Narrowing the gap between theory and practice in mycorrhizal management

Research on interactions between plants and their symbiotic mycorrhizal fungi has increased dramatically during the last decade, generating a confusing body of theoretical and empirical results. Simultaneously, there has been an explosion in commercial applications of mycorrhizal fungi in agriculture, horticulture, forestry and ecosystem restoration. Considering the unexpected consequences of many human introductions of non-native plants and animals, and our current lack of understanding of the factors controlling mutualistic performance of mycorrhizas, it is alarming that so little caution is being used in commercial applications of mycorrhizal fungi. Our proposed working group will: 1) perform meta-analyses to synthesize the currently disparate body of empirical and theoretical work on mycorrhizal function within communities and ecosystems, 2) develop models of mycorrhizal performance with environmental conditions and plant and fungal phenotypes as variables, 3) generate recommendations and precautions regarding the commercial use of mycorrhizal inoculum, 4) establish an online database that documents inoculation trials and tracks their outcome over time, and 5) organize a symposium at an international conference. In addition to contributing to the development of principles to guide mycorrhizal management, our efforts will help generate better theories for understanding the roles of mutualisms in population and community dynamics.