GAMIET, SHARMIN & J.F. AMMIRATI.
Dept. Botany, Box 355325, University of Washington, Seattle, WA., U.S.A. 98195-5325.
British Columbia is divided into 14 different biogeoclimatic zones. The very moist maritime (vm) Coastal Western Hemlock subzone is separated by altitude and soil nutrient and moisture regimes into 2 variants and 14 series. Epigeous mycorrhizal macro fungi were sampled from 2 series, the Salmonberry and Blueberry series and 1 series complex, Unit 12 in the submontane (vm1) and montane (vm2) variants. Forests are between 250 and 800 years old and are characterized by Tsuga heterophylla and Abies amabilis. Thuja plicata is present on the vm1 variant while Chamaecyparis nootkatensis and Tsuga mertensiana occur on the vm2 variant. Sampling was done along a 250 X 10 m transect every 2 weeks during late summer and fall and less frequently during winter, spring and early to mid summer. Sixteen species of Lactarius were collected. Five subgenera were represented; Dapetes, Plinthogalus, Tristes, Piperites and Russularia. The subgenus Russularia was represented by 8 species compared to Dapetes, Plinthogalus, Tristes and Piperites with 1, 1, 3, and 3 species respectively. Four species were each collected only from 1 site while the others showed little or no site specificity. Lactarius olivaceo-umbrinus was the only species exclusively found on the nutrient rich and moist Salmonberry series.