Community composition and distribution character of wood-inhabiting fungi on maple in broad-leaved korean pine mixed forest plot in Changbaishan of China
Abstract:Pinus Koraiensis forest is a typical forest type in Changbai Mountain, where Fungi plays a critical role in controlling nutrient cycling and debris decomposition. The Changbaishan plot (the CBS plot), the most northern plot of the China Network, was established in 2004 with the aim to understand the composition and structure of the temperate forest ecosystem. The CBS ploth is 25 hm2 including 625 plots sized 20m×20m. Maples (Acer) are the main species of Pinus Koraiensis forest and they are the preferred hosts for wood-inhabiting fungi. To ultimately understand the community composition and the spatial distribution of wood-inhabiting fungi, we surveyed fungi on maple sampled from 325 plots sized 20m 20m in CBS plot in 2009. Host trunks or twigs with a diamenter ≥ 2 cm were identified to species by local forestry experts. All wood-inhabiting fungi which belong to Aphyllophorales were recorded, measured and identified. The measured factors included the surface area, thickness of every fungi fruitbody and their diameter, and decaying-degree of host. Multiple fruiting bodies of the same species, when found on an individual host, were counted as only one collection. In characterizing the species composition, we calculated relative abundance, relative frequency, and importance value of each individual fungi species. There were totally 690 individuals, belonging to 79 species, 45 genera and 14 families. Hyphodontia flavipora, Irpex lacteus, Oxyporus populinus, Stereum ostrae and Trametes versicolor were the five dominant species of this community, which comprise 45.2% of all individuals, while the other 26 species comprise fewer than 4% of all individuals. Among the surveyed species, Leucophellinus irpicoides and Oxyporus populinus grow on living tree and they were reported as pathogen. The other 75 species grow on maple trunk with different decaying-degree. However, the number of species growing on different decaying-degree followed closely a normal distribution while the 690 individuals dcreased with the higher decay stage. Fifty Six percent of 79 species and thirty four percent of the 690 individuals grow on the first stage of decaying. Sixty two percent of species and fifty six percent of individuals grow on the second stage. Sixty two percent of species and twenty one percent of individuals grow on the third stage. Only 14 species and three percent of individuals grow on the rotten wood. The species growing on the early decaying stage are pioneer species which play a pivotal role in decomposing wood debries. They play an important role during the course of maple trunk decaying in this ecosystem.