Macrofungal sporocarp community in the lichen Scots pine forests

TL;DR

This study examines how macrofungal communities in lichen-rich pine forests respond to habitat changes, using sporocarps to assess ecological shifts.

Contribution

The study introduces a sporocarp-based method to evaluate the effectiveness of habitat protection in lichen-rich pine forests.

Findings

Lichen-rich plots had higher species richness (39 taxa) compared to bryophyte-rich areas (27 taxa).

Biomass in lichen-rich plots was nearly half that of bryophyte-rich plots.

The study suggests sporocarps can indicate habitat degradation and protection effectiveness.

Abstract

The lichen-rich pine forests of Cladonio-Pinetum represent special habitats protected under the Natura 2000 scheme. A rapid decline in their density has been observed in recent years. Macrofungi are an important component of the community and sensitive bioindicators; therefore, observations of the response of their sporocarps can be used to draw conclusions about changes induced in habitats. In our study, we tried to detect differences in species richness, composition, and biomass of the ectomycorrhizal fungal communities in areas rich in lichens indicating the good state of the community, and rich in bryophytes signaling its progressive degradation. The influence of precipitation and temperature on species richness and biomass was checked, and the possibility of using the sporocarps-based method to assess the effectiveness of active protection treatments, which are a form of partial protection carried out to maintain specific natural habitats. For detailed studies, six plots were selected from which sporocarps were collected, dried and weighed. A total of 1,575 sporocarps, representing 49 taxa were collected. A higher number of taxa (39) in lichen-rich plots were found. In bryophyte-rich areas, 27 taxa were recorded. The total yield was 13,151 g dry weight ha−1. In lichen-rich plots, the biomass was almost half lower.

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