Contribution of mycorrhizae and soil fungi to nutrient cycling in a Douglas-fir ecosystem

Abstract

The allocation of biomass and nutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg) was measured from August 1976 to September 1978 in a young, second-growth Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco) stand in the Oregon Coast Range. Tree biomass comprised 78–79% of the total standing crop of organic matter with the remainder allocated as follows: soil organic matter, 17%; forest floor, 4%; and fungi, 2%. Bole biomass accounted for 64–66% of the total tree standing crop; the remainder was apportioned among: nonmycorrhizal roots, 17–18%; branches, 7–8%; mycorrhizae, 6%; and foliage, 4%. Nutrient stocks in aboveground tree components exceeded those in belowground components by one to nine times. For all nutrients except Ca, roots and mycorrhizae contained larger stocks than either the forest floor or fungi; amounts of Ca in the forest floor and in fungi were twice those in roots and mycorrhizae. Return of organic matter to the soil by fine roots and mycorrhizae ranged from 84 to 78% of total tree return. About 73% of total net primary production was invested in growth and maintenance of roots and mycorrhizae. Return of N, P, and K to the soil by mycorrhizae comprised 83–87% of total tree return and 25–51% of Ca and Mg return. Return by mycorrhizae of N, P, and K was four to five times greater than that of roots, nearly equal for Ca, and three times less for Mg.