Research shows urban trees have the most diverse mycorrhiza |
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Elms along Amsterdam's canals host a greater variety of mycorrhiza around their roots than trees in parks or forests, but this does not translate into better health. This surprising conclusion comes from research conducted by the University of Amsterdam and Naturalis.
Using DNA analysis, researchers identified the so-called arbuscular mycorrhiza in Dutch elms (*Ulmus × hollandica*) located in an urban forest, a park, and a street setting. They found that the fungal diversity in the roots of urban trees was remarkably high.
Competition
The researchers suspect that competition among fungi functions differently for isolated urban trees, preventing a single species from dominating—a process that may occur more frequently in forest and park environments.
Applying mycorrhiza
The study does not explain why the greater diversity of mycorrhiza does not result in improved tree health. However, it raises the question of how effective it is to apply 'random' mycorrhiza without knowing which fungi can successfully establish in a particular location and provide benefits to the tree.
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An article on this research can be found here.
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This article was originally published on February 20, 2025, on the Boomzorg website.
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