Endophytes dominate fungal communities in six-year-old veteranisation wounds in living oak trunks

Why Are There So Few Basidiomycota and Basal Fungi as Endophytes? A Review

A review of selected studies on fungal endophytes confirms the paucity of Basidiomycota and basal fungi, with almost 90% attributed to Ascomycota. Reasons for the low number of Basidiomycota and basal fungi, including the Chytridiomycota, Mucoromycota, and Mortierellomycota, are advanced, including isolation procedure and media, incubation period and the slow growth of basidiomycetes, the identification of non-sporulating isolates, endophyte competition, and fungus-host interactions. We compare the detection of endophytes through culture-dependent methods and culture-independent methods, the role of fungi on senescence of the host plant, and next-generation studies.

Long-term Dynamics of Fungal Communities Inhabiting Decaying Stumps of Quercus robur

We studied the diversity, composition, and long-term dynamics of wood-inhabiting fungi in Quercus robur stumps left after commercial tree harvesting in Lithuania. Sampling of wood was carried out at three sites and from stumps, which were 10-, 20-, 30-, 40-, and 50-year-old. DNA was isolated from wood samples and fungal communities analyzed using high-throughput sequencing. Results showed that stump age had a limited effect on fungal diversity. The development of fungal communities in oak stums was found to be a slow process as fungal communities remained similar for decades, while larger changes were only detected in older stumps. The most common fungi were Eupezizella sp. (18.4%), Hyphodontia pallidula (12.9%), Mycena galericulata (8.3%), and Lenzites betulinus (7.1%). Fistulina hepatica, which is a red-listed wood-decay oak fungus, was also detected at a low relative abundance in stump wood. In the shortage of suitable substrate, oak stumps may provide habitats for long-term survival of different fungal species, including red-listed and oak-related fungi.

Pioneer tree species accelerate restoration of tree-related microhabitats in 50-year-old reserves of Białowieża Forest, Poland

Retention of structural elements such as deadwood and habitat trees at the level of forest stands has been promoted to integrate biodiversity conservation into multiple-use forest management. The conservation value of habitat trees is largely determined by the presence, richness, and abundance of tree-related microhabitats (TreMs). Since TreMs are often lacking in intensively managed forests, an important question of forest conservation is how the abundance and richness of TreMs may be effectively restored. Here, we investigated whether the strict protection of forest through cessation of timber harvesting influenced TreM occurrence at tree and stand levels. For that purpose, we compared four managed and four set-aside stands (0.25 ha each) in the Białowieża Forest, with identical origin following clear-cuts approximately 100 years ago. We found that the abundance and richness of TreMs on living trees were not significantly different between stands that were either conventionally managed or where active forest management ceased 52 years ago. Yet, our analysis of TreMs on tree species with contrasting life-history traits revealed that short-lived, fast-growing species (pioneers) developed TreMs quicker than longer-lived, slower-growing species. Hence, tree species such as Populus or Betula, which supply abundant and diverse TreMs, can play an important role in accelerating habitat restoration.