Abundance of Collembola (Insecta) inhabiting the hyphal mat of an ectomycorrhizal fungus,Sarcodon scabrosus,in a Pinus densiflora forest

The total number of collembolans collected from the hyphal mat of the ectomycorrhizal fungus Sarcodon scabrosus was less than half of that collected from the adjacent non-mat soil. The same was true of all families of collembolans except one, although not all differences were significant. The exception was the Hypogastruridae, with more individuals in the hyphal mat on the sampling day in the fruiting season; these were also the most abundant collembolans on the fruiting bodies. These results indicate that most collembolans avoid the hyphal mat of S. scabrosus in a Japanese red pine forest.