Effect of forest management on diversity of macromycetes

Anna Lepšová, Karel Matějka

The macromycete species diversity is a structure component of heterotroph assemblage in the forest. Fruiting bodies of macromycete fungi are the only in the field observable structure of their body, whilst their filamentous mycelia are cryptic, hidden in soil, and dead organic matter. Macromycetes are both mutual symbionts of forest trees, forming ectomycorrhizae and parasites of roots and buts. They decompose plant and tree litter as saprotrophs, lignicolous macromycetes are specialised to decompose wood debris. Functional groups in macromycete assemblage are affected by forest management practices, as it has an impact on individual tree lifespan, species composition, disturbance of canopy and of humus soil layers, herb cover of the forest floor, nutrient mobilisation and input and quality of leaf litter, etc. The literature review relevant to the topic is analyzed. The ectomycorrhizal status of tree species in research areas is evaluated as a highly important factor for ectomycorhizal macromycete occurrence and survival. The pairs of air photographs from years about 1950 and 2010 were briefly characterized in some areas to reveal the long-term processes in the forest cover.

The field research of macrofungi on designed plots was performed during the vegetation season 2015, to find out and assess the effect of previous treatments (selective cutting, pasture, clear-cut as measure of coppicing at lower altitudes in forests with dominant oaks; non-intervention management versus clear-cut in climax Norway spruce forest) on macromycete species composition. Extreme droughts suppressed the growth namely of ectomycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungi. In the late autumn, the majority of conk and tiny corticoid fruitings were sampled and evaluated.

Importance of the species composition of the tree layer for macromycete community was pointed out.

Species composition of the investigated communities was analyzed using hierarchical agglomerative classification.

 

Project Silviculture measures to improve forest biodiversity in protected areas
Project number EHP-CZ02-OV-1-015-2014, Supported by grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway