Multiple-host fungi are the most frequent and abundant ectomycorrhizal types in a mixed stand of Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and bishop pine (Pinus muricata) |
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| Authors: | THOMAS R HORTON & THOMAS D BRUNS |
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| Institution: | Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, 111 Koshland Hall, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA; To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Department of Forest Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA. E-mail:; Present address: Department of Forest Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA |
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| Abstract: | The ectomycorrhizal fungal associations of Douglas fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii D. Don) and bishop pine ( Pinus muricata D. Don) were investigated in a mixed forest stand. We identified fungi directly from field-collected ectomycorrhizal (ECM) root tips using PCR-based methods. Sixteen species of fungi were found, of which twelve associated with both hosts. Rhizopogon parksii Smith was specific to Douglas fir. Three other species colonized only one of the hosts, but were too infrequent to draw conclusions about specificity. Seventy-four percent of the biomass of ECM root tips sampled in the stand were colonized by members of the Thelephoraceae and Russulaceae. All 12 species of fungi that associated with both tree species did so within a 10×40 cm soil volume, suggesting that individual fungal genotypes linked the putatively competing tree hosts. |
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| Keywords: | Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii D Don) bishop pine (Pinus muricata D Don) ectomycorrhiza specificity ITS–RFLP |
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