Study Uncovers Nuanced Ways Fungal Communities Affect Wood Decomposition

Researchers collected fungal samples from seventeen Point Reyes National Seashore locations, some close to the edge of pine forest habitat and others in coastal scrub areas.

Smith & Peay

There's still a lot we don't know about the factors affecting how fungi decompose matter. But it’s important that we learn more: decomposition (mostly by fungi) is the main way carbon from plants gets back into the atmosphere. Understanding decomposition is a key element of predicting how landscapes sequester carbon, a key element in nature-based solutions for climate change.

That's why Stanford ecologists conducted a study at Point Reyes investigating which variables affect decomposition. They collected fungial samples from different sites at Point Reyes: some from very close to pine forest habitat, and some from locations in coastal scrub habitat farther away from the forest edge. They were curious to see whether there was a difference in how the fungi communities from different locations decomposed wood blocks.

They found that fungi taken from locations closer to the forest edge decomposed wood faster than the fungi taken from the coastal scrub locations. This may have to do with both the type of fungal species and the plant species prevalent close to the forest edge. Certain wood-decay specialist fungal species, like those in the basidiomycetes genera, are particularly efficient at decomposing wood. Samples with a higher proportion of these species decomposed the wood faster.

They observed that wood blocks hosting diverse, even fungal communities decomposed slower than those with simple communities dominated by only a handful of fungal species. This is likely because when many different fungal species are present in the same area, they compete for territory. This competition slows the rate of decomposition.

It will take more study to fully understand how small microcosms, like a fungal community on a single piece of wood, can impact broader ecosystem processes. But the findings of this study provide a few novel pieces to the puzzle.

Further Reading

• Smith, G.R. & Peay, K.G. (2021). Multiple distinct, scale-dependent links between fungi and decomposition. Ecology Letters
• Learn more about fungi and mushrooms on the Point Reyes National Seashore website

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