structural:expansion
Seedling establishment

Seedling establishment research often is focused on forest level communities with similar fungal species. However mycorrhizal networks may shift intraspecific and interspecific interactions that may alter preestablished plants' physiology. Shifting competition can alter the evenness and dominance of the plant community. Discovery of seedling establishment showed seedling preference is near existing plants of conspecific or heterospecific species and seedling amount is abundant. Many believe the process of new seedlings becoming infected with existing mycorrhizae expedite their establishment within the community. The seedling inherit tremendous benefits from their new formed symbiotic relation with the fungi. The new influx of nutrients and water availability, help the seedling with growth but more importantly help ensure survival when in a stressed state. Mycorrhizal networks aid in regeneration of seedlings when secondary succession occurs, seen in temperate and boreal forests. Seedling benefits from infecting mycorrhizae include increased infectivity range of diverse mycorrhizal fungi, increased carbon inputs from mycorrhizal networks with other plants, increased area meaning greater access to nutrients and water, and increased exchange rates of nutrients and water from other plants.