Sequestration and release of carbon in the decomposer subsystem of the forest floor are key
ecosystem functions of saprotrophic basidiomycetes. Both are the result of fungal metabolic …

The mycelium of woodland fungi can act both as a reservoir and as a distribution system for
nutrients, owing to its physiological and developmental adaptations to life at the interface …

The spatio-temporal distribution of basidiomycetes colonising coniferous litter, and their
impact on carbon and nitrogen cycling is reviewed. Afteria brief phase of colonisation by …

Growth as an interconnected mycelial network is characteristic of filamentous fungi and has
been subject to scientific investigation since the seminal works of Buller at the start of the …

Fungi play a central role in the nutrient cycles of boreal and temperate forests. In these
biomes, the saprotrophic wood-decay fungi are the only organisms that can completely …

Our understanding of how saprotrophic and mycorrhizal fungi interact to re‐circulate carbon
and nutrients from plant litter and soil organic matter is limited by poor understanding of their …

Plant roots and the associated mycorrhizal fungal hyphae often selectively proliferate into
patchily distributed soil nutrient hotspots, but interactions between these two components of …

Fungi play a key role in ecosystem nutrient cycles by scavenging, concentrating,
translocating and redistributing nitrogen. To quantify and predict fungal nitrogen …

In natural terrestrial environments, nutrients are often patchily and sparsely distributed, and
the microclimate is constantly changing both temporally and spatially. To survive, fungi must …

Contents Summary 996 I. Introduction 996 II. An ancient, and diverse, symbiosis 998 III.
Structural diversity in ancient plant–fungal partnerships 1000 IV. Mycorrhizal unity in host …