Mycoecology on Serpentine Soil

In a mycoecological survey made on serpentine and non-serpentine soils in the Cascade Mountains of Washington, a total of 279 species of macrofungi were collected during fall, 1963 and spring, 1964. Even though collecting was limited to one fall and one spring, serpentine soil areas were found to support a mycoflora different from that of non-serpentine areas. Of the 279 species collected, 67 were either lignicolous or parasitic and not directly dependent on soil type. Nineteen per cent of the remaining 212 species were found only in serpentine soil areas, and 63 per cent were found only in non-serpentine soil areas. Eighteen per cent of the 212 species were common to both soil type areas. A somewhat higher proportion of fungi were mycorrhizal symbionts in serpentine than in non-serpentine areas.