Biomass, mycorrhizal colonization, carbon and nitrogen content of Scots pine and birch seedlings grown in soil from mixed and monoculture stands

Soils were collected and transported to the lab and sieved. Conetainers were filled with sieved soil and non-mycorrhizal seedlings germinated for 2-4 weeks were placed in the containers and transferred to a controlled environment chamber for 20 weeks. Plants were extracted, roots removed and assayed for colonisation under a microscope, and leafs dried, weighed, ground and analysed on a CN analyser.

C and N analysis was using a CUBE elemental analyser and included known standards to check for drift and precision.

Balances are calibrated regularly.

Data were imported into Excel and plotted to check for any outliers.