Abstract
Understanding the contribution of genetic variation within foundation species to community-level pattern and diversity represents the cornerstone of the developing field of community genetics. We assessed the relative importance of intraspecific genetic variation, spatial variation within a forest and microhabitat variation on a macrofungal decay community developing on logs of the Australian forest tree, Eucalyptus globulus. Uniform logs were harvested from trees from eight geographic races of E. globulus growing in a 15-year-old genetic trial. Logs were placed as designed grids within a native E. globulus forest and after 3 years of natural colonisation the presence of 62 macrofungal taxa were recorded from eight microhabitats on each log. The key factor found to drive macrofungal distribution and biodiversity on structurally uniform coarse woody debris was log-microhabitat, explaining 42% of the total variation in richness. Differences between log-microhabitats appeared to be due to variation in aspect, substrate (bark vs wood) and area/time of exposure to colonisation. This findings demonstrates the importance of considering fine-scale (within substrate) variation in the conservation and management of macrofungal biodiversity, an area that has received little previous attention. While a number of recent studies have demonstrated that the genetics of foundation tree species can influence dependent communities, this was not found to be the case for the early log decay community associated with E. globulus. Despite genetic variation in wood and bark properties existing within this species, there was no significant effect of tree genetics on macrofungal community richness or composition. This finding highlights the variation that may exist among guilds of organisms in their response to genetic variation within foundation species, an important consideration in a promising new area of research.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bailey JK, Deckert R, Schweitzer JA, Rehill BJ, Lindroth RL, Gehring C, Whitham TG (2005) Host plant genetics affect hidden ecological players: links among Populus, condensed tannins, and fungal endophyte infection. Can J Bot 83:356–361
Barbour RC, deLittle DW, O’Reilly-Wapstra JM, Jordan GJ, Steane DA, Humphreys JR, Bailey JK, Whitham TG, Potts BM (2009) A geographic mosaic of genetic variation within a foundation tree species and its community-level consequences. Ecology (in press)
Breitenbach J, Kränzlin F (1984) Fungi of Switzerland: a contribution to the knowledge of the fungal flora of Switzerland, vol 1. Ascomycetes. Mykologia, Lucerne
Chambers PGS, Borralho NMG, Potts BM (1996) Genetic analysis of survival in Eucalyptus globulus ssp. globulus. Silvae Genet 45:107–112
Dighton J, White JF, Oudemans P (2005) The fungal community: its organization and role in the ecosystem, 3rd edn. Taylor & Francis, Boca Raton
Dix NJ, Webster J (1995) Fungal ecology. Chapman & Hall, Melbourne
Dungey HS, Potts BM, Whitham TG, Li H (2000) Plant genetics affects arthropod community richness and composition: evidence from a synthetic eucalypt hybrid population. Evolution 54:1939–1946
Dutkowski GW, Potts BM (1999) Geographic patterns of genetic variation in Eucalyptus globulus ssp. globulus and a revised racial classification. Aust J Bot 47:237–263
Eldridge K, Davidson J, Harwood C, van Wyk G (1993) Eucalypt domestication and breeding. Clarendon Press, Oxford
Ellis JG, Dodds PN, Lawrence GJ (2008) Flax rust resistance gene specificity is based on direct resistance–avirulence protein interactions. Annu Rev Phytopathol 45:289–306
Fuhrer B (2005) A field guide to Australian fungi. Bloomings Books, Melbourne
Gehring CA, Mueller RC, Whitham TG (2006) Environmental and genetic effects on the formation of ectomycorrhizal and arbuscular mycorrhizal associations in cottonwoods. Oecologia 149:158–164
