Species and functional diversity of ectomycorrhizal fungal communities on Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) trees on three different sites

Introduction In the present study, we describe the aboveground (epigeous sporocarps) and belowground (ectomycorrhizal root tips and their exploration types) composition of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal species on three 20-year-old Scots pine sites. Objectives The aim of this study was to relate the composition of ECM species to history of the site, stand density and soil chemistry (pH, toxic metal content, etc.) and to show how variable site condition contribute to above-and belowground ECM community changes. Results ECM fungi were identified by combination of morphotyping and direct sequencing of the PCR-amplified internal-transcribed spacer of n-rDNA. By identifying sporocarps and mycorrhizas, we detected a total of 54 taxa of ECM fungi: 28, 30, and 23 species at the Kornik (control), Lubon (near the chemical plant) and Glogow (near the Copper Smelter, heavy metal influenced) sites, respectively. The sporocarp survey weakly reflected the analysis of ECM tips in terms of species composition, and largely supplemented the belowground view. Wilcoxina rehmii was the belowground-dominating species at all three sites and was found at the highest abundance at the site established after the clear cut of poplars and with the highest tree density (Kornik). At the Lubon site, subdominant mycorrhizas were formed by Phialophora finlandia. On the site near the Copper Smelter in Glogow, a significant shift in species composition was observed compared with the two other sites and a very large proportion of medium-fringe exploration type belonging to Atheliaceae was found. Despite the partial overlap in the nonmetric multi-dimensional scaling ordination, analysis of similarity revealed significant differences between tested sites. Conclusion Because of the number of covarying site properties which may influence ECM communities, it is difficult, if not unfeasible, to separate the precise reasons of the distribution of ECM fungi. Continued research on the biodiversity of ECM fungi in field sites along an environmental gradient would greatly improve our understanding of the effects of ecological conditions on the functional diversity of mycorrhizal fungi.