Relationships between macrofungi and vegetation in the burren

The relationships among macrofungi, vegetation and soil variables were assessed in a three-year study of sporocarp abundance in ten permanent plots in Dryas heath vegetation in the Burren. Ectomycorrhizal fungi associated primarily with Dryas octopetala constituted 83% of the sporocarp biomass but only 35% of the species number. One ectomycorrhizal species, Craterellus lutescens, constituted almost 50% of the total sporocarp biomass. Diversity of ectomycorrhizal sporocarps in the plots was positively correlated with the extent of Dryas cover, while diversity of saprotrophic species was positively correlated with extractable soil phosphorus. Differences in distribution patterns of saprotrophic and ectomycorrhizal species were evident between the plots. The distribution of sporocarps of the ectomycorrhizal species was dictated largely by the distribution of Dryas, but soil depth and organic matter also influenced the distribution of some Cortinarius species. Soil depth and soil type also influenced distribution patterns of sporocarps of saprotrophic species. Relationships between the plots based on macrofungal composition were very similar to relationships based on vegetation.