The Unclear Fate of Fungi: How Landscape Management Practices Influence Fungal Populations

 With the increasingly rapid transformation of wild spaces to agricultural and residential land, the study of how to best conserve plant and animal populations has become a priority among ecologists. In the study of ecosystem conservation, one important group of organisms is often neglected: fungi (Heilman-Claussen). Despite their vital functions in the ecosystem as decomposers, nitrogen cyclers, and mutualists, little study has been performed on how fungi may be conserved, or even how endangered fungi species are—the status of most fungal populations is unknown, with red list assessments rare (Komonen et al). As forests are fragmented and cleared, the availability and variety of wood substrates are greatly reduced, potentially limiting the range of saprophytic species (Moose et al). The study of small-scale forest management effects can thus provide a useful window into the effects of environmental alteration on fungi at large.

    In their study of an agricultural area in Central Finland, Juutilainen et. al examine the impacts of different land management strategies on fungi populations. They defined plots within land split into three categories—natural broadleaf herb-rich forest, forested pastures, and afforested fields (formerly non-forest areas transformed into forests by humans)—and searched every piece of deadwood within the plots for fungi. Out of 67,130 deadwood particles, they found 209 species of fungi, with the highest species richness occurring in natural herb-rich forests and the second highest occurring in afforested fields. Natural herb-rich forests had a significantly higher number of unique species than the other land types, likely due to the higher presence of woody debris with large diameters, such as snags and logs, which provide more substrate and create more microclimates. Forested pastures were less hospitable to specialist fungi due to lower deadwood presence and drier microclimates. Juutilainen et al.’s study reveals that deadwood diameter and microclimate availability are crucial in supporting fungal diversity and suggests that better deadwood management—such as leaving logs and snags in place—could benefit fungal populations in heavily managed areas. 

    In our study, like Juutilainen et al., we divide land into categories—unmanaged, heavily managed, and semi-managed—and take random quadrats from each category in order to examine how management practices and deadwood presence affect fungi populations at Grinnell College. Although the semi-urban forest communities of Grinnell are very different from the birch forests of Finland, they are similarly fragmented by human use. We expect deadwood and fungi presence to negatively correlate with the degree of management—in highly managed areas like the South Campus lawn, for example, large pieces of deadwood are removed, reducing available substrate for saprophytic fungi. Our study could shed light on how management practices can be used to support fungi at Grinnell.

   

A saprophytic fungus (possibly a giant puffball, Calvatia gigantea) found in the study area.

Measuring forest plots in Wieman, a less managed woodland on campus.

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    https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12388

Juutilainen, K., Mönkkönen, M., Kotiranta, H., & Halme, P. (2016). The role of novel     forest ecosystems in the conservation of wood‐inhabiting fungi in boreal 

    broadleaved forests. Ecology and Evolution, 6(19), 6943–6954. 

    https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.2384

Komonen, A., Sundström, L. M., Wall, A., & Halme, P. (2016). Afforested fields benefit 

    nutrient-demanding fungi: Afforested fields benefit fungi. Restoration Ecology, 

    24(1), 53–60. 

    https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.12282

Moose, R. A., Schigel, D., Kirby, L. J., & Shumskaya, M. (2019). Dead wood fungi in     North America: an insight into research and conservation potential. Nature 

    Conservation, 32(32), 1–17.    

    https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.32.30875