Nitrogen fertilization reduces the standing biomass, abundance, and size of Cenococcum sclerotia: a ubiquitous but rarely quantified ectomycorrhizal soil carbon pool.

Summary: Did you know that tiny, hard balls of fungus live in the soil? These little balls, called sclerotia, help store a lot of carbon in the ground. Scientists looked at oak tree soils in Minnesota to see what happens when we add extra nitrogen, like from fertilizer or pollution. They found that adding nitrogen makes these fungal balls smaller and fewer in number. This means less carbon is saved in the dirt, which is important for understanding how pollution changes our earth.