Aggregated retention and macrofungi: a case study from the Warra LTER site, Tasmania

The macrofungi of an aggregated retention coupe harvested and burnt in April 2004 at the Warra long-term ecological research (LTER) site were documented at approximately fortnightly intervals over a period of 16 months between February 2005 and June 2006. In transects of approximately 400 m total length, 167 macrofungal species were recorded in the unharvested aggregates compared to 125 species in the regenerating harvested area, with 63 species common to both. The regenerating area was a source of many saprotrophic fungi and also contained many species that are characteristically opportunistic, appearing after disturbance or fire but not generally seen in forests that have progressed beyond the earliest stage of regeneration. The regenerating area also contained a few species normally associated with mature forest, the presence of which may be attributed to the proximity of mature forest retained in the aggregates. Comparison of the aggregates with an unharvested control coupe sampled at the same intensity and over the same time period indicated lower species richness in the aggregates. This suggests that there are factors present, such as effects of the initial site preparation, opening up of the canopy, and proximity of the surrounding harvested areas, which tend to suppress the full development of the mycota in the aggregates. Nevertheless, the majority of ectomycorrhizal species in the aggregated retention coupe were found only in the unharvested aggregates, indicating that the latter are important reservoirs of ectomycorrhizal fungal diversity, and that they may be expected to show an increased species richness at a later stage of regeneration of the surrounding forest.