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Aggregated retention coupe WR001E, showing the three aggregates where fungus surveys are being conducted. |
Image: Leigh Edwards |
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Project summary:
At the Warra long-term ecological research site (LTER), the macrofungi of the harvested and unharvested parts of an aggregated retention coupe and a nearby mature forest control were compared. In the island ‘aggregates’ of the coupe, 169 macrofungal species were recorded compared to 125 species in the harvested areas of the same coupe and 288 species in the mature forest control. Although 130 species were shared between the coupe and the control, there were 158 species found only in the control, but only 99 species found only in the harvested part of the coupe. Seasonal effects were clearly observed in all sampling units, with many more species appearing in the autumn and winter months than in spring and summer. Most of the species known or believed to be mycorrhizal were unique to the mature or unharvested forest. The regenerating units were a source of many saprotrophic fungi and also contained many species that are either known from the Northern Hemisphere but not observed in mature Tasmanian forests, or are characteristically opportunistic, appearing after disturbance but not generally seen in forests that have progressed beyond the earliest stage of regeneration. In addition, an escaped regeneration burn in nearby forest provided a sampling unit in which to observe the earliest succession of macrofungi after wildfire. This gave a time line of zero to 3.2 years with which to document the succession of macrofungi of the lowland wet eucalypt forest in southern Tasmania after disturbance and fire. Substantial differences were observed between the mycota in the earliest stage of regeneration and in the subsequent stages of regeneration. The results suggest that the retained islands of aggregated retention are a good source of macrofungal biodiversity, but the size of these islands may need to be increased to counteract the drying effect resulting from their proximity to the harvested areas.
Methodology: The macrofungi of an aggregated retention coupe (WR001E) were documented at approximately fortnightly intervals over a period of 16 months between February 2005 and June 2006. An unharvested mature coupe of the same forest type (WR008J) was used for comparison.
Datasets: None available.
Publications: Gates, G.M. & Noordeloos, M. (2007). Preliminary studies in the genus Entoloma in Tasmania – I. Persoonia 19: 157-226.
Gates, G. & Ratkowsky, D. (2006). Macrofungal biodiversity in an aggregated retention coupe at Warra. Report for Forestry Tasmania.
Gates, G.M., Ratkowsky, D.A. & Grove, S.J. (2009). Aggregated retention and macrofungi: a case study from the Warra LTER site, Tasmania. Tasforests 18: 33-54.
Noordeloos, M. & Gates, G.M. (2009). Preliminary studies in the genus Entoloma in Tasmania – II. Cryptogamie, Mycologie 30: 107-140.
Ratkowsky, D.A. & Gates, G.M. (2008). Generalised canonical correlations analysis for explaining macrofungal species assemblages. Australasian Mycologist 27: 33-40.
Ratkowsky, D.A. & Gates, G.M. (2008). Macrofungi in early stages of forest regeneration in Tasmania’s southern forests. Tasforests 18: 56-66.
Ratkowsky, D.A. (2007). Visualising macrofungal species assemblage compositions using canonical discrimination analysis. Australasian Mycologist 26: 75-85.
Ratkowsky, D.A. (2008). Tests for dispersion among macrofungal species assemblages. Australasian Mycologist 27: 66-73.
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