Effects of different mycorrhizal types of dispersedly retained trees on the diversity of ectomycorrhizal fungi in neighboring Abies sachalinensis seedlings

Abstract

Retention forestry conserves biodiversity by retaining forest structures in logged areas. It has been demonstrated that dispersedly retained broad-leaved ectomycorrhizal (EcM) trees can mitigate the effect of logging on the diversity of EcM fungi in the surrounding Abies sachalinensis seedlings. However, it remains unclear how retained trees of different mycorrhizal types affect the diversity of EcM fungi in Abies seedlings. We investigated the neighborhood effect of different mycorrhizal types of retained trees on the diversity of EcM fungi symbiotic with surrounding Abies seedlings. At dispersed retention sites, the roots of Abies seedlings were collected near mature EcM trees (ET) or arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) trees (AT), or in open areas where no retained trees existed within ten meters (NT). EcM fungi were identified based on ITS barcoding of the EcM roots. The diversity measures of EcM fungi under AT and NT were comparable and lower, respectively than those under ET. The community composition of the EcM fungi was similar between AT and NT, and both were significantly different from that of ET. These results indicate that AM trees do not have significant impact on EcM fungul community in the surrounding EcM seedlings.