Fungi play an important symbiotic role with plants by helping absorb nutrients and increase plant surface area for growth. There are estimated to be 1.5 million fungal species globally, far more than the 250,000 known plant species. A study surveyed macrofungal diversity in older and younger forest sites on Vancouver Island and found some differences in fungal genera present but low overall statistical significance between the sites, possibly due to small sample size and timing outside peak fruiting season. Further macrofungal ecology studies are needed in different BC forest types.

1. They are not just Mushrooms!
King Wong

2. What are fungi?
• Not plants, not animals
• Macrofungi and Microfungi
• Almost all plants rely on fungi
Image courtesy of Robert A. Samson.

4. Symbiotic Relationship
• strong symbiotic relationship
with plants
• without fungi, there won't be
any new plant, vice versa
taken from faslanyc.blogspot.ca

5. Importance
• help plants to absorb nutrients
• increase plants' surface area
• recycle dead plant mass

6. There are six species of fungi
for every species of plant

7. It is estimated there are
250,000 species of plant

8. 250,000x6=1.5M
1.5M species of fungi, that's a lot!

9. Macrofungal Ecology
• less well studied in North
America
• Less than 1% of macrofungi in
BC has been systematically
surveyed

10. Macrofungal Survey
• Prediction
• Macrofungi are more diverse in older forest
than younger forest

11. Choosing sites

12. Older Forest Younger Forest
One giant dead log few small logs
tree vary in sizes
trees similar in size and more
evenly distributed
less dense more dense

14. Results

16. Simpson's Diversity Index

17. Genera Evenness

18. Similarity significance
• after running Analysis of
Similarities,
• 0.29 of significance, low
significance

19. Discussion
• Two forests have similar age
• Not in season
• small sample size

21. Laccaria Bicolor

22. Discussion
• Laccaria Bicolor maybe the most abundant
macrofungi in coastal temperate rainforest in
August
• macrofungal ecology in different forest types
should be studied in BC

23. Improvement of survey
• choosing a true old growth forest
• better ID skills
• bigger sample size

24. Acknowledgements
Andy MacKinnon
My father, YC Wong
Dr. Bridgette Clarkston
Orla Osborne
Brett Howard
Nic and Nicole
and YOU GUYS!!!