Pollutions , fungi, trees and others
Pollution is changing the fungi that provide minerals nutrients to tree roots, causing plants in Europe to become malnutritioned, a study had s found.
To get nutrients from the soil, trees host fungi , known as my carrhizal fungi, in their roots.These fungi receive carbon from the tree in exchange for essential nutrients, lke
nitrogen,phosphorus and potassiums, which they gather from the soil.
This plant-fungal symbiotic relationship is crucial for health of the tree .Recent studies have noted signs of tree malnutrition across Europe ,such as discolored leaves lost from the crown.
A ten year study led by imperial college London (ICL) and the Royal Botanic Gardens in the UK showed that tree characteristics and local air , soil quality have a large impact on
mycorrhizae.The study published in "Nature'' examined ---40,000 roots from
----13,000 soil samples at
------- 137 forest sites in
--------20 European countries.
This allowed researchers to discover large scale trends my corrhizal communities, including their tolerance to pollution.
There is a trend of tree malnutrition across Europe, which leaves forests vulnerable to peats, disease and climate change, said lead researcher Martin Idartondo from ICL.
The study found that European pollution limits may be far too high -said Bidarotondo.
In North America the limits are much lower.The trees in Europe are not more tolerant than those that are in North America-"their fungi are just suffering more"- he added.