Changes in Macrofungal Communities Following Forest Conversion into Tree Plantations in Southern Brazil

Abstract

Conversion of diverse native forests to tree monocultures remains an ongoing, worldwide threat to biodiversity. Although the effects of forest conversion have been studied in a wide range of taxonomic groups, the effects on macrofungal communities remain poorly understood. We sampled macrofungal fruiting bodies in the National Forest of São Francisco de Paula in Southern Brazil over 12 months in four different forest habitats: native Araucaria angustifolia forest, A. angustifolia plantation, Pinus taeda or P. elliottii plantation, and Eucalyptus saligna plantation. The distribution of macrofungal species in different functional groups varied among habitats: the macrofungal species composition of the A. angustifolia plantation was more similar to that of the native forest, while the exotic Pinus or Eucalyptus plantations were less similar to the native forest. The conversion of native forest to exotic tree plantations reduced the number of macrofungal decomposer species, probably due to changes in substrate availability and quality. We conclude that fungal diversity and ecosystem functionality require the preservation of native, mature forests and suggest a shift of Brazilian forestry guidelines to encourage the plantations of native species instead of exotics.Abstract in Portuguese is available with online material.

Global effects of non‐native tree species on multiple ecosystem services

“…grassland, shrubland, forest, etc., see categories in Table ) was included to account for the gross functional distance between the NNT and the dominant control vegetation, a key factor to explain the magnitude of the impacts caused by non‐native plants (Castro‐Díez et al , ; Chapin et al , ; D'Antonio & Corbin, ). The type of NNT stand (whether planted or naturalized) may explain variations in the effects of NNTs on RES because of different functioning between an artificial (planted) stand and a spontaneous self‐maintained system (forest with naturalized NNTs) (Cruz‐Neto et al , ; Paz et al , ). Finally, the N‐fixing ability of NNTs was selected because of its well‐known effect on soil properties and processes (Castro‐Díez et al , ; Liao et al , ; Vilà et al , ).…”

How do seasonality, substrate, and management history influence macrofungal fruiting assemblages in a central Amazonian Forest?

“…) or comparisons among heavily modified landscapes ( e.g ., monocultural tree plantations) (Paz et al . ). Nonetheless, the general consensus is that fungal diversity is inversely related to time since disturbance and positively related to that of the diversity of their associated plant communities.…”

“…In subtropical Brazil, exotic tree plantations of Pinus and Eucalyptus forest showed less similar macrofungal composition to native Araucaria angustifolia forests than did monoculture stands of the same native species, suggesting that the conversion into exotic tree plantations reduces the number of macrofungal taxa due to changes in substrate type and quality (Paz et al . ).…”

“…For example, in an eastern Costa Rican rain forest, Chaverri and V ılchez (2006) showed that hypocrealean microfungi, a guild of ascomycetes with demonstrably high host specificity on living plants, were less diverse in more mature forests. In subtropical Brazil, exotic tree plantations of Pinus and Eucalyptus forest showed less similar macrofungal composition to native Araucaria angustifolia forests than did monoculture stands of the same native species, suggesting that the conversion into exotic tree plantations reduces the number of macrofungal taxa due to changes in substrate type and quality (Paz et al 2015).…”

“…Extra-Amazonian studies of forest management practice impacts on macrofungal communities have been limited to specific groups (Chaverri & V ılchez 2006), focal host species (Tsui et al 1998) or comparisons among heavily modified landscapes (e.g., monocultural tree plantations) (Paz et al 2015). Nonetheless, the general consensus is that fungal diversity is inversely related to time since disturbance and positively related to that of the diversity of their associated plant communities.…”