Importance and Conservation of Ectomycorrhizal Fungal Diversity in ForestEcosystems: Lessons from Europe and the Pacific Northwest

摘要

Ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) consist of about 5,000 species and profoundly affectforest ecosystems by mediating nutrient and water uptake, protecting roots from pathogens and environmental extremes, and maintaining soil structure and forest food webs. Diversity of EMF likely aids forest ecosystem resilience in the face of changing environmental factors such as pollution and global climate change. Concerns over decline of EMF have centered on pollution effects, habitat alternation, and effects of overharvest. Strategies for the conservation of EMF include decreasing levels of environmental pollutants and retaining diverse assemblages of native host species, habitats, and structures across a landscape.