CHANGES IN CATION CONCENTRATIONS IN RED SPRUCE WOOD DECAYED BY BROWN-ROT AND WHITE-ROT FUNGI

Red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) wood blocks were incubated in modified soil block jars and inoculated with one of nine white rot or brown ro t basidiomycetes. Concentrations of calcium, magnesium, potassium, iro n, and aluminum were determined using inductively coupled plasma emiss ion spectroscopy in wood incubated 0, 1.5, 4, and 8 months after inocu lation. Concentrations of calcium and magnesium tended to increase wit h time in a linear fashion in wood inoculated with fungi. Patterns of change in potassium concentrations varied. Concentrations of iron and aluminum were high in wood decayed by some of the fungi, particularly Postia placenta (Fr.) M. Larsen & Lombard. Temporal trends in wood cat ion concentration varied among decay fungi tested, indicating that spe cies of decay fungus should be considered when examining the role of w ood decay in nutrient cycling in the forest.