Session B, 2017 First Place: A Comparison of Macroinvertebrate Assemblages Found in Forest Fungi of Different Hymenial Types

Insects and fungi are known to play important roles in overall forest health; however, the relationship between the two is not well studied. In the field we observed insects in gilled mushrooms. This led us to question if other fungal fruiting bodies also contained macroinvertebrate assemblages. We hypothesized that there would be a significant difference of macroinvertebrate assemblages between the three hymenial types studied: gilled, pored, and tubed. We also hypothesized that older fungi would contain larger assemblages of macroinvertebrates. Fungi were collected from five different areas at Cranberry Lake Biological Station. Macroinvertebrates were extracted using Berlese funnels for 4.5-5 hours. The fungi represent both experimental and sampling units (n=32), which are independent of the macroinvertebrate assemblages. ANOVA and Tukey tests were used to analyze data and results will be presented and discussed. Both larval and adult forms were found within the fruiting bodies, where the fungi appear to be serving as a food source and reproductive site for numerous macroinvertebrates