Frankia and Alnus rubra canopy roots: an assessment of genetic diversity, propagule availability, and effects on soil nitrogen
Kennedy PG, Schouboe JL, Rogers RH, Weber MG, Nadkarni NM. 2009. Frankia and Alnus rubra canopy roots: an assessment of genetic diversity, propagule availability, and effects on soil nitrogen. Microbial Ecology
From the Abstract: "The ecological importance of microbial symbioses in terrestrial soils is widely recognized, but their role in soils that accumulate in forest canopies is almost entirely unknown. To address this gap, this study investigated the Frankia-Alnus rubra symbiosis in canopy and forest floor roots at Olympic National Park, WA, USA. Sixteen mature A. rubra trees were surveyed and Frankia genetic diversity in canopy and forest floor nodules was assessed with sequence-based nifH analyses. A seedling bioassay experiment was conducted to determine Frankia propagule availability in canopy and forest floor soils. Total soil nitrogen from both environments was also quanitified. Nodules were present in the canopies of nine of the 16 trees sampled. Across the study area, Frankia canopy and forest floor assemblages were similar, with both habitats containing the same two genotypes."
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Kennedy, Peter; Schouboe, Jesse; Rogers, Rachel; Weber, Marjorie; Nadkarni, Nalini
- Units
- OLYM
- Keywords
- canopy roots, Quinault River Watershed, Riparian, Soil, symbiosis, temperate rain forest