Ectomycorrhizal Community in Beech Coppices of Different Age : Dissertation Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München Fakultät für Biologie, Phd Thesis Università degli Studi di Padova Scuola di Dottorat

In order to determine the influence of the coppicing on EM community, shoot age, bedrock types, exposure, slope, humus features, soil conditions, sampling points were taken in account as the most representative and influencing factors in these ecological dynamics. A monitoring on the root tipes was applied to compare 7 different beech coppices in the Province of Trient, and to give an additional instrument like a synthetic biological indicator. The results suggest that the coppice treatment in these sites, did not have a significant effect on the EM community structure. Considering the stability of the EM community as a bioindicator of the ecosystem resilience, it can be supposed that a rational coppicing is compatible with the ecosystem dynamics. The investigations on the community composition can be considered a great contribution to the biodiversity of the Beech forest, with four detailed species descriptions: Fagirhiza byssoporioides, Fagirhiza entolomoides, Fagirhiza stellata and Hygrophorus penarius. Two more EM descriptions were performed: Pseudotomentella humicola on Picea abies and Sistotrema muscicola on Castanea sativa.