Piracy in the high trees: ectomycorrhizal fungi from an aerial ‘canopy soil’ microhabitat

Researchers discovered that ectomycorrhizal fungi, typically associated with terrestrial roots, also colonize adventitious canopy roots of Nothofagus menziesii trees in the temperate rainforests of South West New Zealand World Heritage Area. This unexpected finding suggests a novel mechanism for nutrient acquisition in these ecosystems, bypassing traditional soil-ground cycles by tapping into canopy soil nutrients. The study identified 14 fungal phylotypes from nine genera, including seven known to form ectomycorrhizas with terrestrial Nothofagus roots and two previously unreported in this context (Clavulina and Leotia). Using DNA sequencing and cluster analysis on 74 root tips collected from three old-growth trees, the research highlights the functional significance of canopy ectomycorrhizas, which may enhance host nutrition while also implicating competition for nutrients between the host tree and epiphytes in this aerial microhabitat.

Orlovich, D. A., Draffin, S. J., Daly, R. A., & Stephenson, S. L. (2013). Piracy in the high trees: ectomycorrhizal fungi from an aerial ‘canopy soil’ microhabitat. Mycologia, 105(1), 52–60. https://doi.org/10.3852/11-307