Below-ground ectomycorrhizal community in natural Tuber melanosporum truffle grounds and dynamics after canopy opening

Abstract

The ectomycorrhizal fungus Tuber melanosporum fruits in association with Quercus in natural forests of Spain.Some of these stands are managed to keep an open canopy and meet the habitat requirements of the fungus.However, there are few quantitative studies analysing in these forests the relationship between soil environment and T. melanosporum. Eight forest stands which produce T. melanosporum have been monitored for six years in order to characterise the below-ground ectomycorrhizal community and to assess its temporal dynamics after experimental canopy opening. The brûlé, the ground where T. melanosporum fruits, shows a distinct ectomycorrhizal community, characterised by lower density of active ectomycorrhizal tips, lower morphotype richness per soil volume, higher abundance of T. melanosporum and lower abundance of Cenococcum geophilum than soil closest to the trunk of the host Q. ilex. Opening the canopy has not stimulated an increase in T. melanosporum, suggesting that a shift in the soil environment alone will not trigger the formation of new truffières in the short term. The dry climate of these truffières may be a factor, as T. melanosporum abundance appears to be sensitive to annual weather conditions.

Ectomycorrhizal communities in a Tuber aestivum Vittad. orchard in Poland

“…Ectomycorrhizal communities on root tips in natural and cultivated truffle plantations in the Mediterranean region have been amply investigated [16,[32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41].…”

Spatio-Temporal Dynamic of Tuber magnatum Mycelium in Natural Truffle Grounds

“…Our analysis also showed a high heterogeneity in spatial and temporal distribution of T. magnatum extra-radical mycelium within each patch. This growing pattern, common to soil-born fungi, results from the interaction of numerous biotic and abiotic drivers of the soil fungal communities also at very fine-scale [42] , [45] – [48] . However, throughout the fruiting season, the presence of a gradient of T. magnatum extra-radical mycelium in soil has been proved, with the highest concentration of mycelial biomass in the soil surrounding the fruiting body and a decreasing trend going away from this point.…”

Ectomycorrhizal communities above and below ground and truffle productivity in a Tuber aestivum orchard

“…Ectomycorrhizal communities on root tips in natural and cultivated truffières have been amply investigated (Donnini and Bencivenga, 1995;Donnini et al, 1999;Murat et al, 2005;Baciarelli Falini et al, 2006;Pruett et al, 2008;Águeda et al, 2010;González-Armada et al, 2010;Iotti et al, 2010;Benucci et al, 2011;Garcia-Barreda and Reyna, 2012;Leonardi et al, 2013). However, according to Tóth and Barta (2010) very few studies have simulEctomycorrhizal communities and truffle productivity 335 taneously analyzed fungal species both above and below ground in relation to varying environmental factors or with the aim of determining their suitability as indicators of environmental change.…”