User:Forestfungi/Evaluate an Article

Which article are you evaluating?
Hartig net

Why you have chosen this article to evaluate?
The Hartig net is the site of symbiotic exchange between tree roots and ectomycorrhizal fungi. Although this article defines the Hartig net, more thorough and current information could be added regarding its function and importance.

Evaluate the article
The Hartig net is a vital structure in ectomycorrhizal symbioses. It is great that this article exists to provide a basic definition of the structure, but I feel the article could be improved in the following ways:


 * ·       The lead paragraph could provide more introductory information about the function and importance of the Hartig net in the context of ECM symbiosis.


 * ·       The three structural components of the ECM fungi in symbiosis (mantle, Hartig net, and extraradical hyphae) are mentioned but not identified.


 * ·       Sections could be added to the article with additional information at least including 1) morphology, 2) growth 3) function  4) History (naming and early study)


 * ·       Several citations could be updated with current peer-reviewed articles
 * ·       The third paragraph is quite misleading. It should be corrected in the following ways-
 * Potassium is not the only plant nutrient provided by ECM fungi
 * No mention is made of the fungal symbionts acquiring sugar from plant hosts via the Hartig net. This should be included and explained.
 * ECM fungi associate primarily with tree roots in temperate and boreal forests and have little or no impact on “farmable crops”. This should be removed. Forests and tree roots should be mentioned instead.
 * Similarly, the mention of lichens should be removed altogether. Lichens are a very different symbiotic system. The citation given here is a review that broadly covers many symbiotic systems, and is inappropriate unless used to cite specific information that it provides regarding ECM fungi.
 * Many more research articles can be mentioned, describing each of the essential plant nutrients that have been studied to describe “ the chemicals it provides”
 * Again, the Hartig net is taking up sugars released into the apoplastic space by plant root cells. This should be described and clarified if this is what is meant by ‘bi-directional nutrient uptake’. This phrasing is unclear and possibly misleading
 * ·       The citation given for facultative biotrophy in saprotrophs is unnecessary and inappropriate without clear introduction and context. There may be more comprehensive and useful reviews to cite regarding nutrient transport.
 * ·       The mention of heavy metal accumulation is beyond the scope of this article (and does not make sense in the context of the sentence). The citation given here is a broad review that discusses AM and ECM plants and belongs in an article that discusses the benefits of mycorrhizal symbiosis. It should be removed or explained more clearly
 * ·       Overall, the article could be much more descriptive, organized, informative, and clearly written.
 * ·       Additional images of root cross-sections might be useful as well.