‘Plant-mycorrhiza synergy’ can revitalize forest restoration

While the world is struggling with the intertwined challenges of global forest degradation and climate change, traditional forest restoration approaches have shown critical gaps. These approaches, which have long focused exclusively on the upper carbon storage, often lead to a recovery of slow -soil carbon and an insufficient restoration of the complete functionality of ecosystems.

To fill this gap, an international study led by the Botanical Garden of South China of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with research partners of Germany, the United States, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Italy, introduced a novel “Plant-Mycorhiza Synergy”, with results published in the newspaper ” Trends of ecology and evolution.

By synthesizing global data sets on forest biodiversity, the research team has discovered distinct but complementary roles played by the two most dominant types of mycorrhizal mushrooms – symbiotic organizations that form partnerships with plant roots – each contributing unique to soil health and carbon storage.

The mycorrhizal shrubs (AM) mushrooms, when associated with their host plants, act as “deep carbon engineers”. These plant plant partnerships generate a litter of high quality leaves, root exudats (organic substances released by plant roots) and large underground fungal networks, all of which lead the formation and stabilization of organic matter associated with mineral (MAOM) in deeper soil layers. This process not only allows long -term carbon storage, but also improves the retention and fertility of soil water, throwing a basis for sustained health of ecosystems.

On the other hand, ectomycorhiziens (ECM) mushrooms and their associated plants work as “surface commissioners”. The plants of these partnerships produce a litter which decomposes slowly, while the fungi compete for nitrogen in topsoil, which increases the accumulation of particulate organic matter (POM) in the upper layers of the soil. The POM is essential to maintain the structure of the soil, provide nutrients to plants and microbes, supporting microbial activity and supporting the productivity of short -term ecosystems.

The key computer computer science lies in the way in which these two fungal types interact in various mixed forests: the deep mame facilitated by fungi ensures long -term stability of carbon, while the surface POM based on ECM mushrooms maintains the vitality of the continuous ecosystem. This double mechanism not only considerably increases carbon storage in forest soils, but also simultaneously improves nutrient retention, resilience to drought, resistance to environmental disturbances and overall biodiversity.

The research team has created a practical workflow “Evalue-Inoculate-Monitor” for real-world restoration projects. First of all, they assess local conditions – climate, soil, vegetation and mycorrhizal type (AM or ECM). For example, AM systems prevail in tropical regions, while MIXTE AM / ECM types occur in temperate and boreal areas. Then, the species are chosen for various root depths, growth rates and a mixture of plants associated with AMM and ECM to optimize resources and carbon distribution.

Mycorrhizal inoculation with native and effective fungi helps to reconstruct microbiomas of the soil, to improve the survival of plants and tolerance to stress. Finally, adaptive monitoring follows key indicators such as the POM / MAOM ratio and biodiversity, allowing managers to refine strategies as conditions change.

The validity of the frame is supported by the tropical forest restoration project of 60 years of SCBG, where the mixed forests established using the principles of the synergy of mycorrhiz for plants have shown about 40% of carbon storage of the soil from the highest soil compared to monoculture plantations, as well as the significant recovery of local biodiversity.

This research offers a critical “solution underground” to advance the global framework for Kunming-Montreal biodiversity of the UN, a historic agreement aimed at interrupting and reverse the loss of biodiversity by 2030.