Seasonal variation of active fungal mycelium in an oligotrophic Sphagnum mire, northern Sweden

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Abstract

Variation in the amount of metabolically-active fungal hyphae, as determined by fluorescein diacetate (FDA) staining, was studied during three growing seasons in two plant communities at four depths in an oligotrophic mixed mire in northern Sweden. The total length of FDA-active hyphae ranged between 0–450 m g−1 dry wt in the hummocks and between 0–100 m g−1 dry wt in the lawns. At the surface the amount was depressed by drought in the late summer. At the lower levels sampled, the total length of fungal hyphae was often depressed in the middle of the summer, despite high soil temperature and suitable water content. By partial least-square regression (PLS) 50% of the variance in FDA-active hyphae was explained by the environmental variables, especially the depth to ground water level and temperature. The amount of FDA-active mycelium was comparable to that found in forest soils, but higher than in pasture soils.

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  • Cited by (0)

    Present address: Department of Water in Environment and Society, University of Linköping, S-581 83 Linköping, Sweden.

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