Convergence of fungal traits over time in natural and forestry-fragmented patches

Abstract

Setting aside small remnant patches of high biodiversity forest within managed forest landscapes is often used as conservation measure to provide a refuge and future source population of forest biodiversity, including wood-inhabiting fungal communities. Yet little is known about the long-term fungal community assembly, how these small, isolated patches change through time and how forest management in the surrounding landscape impacts traits and community functionality housed within.We applied a joint species distribution model to compare how fungal traits and communities changed over two survey periods undertaken similar to 20 years apart in boreal forest set-aside and natural patches. Natural patches in naturally fragmented landscapes were considered reference forests for small, remnant, near-natural forest patches in intensively managed forest landscapes.We found the majority of fungal traits converged over time between set-aside and natural patches, without changes in overall species richness. Red-listed species occurrence was initially lower in set-aside patches, but reached a comparable level of natural patches over time as a result of opposing changes in both patch types.Functional trait changes were larger in set-aside patches, but convergence was also related to opposing changes in natural patches.This is the first study to directly measure and test wood fungal community trait-environment relationships over time in small, high-conservation value forest patches. The long-term functional trait and red-listed species values of set-asides, coupled with their capacity for old-growth recovery, make them valuable focal areas for conservation.

Keywords

Deadwood fungi; Saprotrophic; Patch dynamics; Fruit-body; Spore

Published in

Biological Conservation
2020, volume: 251, article number: 108789
Publisher: ELSEVIER SCI LTD

SLU Authors

• Dawson, Samantha

  • SLU Swedish Species Information Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Berglund, Håkan

  • Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Snäll, Tord

  • SLU Swedish Species Information Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Jonsson, Bengt-Gunnar

  • Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • Mid Sweden University

• Jönsson, Mari

  • SLU Swedish Species Information Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Global goals (SDG)

SDG15 Life on land

UKÄ Subject classification

Ecology

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108789

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/109048