Unraveling the soil mycobiome of managed Andean forests: insights into fungal diversity and edible taxa potential

Manayay M.L.; Olaizola J.; Maurice-Lira J.V.; Oria-de-Rueda J.A.; Martín-Pinto P. · Trees, Forests and People (2026) · DOI: 10.1016/j.tfp.2026.101498

Resumen

Soil fungi are essential for nutrient cycling and forest productivity; however, the ecological, factors structuring fungal communities in Pinus plantations of the Peruvian Andes have not been systematically evaluated. This study addresses this gap by assessing how tree age and local site conditions influence alpha diversity, taxonomic and functional composition, and indicator taxa of soil fungal communities in Andean Pinus forests. Climatic, geographic, and allometric variables were incorporated to contextualize these responses. We examined three questions: (RQ1) whether fungal diversity and richness vary with stand age and environmental conditions; (RQ2) how taxonomic and functional composition shifts across age classes and sites; and (RQ3) how indicator taxa are distributed and which of these taxa correspond to species documented as edible elsewhere. Stand age significantly influenced diversity and evenness, with mature stands showing lower values than young and intermediate stands, while species richness remained stable across the chronosequence. Community composition changed along the developmental gradient, with mature stands harboring late-successional ectomycorrhizal (ECM) taxa. These changes were strongly modulated by local environmental heterogeneity. We detected a diverse assemblage of taxa whose fruiting bodies are documented as edible in other regions, highlighting the nutritional and socioeconomic potential of Andean pine plantations. Functional organization was closely linked to stand structural attributes, particularly diameter and height. Soil fungal communities were jointly shaped by stand development and environmental gradients. Fungal taxa with documented food potential provide a solid basis for integrating fungal resources into forest management and food security strategies, with implications for rural livelihoods.