Edaphic conditions, abundance, and richness of edible ectomycorrhizal fungi

Abstract

Ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) favor nutrient mobilization and the transportation of water between the substrate and the trees; therefore, the ectomycorrhizal association is essential for the adequate development of forest ecosystems. Four types of silvicultural practices were compared to establish the effects of the edaphic properties on the richness and abundance of EMF populations: regeneration felling, thinning (first and second), and release. Ten monitoring plots were delimited and georeferenced in forests under exploitation in the municipality of Zacatlán, Puebla. The richness and abundance of fungi were evaluated in 2015 and 2016; in the latter year, the soil was sampled and analyzed. Results showed significant differences in abundance between the two years with the second thinning and with the release treatment, as well as between the two thinnings between the year of the intervention and the sampling year. The percentage of organic matter and sand showed a positive correlation with the abundance, unlike with K, Ca, Mn and Mg, which were negatively correlated between treatments. No statistical differences in pH or richness of species were obtained. Nevertheless, Lactarius indigo, Boletus aestivalis and Tylopilus sp. were collected only from stands with pH values ranging between 5.76 and 5.93, in the thinning and release plots. The results show that the silvicultural practices affect the basal tree area by altering the chemical and physical properties of the soil, which in turn have an impact on the abundance of sporomes.