Mycorrhizal fungi in wood-pastures

Abstract

Traditional rural biotopes such as wood-pastures are species-rich environments that have been created by low-intensity agriculture. Their amount has decreased dramatically during the 20th century in whole Europe due to the intensification of agriculture. Wood-pastures host some fungal species that prefer warm areas and are adapted to semi-open conditions, but still very little is known about fungi in these habitats. We studied how management, historical land-use intensity, present grazing intensity, time since abandonment, and stand conditions affect community composition of ectomycorrhizal fungi. We found that the proportion of broadleaved trees, soil pH, and soil moisture are the major drivers of the communities of ectomycorrhizal fungi in boreal wood-pastures. Management, grazing intensity or historical land-use intensity did not have any effect. To conclude, present stand conditions are the most important factors to evaluate when planning the conservation of ectomycorrhizal fungi dependent on semi-open forest habitats.