Into the void: ECM fungal communities involved in the succession from rockroses to oak stands

Abstract

AbstractOak forests accompanied byCistusspecies are a common landscape in the Mediterranean basin. It is argued thatCistusdominated fields serve as recruitment areas forQuercusseedlings, as they help in the transmission of the fungal community through vegetative succession in these ecosystems. To test these assumptions, we analyzed the fungal community in terms of its richness and composition, taking into account the effects of host (Oaksvs.Cistus) and forest structure, mainly based on age. Edaphic variables related to the different structures were also analyzed to examine how they evolve through succession and relate to shifts in the fungal community. No differences in fungal richness were observed between oldCistusstands and youngerQuercus, while a brief increase in ECM richness was observed. Community composition also showed a greater overlap between oldCistusand youngQuercusstands. We suggest that the most important step in fungal transfer from one host to another is the shift from the oldestCistusfields to the youngestQuercusstands, with the generaAmanita,Cortinarius,Lactarius,Inocybe,Russula, andTomentellaprobably playing a major role. In summary, our work has also revealed the network of fungal community structure in the succession ofCistusto Oak stands, it would suggest that the fungi share niches and significantly enhance the ecological setting of the transition fromCistustoOakstands.