Fungal Biotrophic Complex in Successional Dynamics of Indigenous Spruce Forests of the European Taiga

Wood-destroying fungi are considered the most important endogenous indicator in the dynamic processes of native spruce forests formation of different ages in the European Russia’s taiga. Spruce biogeocenoses of evolutionary formation on different development phases (climax, demutation, digression) have been studied in the southern, middle and northern taiga subzones. Experimental studies show various variants of the successional changes dynamic, the damage rate of forest stands by wood-destroying fungi of the biotrophic complex and the consistency of these indicators regardless of forest growth zones and types of forest growth conditions. The relationship between the age and the infestation rate of trees by fungi of the biotrophic complex by age generations, studied with different approximations: linear, exponential and polynomial, has different values: from “very strong”, almost functional — R² > 0.9, “strong” — R² = 0.7—0.9 to its absence — R² = 0.089. The highest values of volume and percentage indicators of rot within spruce biogeocenoses belong to communities of climax-digressive phases of dynamics. Wood-destroying fungi of the biotrophic complex are one of the main heterotrophic structures of native spruce biogeocenoses, performing the function of rotten damage to trees and their fall into the structure of the biogeocenosis mortmass, consistent with the successional dynamics of the community.

native spruce forests, successional dynamics, wood-destroying fungi, closeness of the indicators’ correlation