Life cycles of ectomycorrhizal fungi with focus on sandy soil pine forests

Forests cover about two thirds of Sweden’s land area, and forestry is an important part of the national economy. The Swedish model of forestry is based on three pillars: ecological, economic and social sustainability and the Swedish Forestry Act from 1993 states production and environment as equal goals.

Managed forests, with a history of about 100 years in Sweden, differ in many aspects compared to natural forest conditions with which the fungi co-evolved during many millions of years. Some species have benefited, some seem indifferent while others are disadvantaged and declining. In Sweden, about 400 ectomycorrhizal fungi are red-listed mainly due to modern forestry. 

In Sweden, sandy coniferous forests, including sandy pine forests, are a nationally prioritised forest type of particular importance for biodiversity. In these forests, ectomycorrhizal fungi represent a particularly important group of species for nature conservation. At the same time, sandy pine forests cover large areas with high economic value for forestry.

These forests often occur in landscapes where several interests meet, particularly nature conservation, forestry and reindeer husbandry. There is therefore a strong need for improved ecological knowledge about this forest type and its fungal communities.

The overall aim of this project is to improve our understanding of the life cycles of ectomycorrhizal fungi in northern coniferous forests, with a particular focus on population demography, dynamics and genetics.

This will be done by:

• exploring if and to what extent clear-cut forest management selects for differing ectomycorrhizal fungi. Using eDNA based analyses, the project will compare archived forest soils from the 1980s with soils collected through the National Forest Soil Inventory
• investigating and characterising local population dynamics, particulary the establishment, turnover and lifespan of fungal individuals, contrasting the common and widespread Suillus variegatus with the rare and threatened/red-listed Tricholoma matsutake
• investigating the role of spore banks in forest soils of ectomycorrhizal fungi through greenhouse experiments with soils from a selection of forest conditions
• to synthesise how ectomycorrhizal diversity is impacted by forestry, how such effects can be managed, and transfer such knowledge with stakeholders

The project focuses on sandy pine forests in Fennoscandia. The two species selected for population genetic studies have relatively well-known ecologies and available reference genomes. They represent one common and widespread generalist species and one rare specialist species of conservation interest. The research questions are fundamental for a better understanding of fungal biology, but also essential for applying such knowledge into forest management.

Research team

PhD student: Viktor Lund

Main supervisor: Anders Dahlberg

Assistant supervisors: 

Peter Bergman, Sveaskog

Carles Castaño Soler, SLU

Elisabet Ottosson, SLU

Martin Ryberg, Uppsala University

Collaborating partner: Sveaskog

Project period: January 2026 – January 2031

This project is part of WIFORCE – the Wallenberg Initiative in Forest Research, funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.