Research Keyword: soil ecology

Interactions Between Morel Cultivation, Soil Microbes, and Mineral Nutrients: Impacts and Mechanisms

This study examined how growing morel mushrooms affects the soil they’re planted in. Researchers found that different morel species had different effects on soil bacteria and fungi, with some species dramatically reducing the variety of fungi present. The study also discovered that morel growth depletes certain nutrients like boron while accumulating calcium, and that calcium levels are closely linked to how well morels grow.

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Comparative Analysis of the Mycobiomes of Two Terrestrial Isopods, Armadillidium vulgare and Spherillo obscurus

This study compared the fungal communities living on two species of pill bugs found on Korean islands. Researchers discovered that one species, Spherillo obscurus, harbors a much more diverse and varied fungal community than the other species, Armadillidium vulgare, which is dominated by a single fungal genus. Interestingly, the type of isopod species was far more important in determining which fungi lived on them than the geographic location where they were found.

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Effect of Rare, Locally Isolated Entomopathogenic Fungi on the Survival of Bactrocera oleae Pupae in Laboratory Soil Conditions

Researchers tested seventeen types of fungi that infect insects to see if they could control the olive fruit fly, a major pest in Greece that damages olive crops. Using fungi from local Greek soil samples, they exposed young olive fruit flies to different fungal treatments both in soil and without soil. Some fungi, particularly Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus keveii, were highly effective at killing the flies and preventing them from reproducing normally. These results suggest that using these naturally occurring fungi could be a safer alternative to chemical pesticides for protecting olive groves.

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Arbuscular mycorrhiza suppresses microbial abundance, and particularly that of ammonia oxidizing bacteria, in agricultural soils

This study examined how a common soil fungus called arbuscular mycorrhiza affects bacteria and archaea that process ammonia in agricultural soils. Using 50 different soils from the Czech Republic, researchers found that the fungus suppresses ammonia-oxidizing bacteria but not archaea. Interestingly, the fungus actually increased ammonia levels in soil rather than depleting them, suggesting the suppression works through mechanisms beyond simple competition for nutrients.

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Research landscape of experiments on global change effects on mycorrhizas

Scientists conducted a comprehensive review of research studies examining how mycorrhizal fungi—fungi that help plants grow by living in their roots—respond to environmental changes caused by humans. They analyzed nearly 2,900 studies and found that most research focuses on just one environmental stress at a time, with very little studying how multiple stresses work together. The review identifies important gaps in our knowledge, particularly for emerging environmental threats like microplastics and for certain types of mycorrhizal fungi that haven’t been studied as much.

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Cellular anatomy of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are special underground fungi that form partnerships with plant roots to help plants grow. Unlike most cells, these fungi form long, tube-like structures without walls dividing them into sections, allowing nutrients and other materials to flow freely throughout their networks. This review explains how these fungi are built at the cellular level, including their walls, membranes, and internal structures, helping scientists better understand how they exchange nutrients with plants and contribute to healthy ecosystems.

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