Root-associated fungal communities are important components in ecosystem processes, impacting plant growth and vigor by influencing the quality, direction, and flow of nutrients and water between plants and fungi. Linkages of plant phenological characteristics with belowground root-associated fungal communities have rarely been investigated, and thus our aim was to search for an interplay between contrasting phenology of host ectomycorrhizal trees from the same location and root-associated fungal communities (ectomycorrhizal, endophytic, saprotrophic and pathogenic root-associated fungi) in young and in adult silver fir trees. The study was performed in a managed silver fir forest site. Twenty-four soil samples collected under two phenologically contrasting silver fir groups were analyzed for differences in root-associated fungal communities using Illumina sequencing of a total root-associated fungal community. Significant differences in beta diversity and in mean alpha diversity were confirmed for overall community of ectomycorrhizal root-associated fungi, whereas for ecologically different non-ectomycorrhizal root-associated fungal communities the differences were significant only for beta diversity and not for mean alpha diversity. At genus level root-associated fungal communities differed significantly between early and late flushing young and adult silver fir trees. We discuss the interactions through which the phenology of host plants either drives or is driven by the root-associated fungal communities in conditions of a sustainably co-naturally managed silver fir forest.

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Silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) ectomycorrhiza across its areal -a review approachSilver fir is a long-living ecologically valuable and indigenous conifer species. In temperate forests it is considered as a ˝stabilization tree species˝. Currently, knowledge of silver fir ectomycorrhiza community is manly based on morphological-anatomical description of ectomycorrhizal fungi and their fruiting bodies. Only recently few studies were published in which authors identified ectomycorrhizal symbionts of silver fir with an aid of molecular (DNA-based) markers. We analysed the silver fir ectomycorrhiza diversity and species richness from different geographic areas and stand types. From all together nine original studies we calculated average species richness as well as a Bray-Curtis similarity index. The highest species diversity was observed in studies where a combination of morphological-anatomical and molecular approaches were used for identification. Bray-Curtis similarity index indicated highest dissimilarity of the southern sites comparing to other areas. We correlated the observed outcome to differences in soil conditions, climate, and only basic identification approach.Keywords: Silver fir, ectomycorrhiza, literature review, community composition, site conditions, species diversity, species richness IZVLEČEK Ektomikorizni simbionti bele jelke (Abies alba Mill.) na naravnem območju razširjenosti -pregledBela jelka je vednozelena drevesna vrsta, ki ima v naravnih gozdovih ekološko pomembno vlogo, saj velja za stabilizacijsko drevesno vrsto. Podatki o ektomikoriznih simbiontih bele jelke pretežno temeljijo na morfološko-anatomskih opisih ektomikoriznih gliv in njihovih trosnjakov. Šele v zadnjih letih je bilo objavljenih nekaj študij, v katerih so avtorji združbo ektomikoriznih gliv bele jelke analizirali z molekularnimi pristopi. V preglednem članku smo analizirali rezultate pestrosti ektomikorize bele jelke z devet lokacij in preračunali povprečne vrednostmi vrstne pestrosti ter Bray-Curtisov indeks podobnosti združb. Največjo vrstno pestrost smo ugotovili za vzhodni del areala bele jelke. Poleg ugodnih rastiščnih razmer k temu predvidoma doprinesejo tudi kombinacija uporabljenih metod za identifikacijo. Bray-Curtisov indeks podobnosti združb kaže, da med zastopanimi regijami znotraj areala (centralna, vzhodna in južna) po vrstni sestavi najbolj odstopajo rastišča v južnem arealu bele jelke. Odstopanja vrstne sestave lahko povežemo z razlikami v pH tal, s tipom tal in s toplejšo, za belo jelko manj primerno klimo.Ključne besede: bela jelka, ekomikoriza, pregledni članek, združba ektomikorize na jelki, rastišči pogoji, bogastvo vrst, vrstna pestrost

At the paper »Silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) ectomycorrhiza across its geographic areal -a review approach« (»Ektomikorizni simbionti bele jelke (Abies alba Mill.) na naravnem območju razširjenosti -pregled«), Folia biologica et geologica 58/1, 115-123, Ljubljana 2017, missing part should be added.Pri članku »Silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) ectomycorrhiza across its geographic areal -a review approach« (»Ek-tomikorizni simbionti bele jelke (Abies alba Mill.) na naravnem območju razširjenosti -pregled«), Folia biologica et geologica 58/1, 115-123, Ljubljana 2017, je potrebno dodati pomotoma izpadli del.