Can plants choose their ectomycorrhizal fungal partners?

Have you ever wondered why some fungal species only grow under certain trees? Why are some parts of the woods great for the mushrooms you want, while other parts are barren? One part of the story may be that the trees can pick and choose the fungi on their roots. In the ectomycorrhizal mutualism, plants give carbon (sugars) to the fungi on their roots in exchange for soil resources like nitrogen. If the fungi that provide more nitrogen get more carbon in exchange, a plant should be able to encourage the cooperation of its symbionts. Our speakser has been using stable isotope labeling techniques to track where Bishop Pine seedlings send their carbon when given a choice between "cooperative" and "uncooperative" Slippery Jack fungal partners. This process is important in determining where fungi can grow, which plants they can associate with, and has implications for why the ectomycorrhizal mutualism exists at all.

Speaker: Laura Bogar