Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect Procedia Technology (2013) 122 – 129 6th International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies in Agriculture, Food and Environment (HAICTA 2013) Assessment of the Relationship between Forest Habitats of Mushrooms and Geology in Grevena, Greece using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Stefanos Tsiarasa,*, Christos Domakinisb b a School of Forestry and Natural Environment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Zefxidos 1, 54622, Greece School of Geology, Department of Physical and Environmental Geography, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece Abstract In this study Geographic Information Systems were used to investigate the relationship between forest habitats of mushrooms and the geology of an area Mushrooms grow in different habitats, but the vast majority of them are strongly related with specific tree species The study area is Grevena, a city in Greece with very rich fungal diversity and characteristic geology GIS were used to produce thematic maps of Grevena prefecture based on data layers of elevation, geology, vegetation zones, land use and forests A rough mapping of the fungal flora in the area in correlation to geological data indicates that certain mushrooms are more likely to be found in specific forest ecosystems, while certain forest types in the study area are related with specific geological formations This paper aspires to be the basis of a more thorough and accurate mapping of the mushrooms’ habitats of the area © TheAuthors Authors Published by Elsevier © 2013 2013 The Published by Elsevier Ltd B.V Selection andpeer-review peer-review under responsibility ofHellenic HAICTA Selection and under responsibility of The Association for Information and Communication Technologies in Agriculture Food and Environment (HAICTA) Keywords: mushrooms; geology; forest habitat; GIS; Grevena; vegetation zones; tree species Introduction Spatial distribution models are broadly used to map tree species, plants and wild flowers, but have rarely been applied to mushrooms [18] Mushrooms grow in different habitats, however the vast majority of them are found in * Corresponding author E-mail address: stefanostsiaras@gmail.com 2212-0173 © 2013 The Authors Published by Elsevier Ltd Selection and peer-review under responsibility of The Hellenic Association for Information and Communication Technologies in Agriculture Food and Environment (HAICTA) doi:10.1016/j.protcy.2013.11.017 Stefanos Tsiaras and Christos Domakinis / Procedia Technology (2013) 122 – 129 123 forests; in certain areas, many mushrooms even prefer specific tree species Tree habitats, in their turn, are linked to the geology of a region, since certain tree species prefer specific soils as well as specific geological formations Several studies in Britain have proved that certain types of fungi are associated with native pinewoods [1], Picea spp [16] and lowland conifer plantations [6] Humphrey et al [8] proved the relation of fungal communities to certain tree species and certain soil types The importance of site properties such as soil and vegetation characteristic to mushroom habitats has been considered by several researchers [7, 13, 14] The relationship between fungi and the ecosystem has also been underlined [3] A great deal of effort has been invested in studying the habitats of fungi of significant economic value such as truffles [18, 19] Jumpponen et al [10] have investigated the relationship between underground fungi and their ectomycorrhizal host trees, while Johnson [9] has underlined the importance of soil factors such as texture and nutrients that are crucial for the presence of hypogeous fungi Yang et al [18], lastly, have proved that forest type and elevation are important variables for specific mushroom (pine mushroom) distribution The same paper has demonstrated that it is possible to model mushroom habitat with adequate accuracy This preliminary study aims to determine whether it is possible to establish a connection between geological formations, which produce soils with distinct chemical composition, and fungal habitats; thus proving that geology is essential in detecting certain mushroom types Description of the study area According to Konstantinidis [11, 12], the fungal diversity in the area of Grevena exceeds 2.000 species, leading the local municipal authorities to officially adopt the appellation “city of mushrooms” for Grevena in 2010 Mushrooms are important to the economy of the region, generating a significant income for many locals involved in successful mushroom-related businesses 2.1 Vegetation zones Table shows the distribution of the vegetation zones† of the area according to elevation, as well as the dominant tree species related to mushrooms in each vegetation zone Table Vegetation zones in the Grevena prefecture Altitude < 600 m 601-1.200 m 800-1.600 m 1.601-1.800 m > 1.800 m Vegetation Zone Eu-mediterranean vegetation zone (Quercetalia ilicis) Para-mediterranean vegetation zone (Quercetalia pubescentis) Zone of beech, beech - fir and mountainous paramediterranean coniferous forests (Fagetalia) Zone of cold resistant conifers (Vaccinio-Picetalia) Non-forested zone of high mountains (AstragaloAcantholimonetalia) Tree species Quercus pubescens, Quercus conferta