Off-road Vehicle-Induced Substrate Vibrations Are Associated with Strong Declines in Ectomycorrhizal Mushroom Fruiting in Forest Ecosystems

Abstract

We conducted a multi-year (2020-2024) control-impact field study in a pine forest of the Moscow Region to assess whether off-road vehicle activity affects the fruiting of two ecologically important ectomycorrhizal fungi, Boletus edulis and Suillus luteus. Substrate vibrations associated with vehicle passage were recorded and characterized by dominant energy in the low-frequency range. Over the study period, abundance in disturbed zones declined significantly relative to undisturbed control sites. By 2024, counts of S. luteus had decreased to approximately 22% of control levels, while B. edulis was nearly absent. Statistical modeling confirmed a highly significant negative association between anthropogenic disturbance and fruiting body abundance for both species, whereas interannual variation in July temperature and humidity showed no statistically significant effects. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that substrate-borne vibrations and/or associated indirect environmental stressors linked to off-road vehicle activity may reduce ectomycorrhizal fungal fruiting even in the absence of visible physical habitat damage.