Influence of tree species on richness and diversity of epigeous fungal communities in a French temperate forest stand

Abstract

Epigeous saprotrophic and ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal sporocarps were assessed during 7 yr in a French temperate experimental forest site with six 30-year-old mono-specific plantations (four coniferous and two hardwood plantations) and one 150-year-old native mixed deciduous forest. A total of 331 fungal species were identified. Half of the fungal species were ECM, but this proportion varied slightly by forest composition. The replacement of the native forest by mono-specific plantations, including native species such as beech and oak, considerably altered the diversity of epigeous ECM and saprotrophic fungi. Among the six mono-specific stands, fungal diversity was the highest in Nordmann fir and Norway spruce plantations and the lowest in Corsican pine and Douglas fir plantations. Several factors, connected to the mono-specificity of host trees, could be involved in regulating fungal diversity. Interestingly, this study showed a significant negative correlation between fungal species richness and nitrogen mineralisation, indicating that increases in mineral N availability are associated with decline in saprotrophic and ECM community richness. The frequency of occurrence of fruit bodies of 11 edible fungal species that naturally occur in the native forest was modified by the treatments.

Tree diversity does not always improve resistance of forest ecosystems to drought

“…Facilitation mechanisms such as hydraulic lift whereby deeper rooting tree species take up water and redistribute it via their root system to drier superficial soil layers are also known to take place in mixed forest ecosystems (18). Higher functional diversity of the fungal community could also partially improve water availability in more diverse stands (19). These underlying processes nevertheless remain speculative and future research is needed to shed light on the relative contribution of these potential processes (20).…”

Ectomycorrhizal communities in a Tuber aestivum Vittad. orchard in Poland

“…Ectomycorrhizal species belonging to Inocybe and Lactarius are fairly common in various plant communities [43] and in environments in which truffles are produced [44,45]. Thelephoraceae species are common morphotypes on root tips in boreal forests [45] and in environments of truffle production [16,[34][35][36]39,41,47].…”

“…This result is surprising since usually the number of fungal species in plantations increases with time [43,52]. This may be due to the plantation management.…”

Concordance between vascular plant and macrofungal community composition in broadleaf deciduous forests in central Italy

“…Moreover, multivariate statistics have shown that macrofungal communities can be clearly defined and delineated from the abundance patterns of their host tree species in temperate forests (Humphrey et al 2000, Ferris et al 2000, Buée et al 2011, O'Hanlon & Harrington 2012. In this study, EMF were associated with woody plants, including not only trees but also aged shrubs (taller than 2m).…”