| dc.description.abstract | Polypores are wood-decaying fungi which are important for forest ecosystems in the nutrient cycling of dead wood and microhabitat creation. Continuity and quality in deadwood have been found to be important aspects for polypore diversity, especially for some rare species. Modern forest management pose a threat to polypore diversity, by causing a reduction in quality deadwood, a disruption of continuity, as well as fragmentation. In the present study, the polypore communities and the quality of the deadwood they grew on were assessed in four forests with differing management history. Differences were identified between the areas by analysing deadwood decay and volume, the abundances of the most frequently observed species, as well as looking at presence/absence data of indicator species. The main findings of this study are that deadwood decay is the most important aspect of polypore diversity, and an important factor for the abundance of some species. The forests with a history of more intensive management had less deadwood in later decay, less abundance of species found to be correlated with late decay, and higher abundance of species associated with disturbance. Therefore, the study indicates that the polypore communities of the four forests are affected by their management history. However, the study also indicates that if given similar decay stages, areas will likely have at least somewhat similar communities regardless of management history. | |