Species richness and seasonal abundance of ectomycorrhizal fungi in plantations of Eucalyptus dunnii and Pinus taeda in southern Brazil

The abundance and diversity of ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) was assessed based on the collection of basidiocarps during 12 months comprising the spring of 1995, and the summer, autumn, and winter of 1996, in three stands of young, middle-aged, and rotation age plantations of Pinus taeda and Eucalyptus dunnii, in the state of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. A total of 3,085 collections yielded 34 presumed EMF taxa in ten genera, including mushroom-like and sequestrate species. Fruiting patterns of EMF differed with host and season, and host specificity was apparent in some. The overall relative importance (RI) and the Shannon diversity index (H) suggested that stands of E. dunnii had a more diverse aboveground EMF community than those of P. taeda. Overall, species of Scleroderma and Laccaria were not only the most abundant but also had the highest biomass values. The results show that a small number of species of abundant biomass and a larger number of species of less-abundant biomass characterize each forest class.