Ectomycorrhizal fungal spores in the mounds of tropical Australian termites (isoptera)

Abstract

The spores of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi are shown to occur regularly within the mounds of grass-, litter- and wood-feeding termites in Australian savannah and forest environments, except in closed-forest environments lacking putative ECM host species. The spore population densities in mound materials are substantially greater and the communities more diverse at the generic level than those of soils adjacent to putative hosts. Many genera are common to both locations. Some implications of the presence of these fungi for nutrient flow and local diversity are considered.