C-13 incorporation into signature fatty acids as an assay for carbon allocation in arbuscular mycorrhiza
The ubiquitous arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi consume significant amounts of plant assimilated C, but this C flow has been difficult to quantify. The neutral lipid fatty acid 16:1ω 5 is a quantitative signature for most arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in roots and soil. We measured carbon transfer from four plant species to the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus intraradices by estimating C-13 enrich