Partial restoration of fungal and plant species diversity by removal of litter and humus layers in stands of Scots pine in the Netherlands

✍ Scribed by B. W. L. Vries; E. Jansen; H. F. Dobben; Th. W. Kuyper

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1995
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 578 KB
• Volume: 4
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0960-3115
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00137782

✦ Synopsis

A field experiment was set up in five mature Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) stands in the Netherlands in order to study the effects of removal of litter and humus on ectomycorrhizal fungi and vegetation of higher plants, bryophytes, and lichens. Lime was also applied as a countermeasure to the removal of surplus cations. Application of lime did not have significant effects on mycorrhizal fungi. Removal of ectorganic material increased species richness of ectomyeorrhizal fungi. The number of fruit bodies was also higher in the sod-cut plots, but the difference compared with the controls was not significant in all years. A major effect of removal of the ectorganic layer was a reversion of ectomycorrhizal succession to earlier stages. Liming increased the number and cover of ruderal, nitrophilous plant species. Sod-cutting caused a reversion of the green vegetation to earlier successional stages.