Claim · model-written summary
Differences between Nothofagus hosts did not persist in mixed forests.
- Taxon
- Nothofagus
Nothofaguse7 - Outcome
- Differences between Nothofagus hostse7
- Qualifier
- did not persiste7
- Setting
- mixed forestse7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e7“Differences between Nothofagus hosts did not persist in mixed forests”