GEOCHEMICAL ALTERATION OF ENDOMYCORRHIZAL FUNGAL SPORES AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURES

The objective of this study is to identify and categorize the organic and inorganic transformations of various endomychorrhizal fungal spores collected from the high semi arid plains of Arizona and a temperate forest of Maryland at varying temperatures in an effort to better quantify the effects of surface fire on mineral soils. Prior research from a typical eastern US forest soil has revealed that these fungal spores are structurally resistant to high temperatures (up to 500°C) and are morphologically indistinguishable from their unburned counterparts. We believe this to be, in part, due to the presence of biomineralized structures in some of the species. Carbon and nitrogen elemental and stable isotope analysis on bulk fungal spore samples from Maryland has shown a decrease in total percent carbon with a corresponding increase in δ¹³C values between 250° and 350 °C. Analysis on total percent nitrogen and δ¹⁵N percent produced similar results. There will be a continuation of this project on the Arizona samples to see if endomychorrizal species from varying environments will portray the same characteristics.