Plain language summaryEctomycorrhizal fungi are critical for the global carbon cycle, but their seasonal and inter-annual growth patterns remain unclear.

The gap

Consensus across the literature

Supporting evidence — 3 representative gaps

• Interactions between silicate weathering and ectomycorrhiza in severely acidified forests (2026) · doi

  187. Rosling, A., Lindahl, B. D., Taylor, A. F. & Finlay, R. D. Mycelial growth and substrate acidification of ectomycorrhizal fungi in response to different minerals. FEMS Microbiol Ecol. 47, 31–37 (2004). 188. Rosling, A., Lindahl, B. D. & Finlay, R. D. Carbon allocation to ectomycorrhizal roots and mycelium colonising different mineral substrates. N. Phytol. 162, 795–802 (2004). 210. Zhu, J. et al. Changing patterns of global nitrogen deposition driven by socio-economic development. Nat. Commun. 16, 46 (2025). 211. Schulte-Uebbing, L. F., Beusen, A. H. W., Bouwman, A. F. & de Vries, W. From planetary to regional boundaries for agricultural nitrogen pollution. Nature 610, 507–512 (2022). 212. Weldon, J., Merder, J., Ferretti, M. & Grandin, U. Nitrogen deposition 189. May, H., Acker, J., Smyth, J., Bricker, O. & Dyar, M. Aqueous dissolution of low-iron chlorite in dilute acid solutions at 25 C. Clay Miner. Soc. Proc., Abstr. 32, 88 (1995). 190. Gazzè, S. A. et al. Nanoscale channels on ectomycorrhizal-colonized chlorite: Evidence for plant-driven fungal dissolution. J. Geophys. Res.: Biogeosci. 117, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012jg002016 (2012). 191. Steidinger, B. S. et al. Climatic controls of decomposition drive the global biogeography of forest-tree symbioses. Nature 569, 404–408 (2019). 192. Smith, S. E. & Read, D. J. Mycorrhizal Symbiosis. 2 edn, (1997). 193. Johnson, N. C., Gehring, C. & Jansa, J. Mycorrhizal mediation of soil: fertility, structure, and carbon storage. (Elsevier, 2016). 194. Wang, B. & Qiu, Y. L. Phylogenetic distribution and evolution of mycorrhizas in land plants. Mycorrhiza 16, 299–363 (2006). 195. Brundrett, M. C. & Tedersoo, L. Evolutionary history of mycorrhizal symbioses and global host plant diversity. N. Phytol. 220, 1108–1115 (2018). 196. Weber, G. & Claus, M. The influence of chemical soil factors on the development of VA mycorrhizas of ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) and sycamore(Acer pseudoplatanus L.) in pot experiments. J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci. 163, 609–616 (2000). 197. Hasselquist, N. J., Metcalfe, D. B. & Högberg, P. Contrasting effects of low and high nitrogen additions on soil CO2 flux components and ectomycorrhizal fungal sporocarp production in a boreal forest. Glob. Change Biol. 18, 3596–3605 (2012). 198. van Galen, L. G. et al. The biogeography and conservation of Earth’s ‘dark’ ectomycorrhizal fungi. Curr. Biol. 35, R563–R574 (2025). 199. Smith, S. E. & Read, D. J. Mycorrhizal symbiosis. (Academic press, 2010). 200. Martin, F., Kohler, A., Murat, C., Veneault-Fourrey, C. & Hibbett, D. S. Unearthing the roots of ectomycorrhizal symbioses. Nat. Rev. Microbiol 14, 760–773 (2016). 201. Fernandez, C. W., See, C. R. & Kennedy, P. G. Decelerated carbon cycling by ectomycorrhizal fungi is controlled by substrate quality and community composition. N. Phytol. 226, 569–582 (2020). 202. Verbruggen, E., Pena, R., Fernandez, C. W. & Soong, J. L. in Mycorrhizal Mediation of Soil 441-460 (2017). 203.

  Keywords: ectomycorrhizal mycorrhizal soil nitrogen fungi carbon phytol global plant symbioses rosling lindahl finlay substrate different
• Temporal dynamics of ectomycorrhizal fungi: Leaf habit and exploration strategy contribute to seasonal variation in community abundance and composition (2026) · doi

  Plain language summaryEctomycorrhizal fungi are critical for the global carbon cycle, but their seasonal and inter-annual growth patterns remain unclear.

  Keywords: plain language summaryectomycorrhizal fungi critical global carbon cycle seasonal inter annual growth patterns remain unclear
• Effects of different nitrogen additions on soil microbial communities in different seasons in a boreal forest (2017) · doi

  Although the impacts of N deposition on soil microbial communities have been reasonably well studied, microorganism responses to the N addition combined with the seasonal change have rarely been reported.

  Keywords: impacts deposition soil microbial communities reasonably well studied microorganism responses addition combined seasonal change rarely