Abstract:

Late-stage or later-successional ectomycorrhizal fungi, dominant ectomycorrhizal species in mature forest, are generally important symbiotic partners of dominant tree species in many forest ecosystems. Spatial patterns of fungal sporocarps of three families, i.e. Amanitaceae, Boletaceae and Russulaceae, in a subtropical forest in Dujiangyan were examined using second-order analysis in the present paper. The woody plant compositions of the plots associated with ectomycorrhizal fungi of three families were also compared using binary logistic regression analysis. Results indicated that presences of non-ectomycorrhizal and some ectomycorrhizal plants might have negative effects on the occurrence of ectomycorrhizas (ECM) fungal sporocarps and the characteristics in clonal growth of fungal taxa would not be the only determinant in the spatial pattern of ECM fungi. We suggest that besides host plants, non-ectomycorrhizal woody plants and interaction of ECM fungi should also be considered in spatial studies of ECM fungal communities in natural forests.

Key words: late-stage ectomycorrhizal fungi, Amanitaceae, Boletaceae, Russulaceae, plant composition, second-order analysis, binary logistic regression