Fagus spp., Abies borisii regis, Pinus nigra Pinus nigra, Pinus heldreichi - Based on GIS elevation data, a total of 62,5% of the study area is distributed between 600 m and 1200 m., while 14,5% of Grevena Prefecture’s elevation ranges between 1200-1800 m On aggregate, more than the ¾ of the area is distributed in the vegetation zones where mushrooms’ forest habitats are found Grevena Prefecture covers an area of 2.296 km2 According to GIS land use data, broadleaved forests cover an area of 463,093 km2 (20,17% of the area), while coniferous forests cover an area of 197,640 km2 (8,60%) and mixed forests an area of 119,040 km2 (5,18%) † These are the typical vegetation zones found in Greece and the south Mediterranean according to Braun Blanquet scale, adopted by Dafis 124 Stefanos Tsiaras and Christos Domakinis / Procedia Technology (2013) 122 – 129 This paper focuses on the dominant forest ecosystems of the study area, as potential mushrooms habitats, namely: a) broadleaved forests (oak and beech), b) coniferous forests (pine and fir) and c) mixed forests (beech and pine, beech and fir) 2.2 Geological background of the study area The study area belongs to the Pelagonic, Sub-Pelagonic and Pindos geotectonic zones of Eastern Greece and its geological formations consist mostly of flysch, ophiolites, limestones, molassic formations, gneiss and sediments of Neogene to Pleistocene age [15] as it is shown in Fig.1 Fig.1 Geological map of the study area Elevation in Grevena prefecture ranges from 281m to 2.226m (Fig 3), while the surface, based on GIS elevation data, can be described as semi-mountainous, according to Dikau’s classification [4], due to the fact that elevation ranging from 600m to 900m covers 45,54% of the area [5] Stefanos Tsiaras and Christos Domakinis / Procedia Technology (2013) 122 – 129 125 Fig.2 Spatial distribution of elevation in the study area Materials and Methods The extensive bibliography on fungi in the study area has provided essential data for the aims of this paper The development of the scientific programme study for a museum dedicated to mushrooms, commissioned by the municipality of Grevena [17], presented an opportunity for further collection of information through fieldwork Additionally, topographic maps at a scale of 1:50.000 from HMGS (Hellenic Military Geographical Service) were used along with geological maps of the same scale from IGME (Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration) in order to examine the general geological and geomorphologic background of the study area Following that, the geological formations of Grevena Prefecture were grouped and digitized according to the geological map at a scale of 1:500.000 of IGME, in order to be used in conjunction with Corinne Land Cover 2000 and find out if certain forest ecosystems (broadleaf, coniferous and mixed forests), where mushrooms grow, can be related with certain types of geological formations ArcGIS software proved very helpful in discerning these correlations, along with Geoprocessing and Spatial Statistics Tools that aided to determine the extent ate which specific geological formations exist under broadleaf, coniferous and mixed forests (mushrooms habitats) Moreover, ASTER GDEM (Digital Elevation Model) was used in order to study the distribution of vegetation zones according to elevation Results and Discussion Mushrooms that are found in forest ecosystems of the study area can be classified in four major categories: 126 Stefanos Tsiaras and Christos Domakinis / Procedia Technology (2013) 122 – 129 a) Mushrooms that mostly grow in oak forests: Amanita caesarea, Amanita phalloides, Amanita pantherina, Boletus satanas, Boletus aereus, Amanita verna, Boletus lupinus, Boletus subtomentosus, Amantita rubescens, Amanita vaginata, Boletus queletii, Lactarius piperatus, Ramaria formosa, Russula maculate, Entoloma sinuatum, Lactarius volemus, Craterellus cornucopioides b) Mushrooms that mostly grow in beech forests: Amanita muscaria, Boletus edulis, Boletus regius, Coprinus silvaticus, Ramaria aurea, Ramaria sanguinea, Russula mairei, Phallus impudicus, Laccaria amethystea,, Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca, Lycoperdon echinatum, Cortinarius cinnabarinus, Cortinarius elegantissimus, Pluteus cervinus, Albatrellus cristatus, Mycena renati, Pholiota squarrosa c) Mushrooms that mostly grow in coniferous forests (Corsican Pine and Bulgarian fir): Agaricus silvaticus, Agaricus silvicola, Gyromitra esculenta, Gyromitra gigas, Morchella deliciosa, Morchella elata, Galerina marginata, Lactarius deliciosus, Russula sanguinaria, Suillus collinitus, Suillus luteus, Suillus variegates, Suillus bovinus, Hygrocybe coccinea, Sarcosphaera coronaria, Caloscypha fulgens, Tricholoma aurantium d) Mushrooms that are found in various forest ecosystems and therefore cannot be classified in the three aforementioned categories (i.e mixed forests of beech and pine or beech and fur): Macrolepiota procera, Boletus reticulates, Cantharellus cibarius, Gyromitra infula, Inocybe geophylla, Hydnum rufescens, Boletus luridus, Boletus rhodopurpureus, Mycena rosea, Russula cyanoxantha, Stropharia aeruginosa, Lyiphyllum decastes, Lycoperdon perlatum, Hydnum repandum, Tricholoma equestre, Laccaria laccata, Pleurotus ostreatus The thematic maps that resulted from geoprocessing land