Ectomycorrhizal Fungal Assemblages of Nursery-Grown Scots Pine are Influenced by Age of the Seedlings

Abstract

Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is the most widely distributed pine species in Europe and is relevant in terms of planted areas and harvest yields. Therefore, each year the demand for planting stock of Scots pine is exceedingly high, and large quantities of seedlings are produced annually throughout Europe to carry out reforestation and afforestation programs. Abundant and diverse ectomycorrhizal (ECM) symbiosis is critical for the success of seedlings once planted in the field. To improve our knowledge of ECM fungi that inhabit bare-root nursery stock of Scots pine and understand factors that influence their diversity, we studied the assemblages of ECM fungi present across 23 bare-root forest nurseries in Poland. Nursery stock samples were characterized by a high level of ECM colonization (nearly 100%), and a total of 29 ECM fungal taxa were found on 1- and 2-year-old seedlings. The diversity of the ECM community depended substantially on the nursery and age of the seedlings, and species richness varied from 3–10 taxa on 1-year-old seedlings and 6–13 taxa on 2-year-old seedlings. The ECM fungal communities that developed on the studied nursery stock were characterized by the prevalence of Ascomycota over Basidiomycota members on 1-year-old seedlings. All ecological indices (diversity, dominance, and evenness) were significantly affected by age of the seedlings, most likely because dominant ECM morphotypes on 1-year-old seedlings (Wilcoxina mikolae) were replaced by other dominant ones (e.g., Suillus luteus, Rhizopogon roseolus, Thelephora terrestris, Hebeloma crustuliniforme), mostly from Basidiomycota, on 2-year-old seedlings. Across all nurseries, negative correlations were identified for diversity metrics and soil N or C, indicating that mineral and organic fertilization contributes to the differences in the ECM fungal communities in nurseries. We discuss the ecological and practical implications of the composition and diversity of ECM fungi occurring on bare-root planting stock of Scots pine.

Communities of Mycorrhizal Fungi among Seedlings of Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) Growing on a Clearcut in Microsites Generated by Different Site-Preparation Methods

“…Wilcoxina species form ectendomycorrhiza and are the most common colonisers of young conifers. They are often the dominant fungi at forest nurseries, as well as disturbed sites such as those present post-fire, or following forest clearance [69]. Our results are not surprising and are in line with those of other studies [70].…”

Effect of seedling production method on the growth of Pinus sylvestris L. on reclaimed post-industrial sites in Poland

“…The aforementioned indications point to the great advantages of artificially mycorrhizal seedlings. It should be noted, however, that seedlings produced with the bare root method in a traditional nursery beds system are characterized by a high degree of spontaneous colonization with mycorrhizal fungi (Rudawska & Leski 2021). Thus, the differences observed in our study may be mainly due to the use of containers in seedling production.…”

FungalTraits vs. FUNGuild: Comparison of Ecological Functional Assignments of Leaf- and Needle-Associated Fungi Across 12 Temperate Tree Species

“…The fungal genus, Pustularia , cannot be assigned to the ecological function by FUNGuild. Members of this genus were previously reported as EcM [ 66 , 67 ]. Nevertheless, both annotation tools refer to the same ecological interpretation (Supplementary Figure S2 ).…”

“…Species abbreviations for broadleaved tree species are: AH: Acer pseudoplatanus, BU: Fagus sylvatica, EI: Quercus robur, ES: Fraxinus excelsior, HBU: Carpinus betulus, KB: Prunus avium, LI: Tilia cordata, and PA: Populus sp., and coniferous tree species are: DG: Pseudotsuga menziesii, FI: Picea abies, KI: Pinus sylvestris, and LA: Larix decidua. Effects of tree species and tree types were tested with one-way PERMANOVA ◂ of this genus were previously reported as EcM [66,67]. Nevertheless, both annotation tools refer to the same ecological interpretation (Supplementary Figure S2).…”