Ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) provide plants with nutrients and are important drivers of ecosystem processes, but EMF species vary in their effect on hosts and in host specificity. Thus, since restoration strategies such as burning and thinning may have strong impacts on EMF, knowledge of EMF response to these treatments is needed to ensure the success of restoration efforts. Using molecular methods, we identified the EMF community on woody plant root tips in a restoration project in northern Mississippi, comparing the EMF community between replicated control and treatment (burned and thinned) plots at three different sites in mixed upland forest. We also quantified abiotic factors that may affect the EMF community, including litter depth, canopy openness, burn history, and soil compaction.
Results/Conclusions
Results from molecular analysis indicate a high level of diversity in the ectomycorrhizal community, with 68 EMF species detected 2 or more times. Most dominant species exhibited site fidelity, while restoration treatments have had little impact on the fungal community structure thus far. All plots were dominated by Russulaceae (Russula and Lactarius spp.) with relatively high representation by species in the families Sebacinacaea, Thelephoraceae, and Cantharellaceae. Measured abiotic factors exhibited a significant but weak correlation with fungal community structure, indicating that other factors not measured may strongly influence fungal community structure. This study is the first assessment of belowground fungal diversity in northern Mississippi, and may serve as an important baseline for further work on belowground response to further restoration treatments.