use, geology and elevation data layers indicated that the spatial distribution of broadleaved, coniferous and mixed forests are related to the geological formations that appear in the study area Following that, the area extent of the aforementioned land use categories was superimposed upon the data layer of geology, in order to correlate these categories to specific geological formations (Fig & Tables 24) Fig Spatial distribution of the forest ecosystems according to the geological formations Stefanos Tsiaras and Christos Domakinis / Procedia Technology (2013) 122 – 129 127 Table Spatial distribution of broadleaved forests according to geological formations Geological Formation Molasse Gneiss Limestones Ophiolites Sediments Flysch Area (km2) 292,001 24,6 8,813 75,591 50,012 12,193 Percentage (%) 63,05 5,31 1,9 16,32 10,08 2,62 Based on GIS geoprocessing of land use and geology data layers, the broadleaved forests of the study area are mostly found on molassic formations (63%) About 16% of them are found on ophiolites, 10% on sediments and 5% on gneiss Table Spatial distribution of coniferous forests according to geological formations Geological Formation Molasse Gneiss Limestones Ophiolites Sediments Flysch Area (km2) 29,477 2,657 13,228 101,027 2,459 48,792 Percentage (%) 14,91 1,34 6,69 51,12 1,24 24,69 Following the same geoprocessing methodology, for coniferous forests, the most common geological formation is ophiolite (51%), followed by flysch (25%) and molasse (15%) Limestones have a significantly minor presence in these forests (7%) Table Spatial distribution of mixed forests according to geological formations Geological Formation Molasse Gneiss Limestones Ophiolites Sediments Flysch Area (km2) 59,042 3,082 40,52 0,009 16,387 Percentage (%) 49,6 2,59 34,04 0,01 13,77 Finally, mixed forests grow mostly on molasse formations (50%) and secondarily on ophiolites Flysch is present as a geological formation in mixed forests at 14% It is notable that all other geological formations in the study area (limestones, gneiss and sediments) are totally absent in the formations of mixed forests Conclusions It appears that there is a relationship between forest habitats of mushrooms in the Grevena Prefecture and the geology of the area Molasse, ophiolites and flysch are the dominant geological formations on which the forests of the study area are found More precisely, molasse is the most dominant formation in broadleaved and mixed forests, while the ophiolites are most important to coniferous forests Mushrooms that grow in oak forests are more likely to be found on molasse formations (75%), while mushrooms that grow in beech forests are more likely to be found on ophiolite formations Regarding the coniferous forests in the study area, mushrooms that grow under pine trees are more likely to be found on ophiolite formations, while fir related fungi are more likely to be found on flysch and molasse formations As for the mushrooms that can be found in more than one forest habitats, the prevalent geological formations for them are: molasse, ophiolite and flysch 128 Stefanos Tsiaras and Christos Domakinis / Procedia Technology (2013) 122 – 129 Table Mushrooms distribution in study area according to dominant tree species and geological formations Forest habitat Broadleaved Forests Coniferous Forests Mixed Forests Tree species Oak (Quercus pubescens) Beech (Fagus spp.) Pine (Pinus nigra) Fir (Abies borisii regis) All the above Geological Formation Molasse Ophiolite Ophiolite Flysch, Molasse Molasse, Ophiolite, Flysch This is a preliminary study, aiming to make a brief mapping of the fungal flora in the area Systematic field work would be required in order to establish the findings; a more accurate monitoring of the habitats of mushrooms –e.g with the aid of multispectral and multitemporal satellite imaging (Angerer and Macrolongo, 2005)- would further illuminate the connection between certain forest ecosystems where mushrooms grow and the geological background of the study area Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank Mr G Konstantinidis for his valuable insight to the fungal flora of the area, as well as the municipality of Grevena for their support throughout the development of the scientific programme study for a museum dedicated to mushrooms to be founded in the city of Grevena They also wish to acknowledge the significant contribution of the Laboratory of Remote Sensing and GIS Applications of the Department of Physical and Environmental Geography, Aristotle University School of Geology, in kindly allowing the use of ArcGIS software and in providing the geological maps of the study area References [1] Anon Priority fungi in Scotland Edinbourgh: Species Group, Advisory Services, Scottish Natural Heritage; 1998 [2] Angerer A., Marcolongo B Forest cover analysis with multitemporal and multispectral images A case study in the dolomites Pecora 16: ‘Global priorities in Land Remote Sensing” 2005 [3] Claridge, A., Trappe, J., Mills, D and Claridge, D Diversity and habitat relationships of hypogeous fungi III Factors influencing the occurrence of fire-adapted species Mycological Research 2009;113:792-801 [4] Dikau, R The application of a digital relief model to landform analysis In: Three Dimensional Application in 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