Carbon and nitrogen interactions

The experiments depicted in Figs. 1 and 4 did not determine true optima. In the study of carbon and nitrogen interactions, the optima appeared to lie in the range of 2.4 to 4.0 g/1 for carbon and 0.084 to 0.14 gA nitrogen. One point fell in this range, and it was the maximum for this series of experiments but it is not necessarily an optimum. Likewise, in the partial factorial design depicted in Fig. 4, all of the maxima occurred at star points rather than within the matrix, so it is apparent that the optimum or optima lie somewhere outside the limits of the experimental design. Despite these limitations, several useful inferences can be drawn from these data. 

C/N ratio should be investigated over a range of scales to find the cause of ecosystem responses in forest floor processes. The fundamental processes in carbon and nitrogen interaction occur at the interface between the fungal mycelium, the discrete carbon resource unit, and the ambient nitrogen supply. The dynamics of nutrient-responsive foraging might be modelled in terms of these three compartments. 

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