Goodman DM, Trofymow JA (1998) Distribution of ectomycorrhizas in microhabitats in mature and old-growth stands of Douglas-fir on southeastern Vancouver Island. Soil Biol Biochem 30:2127–2138
Hamilton MG, Greaves BL, Potts BM, Dutkowski GW (2007) Patterns of longitudinal within-tree variation in pulpwood and solidwood traits differ among Eucalyptus globulus genotypes. Ann For Sci 64:831–837
Heilmann-Clausen J, Christensen M (2003) Fungal diversity on decaying beech logs—implications for sustainable forestry. Biodivers Conserv 12:953–973
Heilmann-Clausen J, Christensen M (2004) Does size matter? On the importance of various dead wood fractions for fungal diversity in Danish beech forests. For Ecol Manage 201:105–117
Heilmann-Clausen J, Christensen M (2005) Wood-inhabiting macrofungi in Danish beech-forests—conflicting diversity patterns and their implications in a conservation perspective. Biol Conserv 122:633–642
Johnson MTJ, Agrawal AA (2005) Plant genotype and environment interact to shape a diverse arthropod community on evening primrose (Oenothera biennis). Ecology 86:874–885
Johnson MTJ, Stinchcombe JR (2007) An emerging synthesis between community ecology and evolutionary biology. Trends Ecol Evol 22:250–257
Jonsell M, Weslien J, Ehnström B (1998) Substrate requirements of red-listed saproxylic invertebrates in Sweden. Biodivers Conserv 7:749–764
Jordan GJ, Potts BM, Kirkpatrick JB, Gardiner C (1993) Variation in the Eucalyptus globulus complex revisited. Aust J Bot 41:763–785
Jordan GJ, Potts BM, Chalmers P, Wiltshire RJE (2000) Quantitative genetic evidence that the timing of vegetative phase change in Eucalyptus globulus ssp. globulus is an adaptive trait. Aust J Bot 48:561–567
LeRoy CJ, Whitham TG, Keim P, Marks JC (2006) Plant genes link forests and streams. Ecology 87:255–261
Lindhe A, Åsenblad N, Toresson H (2004) Cut logs and high stumps of spruce, birch, aspen and oak—nine years of saproxylic fungi succession. Biol Conserv 119:443–454
Lindner DL, Burdsall HH Jr, Stanosz GR (2006) Species diversity of polyporoid and corticioid fungi in northern hardwood forests with differing management histories. Mycologia 98:195–217
Lonsdale D, Pautasso M, Holdenrieder O (2008) Wood-decaying fungi in the forest: conservation needs and management options. Eur J For Res 127:1–22
Lopez GA, Potts BM, Dutkowski GW, Apiolaza LA, Gelid PE (2002) Genetic variation and inter-trait correlations in Eucalyptus globulus base population trials in Argentina. For Genet 9:217–231
Madritch M, Donaldson JR, Lindroth RL (2006) Genetic identity of Populus tremuloides litter influences decomposition and nutrient release in a mixed forest stand. Ecosystems 9:528–537
Martin F, Aerts A, Ahrén D, Brun A, Danchin EGJ, Duchaussoy F, Gibon J, Kohler A, Lindquist E, Pereda V, Salamov A, Shapiro HJ, Wuyts J, Blaudez D, Buée M, Brokstein P, Canbäck B, Cohen D, Courty PE, Coutinho PM, Delaruelle C, Detter JC, Deveau A, DiFazio S, Duplessis S, Fraissinet-Tachet L, Lucic E, Frey-Klett P, Fourrey C, Feussner I, Gay G, Grimwood J, Hoegger PJ, Jain P, Kilaru S, Labbé J, Lin YC, Legué V, Le Tacon F, Marmeisse R, Melayah D, Montanini B, Muratet M, Nehls U, Niculita-Hirzel H, Secq MPO-L, Peter M, Quesneville H, Rajashekar B, Reich M, Rouhier N, Schmutz J, Yin T, Chalot M, Henrissat B, Kües U, Lucas S, Van De Peer Y, Podila GK, Polle A, Pukkila PJ, Richardson PM, Rouzé P, Sanders IR, Stajich JE, Tunlid A, Tuskan G, Grigoriev IV (2008) The genome of Laccaria bicolor provides insights into mycorrhizal symbiosis. Nature 452:88–92
McDonald A, Borralho N, Potts BM (1997) Genetic variation for growth and wood density in Eucalyptus globulus ssp. globulus in Tasmania. Silvae Genet 46:236–241
Milgate AW, Potts BM, Joyce K, Mohammed CL, Vaillancourt RE (2005) Genetic variation in Eucalyptus globulus for susceptibility to Mycosphaerella nubilosa and its association with tree growth. Australas Plant Pathol 34:11–18
