Elevated tropospheric CO₂ and O₃ may not alter initial wood decomposition rate or wood-decaying fungal community composition of Northern hardwoods

Abstract

We examined the effects of elevated CO₂ and/or O₃ on the wood-decaying basidiomycete fungal community and wood decomposition rates at the Aspen Free-Air CO₂ and O₃ Enrichment (Aspen FACE) project. Mass loss rates were determined after one year of log decomposition on the soil surface, and wood-decaying basidiomycetes were isolated from decaying wood and identified via DNA sequencing. Aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) and birch (Betula papyrifera Marshall) wood differed significantly in wood-decaying basidiomycete fungal communities and decomposition rate. Twelve years of site exposure to elevated CO₂ and/or O₃ did not have significant effects on wood-decaying fungal communities. Growth under elevated CO₂ and/or O₃ did not produce wood that differed in decay rate from that grown under ambient atmospheric conditions. Similarly, wood decay rate was not altered significantly when decomposition occurred in elevated CO₂ and/or O₃ environments. Our results suggest that wood decaying fungal community composition and decomposition rates of northern hardwoods may not be directly affected by elevated tropospheric CO₂ and O₃.

Citation

Ebanyenle, Emmanuel; Burton, Andrew J.; Storer, Andrew J.; Richter, Dana L.; Glaeser, Jessie A. 2016. Elevated tropospheric CO₂ and O₃ may not alter initial wood decomposition rate or wood-decaying fungal community composition of Northern Hardwoods. International Biodeterioration and Biodegradationl. 111: 74-77