Community structure and dynamics of ectomycorrhizal fungi in a dipterocarp forest fragment and plantation in Thailand

Abstract

Background: Ectomycorrhizal (EcM) associations have been reported with trees of the plant family Dipterocarpaceae. We hypothesised that a dipterocarp forest fragment, with more host species, would yield a higher diversity of associated EcM fungal species than that of a Dipterocarpus alatus monoculture plantation.

Aims: To examine the above- and below-ground EcM community structure of a dry dipterocarp forest fragment and a D. alatus plantation in Thailand.

Methods: Sporocarps were collected and identified, and EcM root tips were collected in the dry and wet seasons and identified by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism and internal transcribed spacer sequencing.

Results: Higher EcM fungal diversity was observed in the dry dipterocarp forest fragment than in the D. alatus plantation, with a larger number of species found in the wet seasons than the dry seasons. Sporocarp species richness was greater than root-tip EcM richness. Different dominant EcM taxa were observed in the above- and below-ground communities.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that host tree diversity may explain the greater EcM fungal diversity in the dry dipterocarp forest fragment than the D. alatus monoculture plantation. Seasonal dynamics also influences the composition of the EcM communities, with different dominant taxa and relative abundance in the dry and wet seasons. Further research would be of great help in providing useful information for management of dipterocarp forests as well as restoration of disturbed landscapes.

Keywords:

• dipterocarp forest
• ectomycorrhizal fungi
• ITS
• plantation
• T-RFLP
• Thailand

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, for laboratory facilities. We are grateful for comments and suggestions from anonymous reviewers.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Supplementary data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Nipada Ruankaew Disyatat

Nipada Ruankaew Disyatat is interested in community and ecosystem ecology, with special focus on above- and below-ground communities in forest and urban ecosystems.

Sunadda Yomyart

Sunadda Yomyart is interested in ecology and applications of ectomycorrhizal fungi in reforestation.

Prakitsin Sihanonth

Prakitsin Sihanonth is interested in biotechnological applications of enzymatic products from microbes and fungi discovered in natural ecosystems.

Jittra Piapukiew

Jittra Piapukiew is interested in diversity and applications of ectomycorrhizal fungi in reforestation and biotechnology.