Ectomycorrhizal fungal communities of oak savanna are distinct from forest communities

I. A. Dickie, B. T M Dentinger, P. G. Avis, D. J. McLaughlin, Peter B Reich

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

26 Scopus citations

Abstract

Oak savanna is one of the most endangered ecosystems of North America, with less than 0.02% of its original area remaining. Here we test whether oak savanna supports a unique community of ectomycorrhizal fungi, a higher diversity of ectomy-corrhizal fungi or a greater proportional abundance of ascomycete fungi compared with adjacent areas where the absence of fire has resulted in oak savanna conversion to oak forest. The overall fungal community was highly diverse and dominated by Cenococcum geophilum and other ascomycetes, Cortinarius, Rus-sula, Lactarius and Thelephoraceae. Oak savanna mycorrhizal communities were distinct from oak forest communities both aboveground (sporocarp surveys) and belowground (RFLP identification of ectomycorrhizal root tips); however total diversity was not higher in oak savanna than oak forests and there was no evidence of a greater abundance of ascomy-cetes. Despite not having a higher local diversity than oak forests, the presence of a unique fungal community indicates that oak savanna plays an important role in maintaining regional ectomycorrhizal diversity.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)473-483
Number of pages11
JournalMycologia
Volume101
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2009

Keywords

  • Ascomycota
  • Conservation
  • Diversity
  • Fire
  • Habitat loss
  • Mycorrhizal ecology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Ectomycorrhizal fungal communities of oak savanna are distinct from forest communities'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this