Ectomycorrhizal diversity and community structure in stands of Quercus oleoides in the seasonally dry tropical forests of Costa Rica

Abstract

Most conservation efforts in seasonally dry tropical forests have overlooked less obvious targets for conservation, such as mycorrhizal fungi, that are critical to plant growth and ecosystem structure.We documented the diversity of ectomycorrhizal (EMF) and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AMF) fungal communities in Quercus oleoides (Fagaceae) in Guanacaste province, Costa Rica. Soil cores and sporocarps were collected from regenerating Q. oleoides plots differing in stand age (early vs late regeneration) during the wet season. Sequencing of the nuclear ribosomal ITS region inEMF root tips and sporocarps identified 37 taxa in the Basidiomycota; EMFAscomycota were uncommon. TheEMF community was dominated by one species (Thelephora sp. 1; 70% of soil cores), more than half of all EMFspecies were found only once in an individual soil core, and there were few conspecific taxa. Most EMFtaxa were also restricted to either Early or Late plots. Levels ofEMFspecies richness and diversity, andAMFroot colonization were similar between plots. Our results highlight the need for comprehensive spatiotemporal samplings ofEMFcommunities in Q. oleoides to identify and prioritize rareEMFfor conservation, and document their genetic and functional diversity.