Small mammals as vectors for mycorrhizal fungi in Central European mountain forests

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Mycorrhizae, the symbiosis of mycorrhizal fungi and plants can be found in about 90% of all vascular plants, at least at a facultative level. Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi – the kind most important in mountainous forests with the dominating tree species being spruce, fir and beech – can form fruiting bodies either above or below ground. Fungi with epigeous fruiting bodies can use ARTICLE IN PRESS 22 Abstracts / Mamm. biol. 73 (2008) 4–45 abiotic mechanisms to spread their spores, but those with hypogeous fruiting bodies rely on endozoochory by invertebrates, mammals, or birds. The evolutionary trend to hypogeous fruiting is found repeatedly in all major groups of ECM-fungi suggesting that endozoochory is a successful way of spore dispersal.