Poke FS, Potts BM, Vaillancourt RE, Raymond CA (2006) Genetic parameters for lignin, extractives and decay in Eucalyptus globulus. Ann For Sci 63:812–821
Ratkowsky D, Gates G (2002) Keys to the Tasmanian families and genera of gilled fungi. Tasmanian Nat 124:2–24
Rubino DL, McCarthy BC (2003) Composition and ecology of macrofungal and myxomycete communities on oak woody debris in a mixed-oak forest of Ohio. Can J For Res 33:2151–2163
Schmit JP (2005) Species richness of tropical wood-inhabiting macrofungi provides support for species-energy theory. Mycologia 97:751–761
Schweitzer JA, Bailey JK, Rehill BJ, Martinsen GD, Hart SC, Lindroth RL, Keim P, Whitham TG (2004) Genetically based trait in a dominant tree affects ecosystem processes. Ecol Lett 7:127–134
Schweitzer JA, Bailey JK, Fischer DG, LeRoy CJ, Lonsdorf EV, Whitham TG, Hart SC (2008) Plant–soil–microorganism interactions: heritable relationships between plant genotype and associated soil microorganisms. Ecology 89:773–781
Silfver T, Mikola J, Rousi M, Roininen H, Oksanen E (2007) Leaf litter decomposition differs among genotypes in a local Betula pendula population. Oecologia 152:707–714
Snedecor GW, Cochrane WG (1980) Statistical methods, 7th edn. The Iowa State University Press, Ames
Steane DA, Conod N, Jones RC, Vaillancourt RE, Potts BM (2006) A comparative analysis of population structure of a forest tree, Eucalyptus globulus (Myrtaceae), using microsatellite markers and quantitative traits. Tree Genet Genomes 2:30–38
Tedersoo L, Kõljalg U, Hallenberg N, Larsson K (2003) Fine scale distribution of ectomycorrhizal fungi and roots across substrate layers including coarse woody debris in a mixed forest. New Phytol 159:153–165
Thompson JN (2005) The geographic mosaic of coevolution. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago
Wade MJ (2007) The co-evolutionary genetics of ecological communities. Nat Rev Genet 8:185–195
Wheeler Q, Blackwell M (eds) (1984) Fungus–insect relationships, perspectives in ecology and evolution. Columbia University Press, New York
White TL, Adams WT, Neale DB (2007) Forest genetics. CAB International, London
Whitham TG, Bailey JK, Schweitzer JA, Shuster SM, Bangert RK, Leroy CJ, Lonsdorf EV, Allan GJ, DiFazio SP, Potts BM, Fischer DG, Gehring CA, Lindroth RL, Marks JC, Hart SC, Wimp GM, Wooley SC (2006) A framework for community and ecosystem genetics: from genes to ecosystems. Nat Rev Genet 7:510–523
Whitham TG, DiFazio SP, Schweitzer JA, Shuster SM, Allan GJ, Bailey JK, Woolbright SA (2008) Extending genomics to natural communities and ecosystems. Science 320:492–495
Wimp GM, Martinsen GD, Floate KD, Bangert RK, Whitham TG (2005) Plant genetic determinants of arthropod community structure and diversity. Evolution 59:61–69
Yu Q, Yang DQ, Zhang SY, Beaulieu J, Duchesne I (2003) Genetic variation in decay resistance and its correlation to wood density and growth in white spruce. Can J For Res 33:2177–2183
Acknowledgments
This research was supported under the Australian Research Council’s Discovery Projects funding scheme (project numbers DP0451533 and DP0773686). The authors wish to thank Gunns Ltd for providing access to the base population trial as well as S. Grove for specialist advices regarding establishment and assessment of the trial, S. Nichols for technical assistance and G. Gates for assistance with fungal taxonomy. Experiments and procedures reported in this work comply with the current laws of Australia.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Communicated by Jeremy Burdon.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Barbour, R.C., Storer, M.J. & Potts, B.M. Relative importance of tree genetics and microhabitat on macrofungal biodiversity on coarse woody debris. Oecologia 160, 335–342 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-009-1295-z
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-009-1295-z