Chiang Mai Journal of Science

 Wood-decaying fungi play key roles in forest ecosystems; however, there spatial distribution in old-growth temperate forests has been poorly studied. In this study, we recorded wood-decaying fungi (polypoloid and corticioid) in a rectangular plot (260 m x 500 m) on Changbai Mountain, Northeastern China, over 2010. The total number of individual fruiting bodies recorded in the plot was 1741, comprising 170 species. We used nested quadrats from four starting points in order to examine species richness. The relationship between the number of species and quadrat size was then analyzed, and three models commonly used to describe species-area relationships were fitted to the data. We found that the logistic model satisfactorily described the species richness-area curves irrespective of where in the plot we started sampling. The results indicated that, when the sampling area increases, species richness increases quickly at first and then the increase slows, becoming asymptotic. Using Coleman rarefaction curves to examine the main factors influencing the distribution of wood-decaying fungi in the forest, we found that there was a positive relationship between dead wood fragment diameter and the number of fungal species fruiting.