Abstract
Macrofungi are distinguished from other fungi by their spore-bearing fruit bodies (mushrooms, conks, brackets). These fungi are critical in forests, causing disease, and wood and litter decay, recycling nutrients, and forming symbiotic relationships with trees. This guide is intended to assist in identifying macrofungi and provide a description of the ecological functions of some of the most frequently encountered macrofungi in aspen-birch, northern hardwood, lowland conifer, and upland conifer forests in the Midwest and Northeast.
Keywords
mushrooms,
mycorrhizae,
decomposers,
pathogens,
conks,
decay
Citation
Ostry, Michael E.; Anderson, Neil A.; O Brien, Joseph G. 2011. Field guide to common macrofungi in eastern forests and their ecosystem functions. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-79. Revised February 2017. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 82 p.
