Fungal diversity and succession following stand development in Pinus patula Schiede ex Schltdl. & Cham. plantations in Ethiopia

- It is the first attempt to describe fungal community in Ethiopian pine plantations.
- Matured stands provided higher fungal richness and sporocarp yields.
- Mycorrhizal and edible taxa were more frequent in older plantations.
- Green-tree retention management may increase economic benefits from mushrooms.

Fungal communities associated to conifers have been typically studied in temperate conifer forests, but little is known about tropical habitats. The present study examined the macrofungal succession and corresponding sporocarp production in Pinus patula stands in Ethiopia. For this purpose, we surveyed nine permanent plots (100 m2) established in five-, eleven- and thirty-six years old P. patula plantations and estimated fungal taxa richness, diversity and sporocarp yields. Composite soil samples were also collected from each plot to determine explanatory edaphic variables for fungal taxa compositions. We found a total of 53 fungal taxa belonging to Basidiomycota, with the exception of Xylaria hypoxylon which is Ascomycota. The majority of the collected taxa were saprophytic and about 6% were ectomycorrhizal fungi. About 36% of the taxa were classified as edible. Taxa richness, the Shannon diversity index and sporocarp yields showed significant increasing trends towards the more mature P. patula stands. Fungal community composition was also correlated significantly with N, K, and pH. This study extends our knowledge on fungal diversity and community structure in managed P. patula plantations. Higher diversity and sporocarp production was found in older stands. Thus, the deliberate presence of mature trees in Pinus stands could provide incentives for the production and conservation of ecologically and commercially important fungal species in the study area.