THE HIDDEN PART OF THE FOREST MANAGEMENT: SOIL MYCOBIOME

Fungi and mushrooms are very important members of the ecological system and play important role in the forest. The state of soil mycobiome may reflect on the forest health and the productivity. Natural disturbances as well as man-made activities may alter the soil biological activity, including the fungal diversity and distribution in the soil as well as mushroom production above. Yet, the role of forest management`s activities on the fungal diversity is relatively neglected by foresters. Here we present a comparative analysis of soil fungal diversity, richness and trophic state of pine forest sites subjected to different trees cutting regimes. The study was conducted in the LTER (Long-Term Ecological Research) site in Nahal Kdoshim at Jerusalem Mountain, having uncut, partially cut, fully cut, and non-planted sites. Using NGS approach, soil fungal diversity was determined, along with analysis of physical and enzymatic properties of the soil. The results showed lower number of fungal species in the partially cut forest, with higher rate of symbiotic fungi than the uncut, the fully cut or the unplanted site. The rate of the saprophytic and pathogenic fungi was also altered due to the trees cutting regime. This alteration in the fungal diversity and trophic state due to the different management regimes may in turn affect the forest stability.