Abstract
The cultivation of plantation forests is likely to change the diversity and composition of soil fungal communities. At present, there is scant information about these communities in Ethiopian plantation forest systems. We assessed the soil fungal communities in Pinus patula Schiede ex Schltdl. & Cham. stands aged 5, 11, or 36-years-old using DNA metabarcoding of ITS2 amplicons. The ecological conditions of each plot, such as climate, altitude, and soil, were similar. Stand age and soil fertility influenced soil fungal species diversity and ecological guilds. In total, 2262 fungal operational taxonomic units were identified, of which 2% were ectomycorrhizal (ECM). The diversity of ECM fungi was higher in the 5 and 36-year-old stands than in the 11-year-old P. patula stands. Contrary to our expectations, a high level of ECM species diversity was observed in young stands, suggesting that these ECM species could compensate for the effects of nutrient stress in these stands. Our results also suggested that the abundance of plant pathogens and saprotrophs was not affected by stand age. This study provides baseline information about fungal community changes across tree stands of different ages in P. patula plantations in Ethiopia that are likely related to ECM fungi in young stands where relatively low soil fertility prevails. However, given that the plots were established in a single stand for each age class for each treatment, this study should be considered as a case study and, therefore, caution should be exercised when applying the conclusions to other stands.
Highlights
A recent review of forestry in Ethiopia revealed that deforestation is a continuous process [1].When all forest use was included, a deforestation rate of 0.93% per year was calculated in 2010 [2,3].Despite this, establishing plantations of fast-growing exotic tree species is becoming a major part of forestry practice in Ethiopia [4,5]
This study provides baseline information about fungal community changes across tree stands of different ages in P. patula plantations in Ethiopia that are likely related to ECM fungi in young stands where relatively low soil fertility prevails
The composition of ECM fungi in the soil is correlated with soil fertility and the growth status of the host trees [92,96]. We found that both stand age and soil fertility were factors that affected the fungal community composition in our study area
Summary
A recent review of forestry in Ethiopia revealed that deforestation is a continuous process [1].When all forest use was included, a deforestation rate of 0.93% per year was calculated in 2010 [2,3].Despite this, establishing plantations of fast-growing exotic tree species is becoming a major part of forestry practice in Ethiopia [4,5]. A recent review of forestry in Ethiopia revealed that deforestation is a continuous process [1]. When all forest use was included, a deforestation rate of 0.93% per year was calculated in 2010 [2,3]. Establishing plantations of fast-growing exotic tree species is becoming a major part of forestry practice in Ethiopia [4,5]. Exotic tree species plantations are estimated to cover 1,000,000 ha of land [5,6]. One of these introduced tree species is Pinus, which is mainly being grown to meet the increasing demand for woody raw materials [6,7,8].
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