Nature Communications (Jun 2017)

Mycelium-mediated transfer of water and nutrients stimulates bacterial activity in dry and oligotrophic environments

  • Anja Worrich,
  • Hryhoriy Stryhanyuk,
  • Niculina Musat,
  • Sara König,
  • Thomas Banitz,
  • Florian Centler,
  • Karin Frank,
  • Martin Thullner,
  • Hauke Harms,
  • Hans-Hermann Richnow,
  • Anja Miltner,
  • Matthias Kästner,
  • Lukas Y. Wick

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15472
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 1
pp. 1 – 9

Abstract

Read online

The maintenance of bacterial and fungal activity is essential for ecosystem functioning, particularly in dry soils where the two phyla co-exist. Here, Worrich and colleagues show experimentally that mycelia traffic water and nutrients and thereby stimulate bacterial activity in stressful conditions.