The ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal communities of four natural Tuber magnatum truffle grounds, located in different Italian regions (Abruzzo, Emilia-Romagna, Molise, and Tuscany), were studied. The main objective of this study was to characterize and compare the ECM fungal communities in the different regions and in productive (where T. magnatum ascomata were found) and nonproductive points. More than 8,000 (8,100) colonized root tips were counted in 73 soil cores, and 129 operational taxonomic units were identified using morphological and molecular methods. Although the composition of the ECM fungal communities studied varied, we were able to highlight some common characteristics. The most plentiful ECM fungal taxa belong to the Thelephoraceae and Sebacinaceae families followed by Inocybaceae and Russulaceae. Although several ectomycorrhizas belonging to Tuber genus were identified, no T. magnatum ectomycorrhizas were found. The putative ecological significance of some species is discussed.

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Fungi are a hyperdiverse taxonomic group that may be disappearing at a very high rate. Identifying fungal species is difficult in the field, and the use of highly specialized taxonomists is required. Data and expertise on vascular plants are, on the other hand, much more common and easy to find. We tested the potential of using vascular plants as surrogates to select reserve sites that maximize the pooled number of fungal species. We used data from 25 forest plots in Tuscany, Italy, that were sampled for woody plants, all other plants, and fungi. Species richness of woody plants and all other plants did not correlate with species richness of fungi. The gradients in species composition were similar among the three considered groups, as indicated by a detrended correspondence analysis ordination and species complementarity between pairs of plots. Fungal communities of the 25 plots had a lower β diversity than plant communities, and there were no pairs of totally complementary sites. Site prioritization for conservation was obtained through integer linear programming to find for any given number of sites those combinations containing the maximum pooled species richness of woody plants or all plants. The combinations of sites obtained by optimizing vascular plant species did not maximize the pooled species richness of fungi, whereas those obtained by maximizing woody plant species provided better results for sets of four to eight plots, but not for all the possible combinations. These results indicated that, in general, vascular plants cannot be used to maximize fungal species richness. Utilización de Plantas Vasculares como un Taxón Sustituto para Maximizar la Riqueza de Especies de Hongos en el Diseño de ReservasResumen: Los hongos son un grupo taxonómico hiperdiverso que posiblemente este desapareciendo a una velocidad muy alta. La identificación de especies de hongos en el campo es difícil, y se requiere el uso de taxónomos muy especializados. Por otra parte, los datos y pericia con plantas vasculares son mucho más comunes y fáciles de encontrar. Probamos el potencial del uso de plantas vasculares como sustitutos para seleccionar sitios de reserva que maximicen el número de especies de hongos. Utilizamos datos de 25 parcelas en bosques de Toscana, Italia, en las que muestreamos plantas leñosas, todas las demás plantas y hongos. La riqueza de especies de plantas leñosas y demás plantas no se correlacionó con la riqueza de especies de hongos. Los gradientes de composición de especies fueron similares entre los tres grupos considerados, como lo indica una ordenación de análisis de correspondencia sin tendencia (DCA) y la complementariedad de especies entre pares de parcelas. Las comunidades de hongos de las 25 parcelas tenían una diversidad beta menor a la de comunidades de plantas, y no hubo pares de sitios totalmente complementarios. La priorización de sitios para conservación se obtuvo mediante programación lineal integral para encontrar un número determinado de sitios cuyas combinaciones contengan la máxima comb...

Tuber magnatum produces the world's most expensive truffle. This fungus produces very rare ectomycorrhizas which are difficult or even impossible to detect in the field. A “real-time” PCR assay was recently developed to quantify and to track T. magnatum mycelium in soil. Here, this technique was used to investigate the spatial distribution of T. magnatum extra-radical mycelium in soil productive patches and its dynamic across seasons. This study was carried out in four different natural T. magnatum truffle grounds located in different Italian regions. During the fruiting seasons, the amount of T. magnatum mycelium was significantly higher around the fruiting points and decreased going farther away from them. Moreover, T. magnatum mycelium inside the productive patches underwent seasonal fluctuations. In early spring, the amount of T. magnatum mycelium was significantly higher than in summer. In summer, probably due to the hot and dry season, T. magnatum mycelium significantly decreased, whereas in autumn it increased again and was concentrated at the putative fruiting points. These results give new insights on T. magnatum ecology and are useful to plan the most appropriate sampling strategy for evaluating the management of a truffle ground.