Impact of European beech enrichment with spruce and Douglas-fir on fungal community structure

Douglas-fir shows desirable characteristics of productivity but interaction with native species (beech and spruce) in relation to soil and root fungal diversity and composition is less known. Therefore, understanding the impact of beech enrichment with conifers (Douglas-fir and spruce) on fungi is fundamental for forest management. To explore the influence of mixing beech with Douglas-fir and Norway spruce, we collected soil and root samples from eight study sites across Germany comprising pure (beech, Douglas-fir, Norway spruce) and mixture (beech with spruce; beech with Douglas-fir) tree stands. Fungal communities were determined through DNA extraction and amplification of the ITS2 region.