Study
Belowground carbon trade among tall trees in a temperate forest
Klein, Tamir; Siegwolf, Rolf T. W.; Körner, Christian
Science, 2016
Crowns of mature spruce trees were labelled with isotopically distinct carbon dioxide using a canopy crane, and fine roots of neighbouring trees of other species were sampled for the label.
- Studied in
- Picea abies, Fagus sylvatica, Larix decidua, Pinus sylvestris
- Sample size
- 5 mature spruce trees labelled, with neighbours sampled
The label appeared in the fine roots of neighbouring trees of different species, indicating substantial carbon movement below ground.
What it means
The authors' reading, and ours. Where they differ, that difference is the point.
How the authors put it
Considerable amounts of carbon are exchanged between mature forest trees below ground, likely via mycorrhizal networks.
How NatureHQ reads it
Stronger than the 1997 work in one important respect — these were mature forest trees, not seedlings — and it is the best evidence that below-ground carbon movement is a real, non-trivial process. It still does not establish that the movement benefits the recipient tree, or that fungi are acting as an altruistic distribution system rather than trading for their own account.
- Five labelled trees.
- Carbon found in roots does not establish that it was used by the tree rather than by fungi.
- One forest, one season.
What this study is used for on NatureHQ
One study can inform several subjects. Here is everywhere this one is cited.
Published by: American Association for the Advancement of SciencePublished in Science or Science Advances (AAAS).
doi.org/10.1126/science.aad6188
This reference was resolved automatically against Crossref and OpenAlex on 2026-08-11.
NatureHQ summarises research in its own words and does not reproduce published text. Reviewed 2026-08-09.