Collecting fungal sporocarps allows researchers to survey the effects of nutrient additions on mycorrhizal fungi fitness over a larger area than soil samples alone. The study aims to determine how ectomycorrhizal sporocarp abundance and fungal community composition vary with nitrogen, phosphorus, and combined nutrient additions and between seasons. Over 4,000 sporocarps from 35 genera and 160 morphospecies were collected and will be identified using genetic techniques to analyze impacts of nutrient manipulations.

4. Why collect sporocarps?
•Indicates nutrient effects on
the fitness of mycorrhizal fungi
•Surveys a significantly larger
area
•Results can be compared to
analyses of community profiles
in soil samples from the same
plots with the Illumina MiSeq
approach
Amanita muscaria

5. •Is ectomycorrhizal fruiting
body abundance impacted by
N, P, NP, additions?
•Is there variation in nutrient
response according to season?
•How does overall community
composition vary according to
nutrient manipulations and
seasonal variation?
Research Questions
Amanita bisporigera

7. Total Sporocarps 4085
Number of Genera 35
Number of
Morphospecies
160
*Morphospecies to be confirmed using RFLP “fingerprints”
and DNA barcode sequencing*

9. Sporocarp abundance by date

10. Total abundance in nutrient plots

12. Ordination by nutrient treatment