Effect of nitrogen on fungal growth efficiency
Open Access
- 3 July 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Informa UK Limited in Plant Biosystems - An International Journal Dealing with all Aspects of Plant Biology
- Vol. 154 (4), 433-437
- https://doi.org/10.1080/11263504.2020.1779849
Abstract
The contribution of fungi to carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling is related to their growth efficiency (amount of biomass produced per unit of substrate utilized). The concentration and availability of N influence the activity and growth efficiency of saprotrophic fungi. When N is scarce in soils, fungi have to invest more energy to obtain soil N, which could result in lower growth efficiencies. Yet, the effect of N on the growth efficiencies of individual species of fungi in soil has not been studied extensively. In this study, we investigated the influence of different concentrations of mineral N on the growth efficiency of two common soil fungi, Trichoderma harzianum and Mucor hiemalis in a soil-like environment. We hypothesized that a higher N availability will coincide with higher biomass production and growth efficiency. We measured fungal biomass production and respiration fluxes in sand microcosms amended with cellobiose and mineral N at different C:N ratios. For both fungal species lower C:N ratios resulted in the highest biomass production as well as the highest growth efficiency. This may imply that when N is applied concurrently with a degradable C source, a higher amount of N will be temporarily immobilized into fungal biomass.Keywords
This publication has 29 references indexed in Scilit:
- The Ecology of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal FungiCritical Reviews in Plant Sciences, 2013
- Nitrogen losses from two grassland soils with different fungal biomassSoil Biology and Biochemistry, 2011
- Microbial production of recalcitrant organic matter in global soils: implications for productivity and climate policyNature Reviews Microbiology, 2010
- Drying and rewetting effects on soil microbial community composition and nutrient leachingSoil Biology and Biochemistry, 2008
- Stability of organic carbon in deep soil layers controlled by fresh carbon supplyNature, 2007
- Fungal biomass in pastures increases with age and reduced N inputSoil Biology and Biochemistry, 2007
- Fungal/bacterial ratios in grasslands with contrasting nitrogen managementSoil Biology and Biochemistry, 2006
- The Fungal Community. Its Organization and Role in the Ecosystem. 3rd Edition Edited by John Dighton, James F. White, and Peter Oudemans (Rutgers University). Taylor & Francis Group, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. 2005. xx + 936 pp. 18.5 × 26 cm. $139.95. ISBN 0-8247-2355-4.Journal of Natural Products, 2006
- Living in a fungal world: impact of fungi on soil bacterial niche developmentFEMS Microbiology Reviews, 2005
- Proteases produced during autolysis of filamentous fungiTransactions of the British Mycological Society, 1988