Journal
QUATERNARY RESEARCH
Volume 67, Issue 1, Pages 50-56Publisher
ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE
DOI: 10.1016/j.yqres.2006.07.008
Keywords
forest decline; forest health-; endophytic fungi; tree diseases; spruce budworm; paleoecology
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Holocene occurrences of conifer needle endophytes have not previously been reported. We report the fossil remains of Lophoderillitan piceae (Fckl.) Hoehn., a fungal endophyte of black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) needles, in macrofossils dating back to 8000 cal yr BP. Spruce budworm head capsules and L. piceae remains were found preceding charcoal layers delineating the transformation of four spruce-moss forest sites to spruce-lichen woodland. As L. piceae is found solely on senescent needles, its increased presence during these transformation periods likely indicates that the forests were in decline due to the spruce budworin (Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.)) when they burned. Future paleoecological studies incorporating needle fungi observations could be used to investigate the historical occurrence of tree disease and the role of fungi in forest health and decline. (c) 2006 University of Washington. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available