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New Species of Bark Beetles in the Fauna of Poland - New Challenges for Forest Protection?
Forestry is one of the sectors particularly affected by the threats posed by changing climatic conditions. This is reflected in the deterioration of the health status of stands due to the synergistic effect of numerous abiotic and biotic factors. Current forest health problems are due to dynamic, negative changes in the forest environment. While the amount of precipitation remains at a similar level, its distribution varies throughout the year and, in particular, the lack of soil moisture during the growing season leads to the weakening of trees, including the main forest-forming species in Poland such as Pinus sylvestris. The weakening of trees, in turn, leads to species of insect pests that were previously considered secondary becoming primary pests, such as Ips acuminatus. It is likely that weakening of trees also favours increased occurrence of parasitic plants such as Viscum album ssp. austriacum or Loranthus europaeus. Infestations of the hemiparasitic, xylem-secreting pine mistletoe are of great interest because they are spreading rapidly throughout Europe. Drought in forests is not only a long-term water shortage, but also a situation in which plant-fungal relationships are disrupted. Reduced water availability leads to a number of negative changes in the soil and the mycobiota that live there, affecting entire ecosystems. The effects of climate change and increased international trade are leading to the spread of pathogenic fungi and other harmful organisms whose range was previously restricted to the south of our continent. Unfavourable abiotic and biotic factors leading to weakening of oak stands in the western part of Poland have resulted in activation of new pests like Mediterranean oak borer. Intensification of transport and shortening of its duration, as well as climatic changes, favour the introduction of various organisms, including bark beetles (Scolytinae). In Poland, cyclic insect outbreaks are one of the most important problems in forest protection. Developing methods to monitor, prevent outbreaks and control the density of insect populations below harmful levels can be a challenge to consider. Finding an innovative system for applying insecticides to control spruce bark beetle could also be an interesting solution, where insects attracted to pheromones die after contact with the insecticide. Contact with the insecticide has a dual effect: either directly when the tree is treated, or when the bark beetle attempts to invade the tree. Opportunities for the use of biostimulants in forestry and is an attractive way to regenerate plants after negative stressors such as frost, drought or damage caused by improper use of pesticides, as well as the negative effects of diseases and pests. It acts indirectly by stimulating leaf, stem and root development and improving nutrient uptake. The effects of chemical treatments on fungal biodiversity in forests should be studied using powerful molecular tools such as NGS.
Influence of the methods of seedlings production of silver fir on diversity of root fungi in forest crop
Effects of nursery production methods on fungal community diversity within soil and roots of Abies alba Mill.
AbstractThe aim of this study was to elucidate how different nursery production methods influence the composition of and relationship between soil and root community levels of Abies alba. In the Międzylesie Forest District, we quantified the responses of samples of both community-level fine roots and surrounding soil to environmental changes evoked by various seedling production methods. Fungi levels were identified based on their ITS 1 region and 5.8 S rDNA component. Analysis was conducted using Illumina SBS technology, and the obtained sequences were compared with reference samples deposited in the UNITE. Chemical analysis of the soil was also performed. Different nursery production methods resulted in a strong decoupling in the responses of fungal community levels between soil and roots. Changes in growth conditions imposed by production methods were significant in determining species composition. We found differences in fungal communities among functional groups of samples. In the soil, the dominant species of mycorrhizal fungi were Tylospora asterophora, Amanita rubescens, and Russula ionochlora. Mycorrhizal fungi in roots included Tuber anniae, Thelephoraceae sp., and Acephala applanata. Specific soil substrate conditions significantly influenced fungal community composition, leading to an increase in abundance of mycorrhizal fungi, specifically T. anniae.
Fungal community diversity in soils under pedunculate oak Quercus robur L. and European beech Fagus sylvatica L. saplings produced with different technologies
The community of soil fungi associated with the western red cedar (Thuja plicata Donn ex D. Don, 1824)
ABSTRACT The western red cedar (Thuja plicata Donn ex D. Don), an important forest-forming species in the Western part of the North American continent, is an alien species naturalised in Europe. It is popular and highly valued in horticulture. While considering the progressing climate change, it may also be a potential alternative to native species in European forests. The community of soil fungi associated with the western red cedar in forested areas of Europe has not been fully determined. Thus, this study is aimed to identify the community of soil fungi associated with the western red cedar. The experimental plots are located in the Kościan Forest District (51°98’87″ N; 16°23’54″ E). All soil samples were taken from the topsoil layer at a depth of 25 cm with a trowel, three from the centre of natural regeneration (1G, 2G, 5G) and three from the centre stand under the canopy of old-growth western red cedar (3G, 4G, 6G). Fungi were identified directly from the soil based on the ITS1 rDNA region. The derived product was sequenced using Illumina’s sequencing by synthesis (SBS) technology. Sequences were referred to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database applying the BLAST algorithm. The fungal counts were defined based on the number of operational taxonomic units (OTU) in the sample. The OTU number was 835 206, with fungal isolates accounting for 683 095 (81.79%). A total of 8 591 taxa belonging to the Kingdom Fungi were identified. The species with the greatest shares in the community included Mortierella spp. (10.5%), Russula spp. (5.6%), Hydnum spp. (3.44%), Solicoccozyma spp. (3.1%) and Penicillium spp. (2.2%). Results showed that saprotrophs and mycorrhizal fungi predominated in the community. The dominance of ectomycorrhizal fungi over arbuscular ones, quite impressive natural regeneration was shown in T. plicata stands in Kościan. Subsequent research should take into account tree stands in Poland in which natural regeneration does not occur or occurs sporadically.