RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Effects of fuel reduction treatments on the sporocarp production and richness of a Quercus/Cistus mixed system
A1 Sanz Benito, Ignacio
A1 Mediavilla Santos, Olaya
A1 Casas, Adriana
A1 Oria de Rueda Salgueiro, Juan Andrés
A1 Martín Pinto, Pablo
K1 Wildfires
K1 Incendios forestales
K1 Forest management
K1 Gestión forestal
K1 Boletus
AB Wildfire is a recurrent factor that shapes and influences Mediterranean ecosystems where mixed oak (Quercus) forests with a rockrose (Cistus) understory are broadly represented. These ecosystems are also associated with large and diverse fungal communities. These fungal communities play essential ecological roles for the survival of vascular plant, such as the mineral and water uptaking or resistance against pathogens carried out by mycorrhizal fungi, as the saprotrophic fungi are a key factor for the recycling of the dead matter. In addition, edible fungi, such as Boletus edulis, provide a source of income for the nearby rural population. Fuel reduction treatments are applied to reduce the risk of wildfire; however, their potential impact on fungal communities is unclear. Thus, the aim of this work was to investigate the effect of different fuel reduction treatments on fungi associated with Quercus and Cistus. This aim is accompanied by the management-driven objective to obtain data from fuel reduction treatments that will enable managers to find solutions with a balanced approach to maintaining productive areas of edible mushroom production while reducing fire risks across the landscape. Sporocarps were sampled over a five-year period in stands dominated by mature or coppiced Quercus pyrenaica and accompanied by Cistus ladanifer understory. These stands had been subjected to different fuel reduction treatment levels involving moderate- or high-intensity thinning, for Q. pyrenaica, or clearing, for C. ladanifer. The goal was to determine sporocarp production, species richness, and taxonomic composition. Sporocarp production and fungal richness were drastically affected by the fuel reduction treatments but only when C. ladanifer is included in the treatment. Taxa composition was strongly correlated with the treatments applied to the rockrose understory. This was probably due to the large range of associated ectomycorrhizal fungi of C. ladanifer and their high capacity to recolonize an area after disturbances. Based on our results, we conclude that the implementation of moderate-/high-intensity fuel reduction treatments is compatible with the conservation of the fungal community present in these systems. In addition, the creation of a multi-stage mosaic of stands through mechanical management could enable fire prevention to be managed in an effective way while maintaining fungal diversity and sporocarp production, favoring the use of non-wood resources in rural areas and conserving a healthier forest ecosystem.
PB Elsevier
SN 0378-1127
YR 2022
FD 2022
LK https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/49801
UL https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/49801
LA eng
NO Forest Ecology and Management, 2022, vol. 503, 119798
NO Producción Científica
DS UVaDOC
RD 18-may-2024