Decomposer fungi are the primary decay agents in temperate forest ecosystems. In this sense they play a crucial role in ecosystem function since their activities help to regulate soil carbon and nutrient cycles. This doctoral dissertation study examines whether there is relationship between the diversity of decomposer fungi and wood decay. It also asks if major environmental disturbances such as climate change and nitrogen deposition can disrupt this relationship. To address interactions among the fungal decomposer community, environmental change, and soil nutrient cycles, red maple wood was buried in soil at the Harvard Forest long-term Soil Warming × Nitrogen Addition Study. This experiment mimics the increased temperatures and nitrogen inputs that occur as the result of global warming and acid rain. The red maple acts as a food source that soil fungi colonize and decompose. After 12, 18, and 24 months, the red maple will be removed from the soil and assessed for its state of decay. At the same time, the fungi that colonized both the outside and the inside of the wood bait will be identified using a method that extracts, clones, and sequences fungal DNA. This approach will allow the quantitative assessment of how fungi respond to environmental stress, and in turn, how this response might adversely impact ecosystem function. A broader implication is that it will provide information on how soil fungi contribute to large scale processes, and how they should be considered when devising land conservation and restoration plans. Training for an undergraduate assistant will be an added benefit of the doctoral student's activities.
