In: Sydowia 75, (2022): 023-056; ISSN 0082-0598, DOI 10.12905/0380.sydowia75-2022-023, Published online on October 5, 2022

Diversity and ecology of macrofungi on large decaying
spruce trunks: what has changed after five years?

Jan Holec, Katarína Holcová & Michal Žák


Mycological Department, National Museum, Cirkusová 1740, Praha 9, CZ-193 00, Czech Republic
Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Charles University, Albertov 6, Praha 2, CZ-128 43, Czech Republic
Dept. of Atmospheric Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, V Holešovic?kách 2, Praha 8, CZ-182 00, Czech Republic


email: jan_holec@nm.cz

Holec J., Holcová K. & Žák M. (2022): Diversity and ecology of macrofungi on large decaying spruce trunks: what has changed
after five years? – Sydowia 75: 23–35, and electronic supplements at http://www.sydowia.at/

Macrofungi were monitored on huge decaying Norway spruce (Picea abies) trunks in Boubínský prales virgin forest in
Czechia. The work was done in 2020 on the same trunks and by the same methods as the already published study from 2015.
After five years, trunks of decay stage 1 shifted to stage 2, and of stage 2 to 3, whereas no substantial changes were observed on
trunks of advanced decay stages 4 and 5. There has been considerable change in cover of bark and mosses. In 2020, higher number
of species was recorded. Key role of decay stage followed by bark/moss cover and the total canopy cover for shaping fungal communities
was confirmed. The shift in species composition was lowest in trunks of initial decay stages, then slightly increased towards
medium stages, and finally decreased in final stage. Species turnover was fastest in the first ten years after tree fall. Consequently,
the first survey should be conducted up to 3 years after tree fall and the second one 5–10 years after the fall. Much of
the change in species richness and composition was due to different weather patterns in 2015 and 2020. The difference was best
explained by the course of mean monthly precipitation. We recommend that field fruitbodies surveys should always be confronted
with the course of precipitation and temperature in a given year for assessment of mycodiversity data completeness, while
precipitation 1–2 months before mycological inspection is decisive. High conservation value of the locality was highlighted by
records of rare old-growth forests fungi, above all Dentipratulum bialoviesense.

Keywords: coarse dead wood, fungal communities, succession, climate, Central Europe.