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Ectomycorrhizal fungal communities of oak savanna are distinct from forest communities

     ¹ Ecosystem Processes, Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand
² University of Minnesota, Department of Plant Biology, St. Paul, MN
³ Plant Biology, University of Minnesota, 250 BioSci, 1445 Gortner Ave, 1445 Gortner Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55108, United States of America
⁴ University of Minnesota, Department of Forest Resources, St. Paul, MN

Oak savanna is one of the most endangered ecosystems of North America, with less than 0.02% of its original area remaining. Here we test whether oak savanna supports a unique community of ectomycorrhizal fungi, a higher diversity of ectomycorrhizal fungi, or a greater proportional abundance of ascomycete fungi compared with adjacent areas where the absence of fire has resulted in oak savanna conversion to oak forest. The overall fungal community was highly diverse and dominated by Cenococcum geophilum and other ascomycetes, Cortinarius, Russula, Lactarius, and Thelephoraceae. Oak savanna mycorrhizal communities were distinct from oak forest communities both aboveground (sporocarp surveys) and belowground (RFLP identification of ectomycorrhizal root tips); however, total diversity was not higher in oak savanna than oak forests, and there was no evidence of a greater abundance of ascomycetes. Despite not having a higher local diversity than oak forests, the presence of a unique fungal community indicates that oak savanna plays an important role in maintaining regional ectomycorrhizal diversity.

Key words: Ascomycota, conservation, diversity, fire, habitat loss, mycorrhizal ecology