Do traits control stabilization of fungal-derived carbon in forest soils?

Residues from dead microbial cells, or necromass, are now recognized as major contributors to soil organic carbon. Globally, plants allocate sizable proportions of carbon fixed to mycorrhizal fungi, thus the fate of this carbon has tremendous implications on ecosystem carbon cycling and potential for carbon sequestration in soils. Mycorrhizal fungal communities often comprise diverse sets of species with widely varying traits, which may ultimately govern how the carbon held in these inputs is stabilized in soil. In this presentation, I will discuss how fungal traits govern the chemical recalcitrance, the physio-chemical protection, and the associated microbial decomposers of mycorrhizal necromass.