Fungal diversity and succession under Eucalyptus grandis plantations in Ethiopia

- We studied fungal taxa associated with E. grandis plantations in Ethiopia.
- Fungal community composition vary according to stand developments.
- Fungal sporocarp yields are increased along plantation age.
- Mature tree retention may provide incomes from mushroom in Eucalyptus plantations.

In Ethiopia, plantation forestry is dominated by Eucalyptus tree species. However, there is a very limited knowledge on the associated flora, specifically any study focused on fungal flora is lacking. In this study, we investigated the fungal species diversity, composition and sporocarp production in relation to plantation age of Eucalyptus grandis stands in Southern Ethiopia. For this purpose, we surveyed nine plots (100 m2) established in ten-, nineteen-, and thirty-seven years old E. grandis stands. We found a total of 29 fungal taxa belonging to Basidiomycota, with the exception of Xylaria hypoxylon which is Ascomycota. All the taxa collected were saprophytic and one third of them were classified as edible. Taxa richness, species composition, the Shannon diversity values, and sporocarp yield were positively correlated with plantation age. The PERMANOVA showed that the stands are significantly different (P < 0.05) in terms of their fungal species composition. An analysis of similarity percentage (SIMPER) also identified influential fungal taxa such as Lepiota aff. cristata and Marasmius sp. that best differentiated between paired stands. This preliminary study extends our knowledge of fungal community structure in plantation forests and provides a starting place in broadening Eucalyptus stands management objectives for Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) in the country, mainly of mushrooms that could provide complementary incomes for the rural people.