Bolete diversity in two relict forests of the Mexican beech (Fagus grandifolia var. mexicana; Fagaceae)

Abstract

The current distribution of the endangered Mexican beech [Fagus grandifolia var. mexicana (Martinez) Little] is restricted to relict isolated populations in small remnants of montane cloud forest in northeastern Mexico, and little is known about its associated biota. We sampled bolete diversity in two of these monospecific forests in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico. We compared alpha diversity, including species richness and ensemble structure, and analyzed beta diversity (dissimilarity in species composition) between forests. We found 26 bolete species, five of which are probably new. Species diversity and evenness were similar between forests. Beta diversity was low, and the similarities of bolete samples from within and between forests were not significantly different. These results support the idea that the two forests share a single bolete ensemble with a common history. In contrast, cumulative species richness differed between the forests, implying that factors other than the mere presence of the host species have contributed to shaping the biodiversity of ectomycorrhizal fungi in relict Mexican beech forests.

Current distribution and coverage of Mexican beech forests Fagus grandifolia subsp. mexicana in Mexico

“…mexicana (Robinson et al 2009) that could be used as models for management and conservation of beech forests and of this subspecies. Some relevant examples are F. multinervis, en demic to Ulleung Island, Korea, in which genetic studies have helped to preserve the species through maintenance of high heterozygosity (Tomoshi et al 2006); F. sylvatica, for which regeneration programs have been implemented in areas suffering deforestation in central Europe (Geßler et al 2007); and F. japonica (in Japan), F. multinervis (in Korea), and F. engleriana (in China), for which areas have been prioritized for conservation to enable these species to recover naturally (Peters 1992, Ohkubo et al 1996.…”

Soil factors influencing ectomycorrhizal sporome distribution in neotropical forests dominated by Pinus montezumae, Mexico

“…No sampling was carried out from November to May because sporome fructification usually occurs during the rainy season in neotropical areas (Garibay-Orijel et al 2009;Rodríguez-Ramírez and Moreno 2010). Sporomes found on the transects between the plots were also recorded.…”

Complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Pulveroboletus ravenelii (Boletales, Basidiomycota)

“…This species is the type species of the genus Pulveroboletus and is distributed in East Asia, Australia, and America. This fungus grows in a mycorrhizal relationship with oak trees (Rodríguez-Ramírez and Moreno 2010 ). It has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of pain, stiffness, and bleeding.…”