Traditional strict separation of fungi into ecological niches as mutualist, parasite or saprotroph is increasingly called into question. Sequences of assumed saprotrophs have been amplified from plant root interiors, and several saprotrophic genera can invade and interact with host plants in laboratory growth experiments. However, it is uncertain if root invasion by saprotrophic fungi is a widespread phenomenon and if laboratory interactions mirror field conditions. Here, we focused on the widespread and speciose saprotrophic genus Mycena and performed (1) a systematic survey of their occurrences (in ITS1/ITS2 datasets) in mycorrhizal roots of 10 plant species, and (2) an analysis of natural abundances of ¹³ C/ ¹⁵ N stable isotope signatures of Mycena basidiocarps from five field locations to examine their trophic status. We found that Mycena was the only saprotrophic genus consistently found in 9 out of 10 plant host roots, with no indication that the host roots were senescent or otherwise vulnerable. Furthermore, Mycena basidiocarps displayed isotopic signatures consistent with published ¹³ C/ ¹⁵ N profiles of both saprotrophic and mutualistic lifestyles, supporting earlier laboratory‐based studies. We argue that Mycena are widespread latent invaders of healthy plant roots and that Mycena species may form a spectrum of interactions besides saprotrophy also in the field.

Many plant and fungal species use volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as chemical signals to convey information about the location or quality of their fruits or fruiting bodies to animal dispersers. Identifying the environmental factors and biotic interactions that shape fruit selection by animals is key to understanding the evolutionary processes that underpin chemical signaling. Using fourElaphomycestruffle species, we explored the role of fruiting depth, VOC emissions, and protein content in selection by five rodent species. We used stable isotope analysis of nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) in truffles to estimate fruiting depth, proton‐transfer‐reaction mass spectrometry to determine volatile emission composition, and nitrogen concentrations to calculate digestible protein of truffles. We coupled field surveys of truffle availability with truffle spore loads in rodent scat to determine selection by rodents. Despite presumably easier access to the shallow fruiting species,E. americanus(0.5‐cm depth) andE. verruculosus(2.5‐cm depth), most rodents selected for truffles fruiting deeper in the soil,E. macrosporus(4.1‐cm depth) andE. bartlettii(5.0‐cm depth). The deeper fruiting species had distinct VOC profiles and produced significantly higher quantities of odiferous compounds.Myodes gapperi(southern red‐backed vole), a fungal specialist, also selected for truffles with high levels of digestible protein,E. verruculosusandE. macrosporus. Our results highlight the importance of chemical signals in truffle selection by rodents and suggest that VOCs are under strong selective pressures relative to protein rewards. Strong chemical signals likely allow detection of truffles deep within the soil and reduce foraging effort by rodents. For rodents that depend on fungi as a major food source, protein content may also be important in selecting truffles.

Land use changes exert important impacts on climate, primarily through altering greenhouse gas (GHG) and surface energy fluxes. Biogeochemical models have incorporated a relatively complete suite of biogeochemical processes to simulate GHG fluxes. However, these models often lack detailed processes of surface energy exchange, limiting their ability to assess the impacts of land use change on climate. In this study, we incorporated processes of surface energy exchange into a widely used biogeochemistry model, DeNitrification‐DeComposition (DNDC), so that it can quantify both GHG and energy fluxes between the biosphere and the atmosphere. When tested against field observations for the three dominant land use types (forest, hayfield, and cornfield) in the northeastern United States, the improved DNDC successfully captured the observed fluxes of outgoing shortwave radiation, latent heat, sensible heat, net ecosystem exchange of CO₂, and their differences among the three land use types. To evaluate the differences in radiative forcing among these land use types, we conducted 100‐year simulations and converted the modeled GHG fluxes to radiative forcing using an atmospheric impulse response model. Our results show that the 100‐year cumulative differences in net radiative forcing are 3.35 nW m⁻² between the hayfield and forest (slight warming) and 43.2 nW m⁻² between the cornfield and forest (warming) per hectare land use difference. The cooling effects of increased albedo after the conversion of forest to hayfield or cornfield (observed and modeled in recent years) are gradually offset by the warming effects of the increasing release of GHG as the forest becomes older.