The diversity of fungi in coniferous forests and mixed forests

Abstract: The fungal domain has one of the highest biodiversities among eukaryotes and species within the domain fill important ecological roles, such as mutualistic mycorrhiza, decomposers, parasites and pathogens. The development of forest ecosystems and their related processes has not only been linked to fungal diversity but the composition and abundance of fungi benefits the abundance and diversity of other species as well. In this study three questions concerning the differences in the fungal communities between mixed forests and coniferous forests were considered. Inventories were done in coniferous forest and mixed forest areas classified as nature reserves and later statistically analyzed. The study could show that while the probability of finding ectomycorrhiza was significantly higher in mixed forests than coniferous forests, the probability of finding saprotrophs was significantly higher in coniferous forests than in mixed forests. Results in contrast to other studies were also found. The study revealed that more is needed to be done on the topic of forest fungi in mixed forest and coniferous forest areas.