title: Ectomycorrhizal fungal assemblages of Abies alba Mill. outside its native range in Poland.
abstract: Abies alba (Mill.) is an important forest tree species, native to the mountainous regions of Europe but has been also widely introduced in the lowlands outside its native range. Like most forest tree species, A. alba forms obligate mutualisms with ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi. This investigation sought to examine ECM fungal communities of A. alba when the species grows 400 km north of its native range in the region of Pomerania in Poland. We surveyed for ECM fungi by sampling live roots from four mature forest stands where the A. alba component ranged from 20 to 100%. Ectomycorrhizal fungal symbionts were identified based on morphotyping and sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA). Thirty-five ECM fungal taxa were distinguished on root tips of A. alba from all tested stands with 22 to 27 ECM fungal taxa in the individual stand. The diversity and similarity metrics revealed a lack of statistical differences in the structure of the ECM fungal community between stands varying in overstory tree composition. Cenococcum geophilum was the most common fungal species at all investigated A. alba stands, with an abundance of 50 to 70%. The ECM community was characterized by the lack of Abies-specific fungal symbionts and a rich and diverse suite of host-generalist mycobionts that seem to be sufficient for successful growth and development of A. alba outside of its native range.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Symbiotic Associations, Institute of Dendrology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Parkowa 5, 62-035, Kórnik, Poland. mariarud@man.poznan.pl.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rudawska
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Symbiotic Associations, Institute of Dendrology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Parkowa 5, 62-035, Kórnik, Poland.
authors.forename: Marcin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pietras
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Symbiotic Associations, Institute of Dendrology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Parkowa 5, 62-035, Kórnik, Poland.
authors.forename: Iwona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Smutek
authors.affiliation: Department of Forest Management, University of Life Sciences in Poznań, Wojska Polskiego 71C, 60-625, Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: Paweł
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Strzeliński
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Symbiotic Associations, Institute of Dendrology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Parkowa 5, 62-035, Kórnik, Poland.
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Leski
mesh_terms: D028202:Abies / Q000382:microbiology*; D001203:Ascomycota / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001483:Base Sequence; D044822:Biodiversity; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D065928:Forests; D006801:Humans; D018519:Meristem / Q000382:microbiology; D038821:Mycorrhizae / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010802:Phylogeny; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000382:microbiology; D011044:Poland; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D013561:Symbolism; D014197:Trees / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal
keywords: Cenococcum geophilum; Ectomycorrhizal diversity; Host-generalist; Silver fir; Symbiotic fungi