At which spatial and temporal scales can fungi indicate habitat connectivity?

2018

Isolation of habitats in space and time affects species globally and in a multitude of ecosystems [1]. It is however often difficult to assess the level of isolation from the point of view of the focal species [2]. Wood-decaying fungal species have been used as indicators of 'conservation value' in Europe [3] and North America. The indicator species were commonly assigned based on expert opinions, but few scientific evaluations have been performed of what these species actually indicate. Building on previous classifications of wood-decaying fungal indicator species on Norway spruce, we hypothesized that indicator species would differ from non-indicator species in how they respond to local t…