Seedlings and old trees of Scots pine in self-regenerating, old, virgin boreal forest in northern Sweden were
compared in terms of the species composition of their associated ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi. The natural
regeneration of seedlings was mimicked by annual seeding for 10 yr (1986–1995) in intact field vegetation at three
sites. In 1995, all seedlings were harvested, and 171 were examined for mycorrhizas. Twenty-five soil cores were
taken in order to study the mycorrhizas on the established trees. Most short roots were mycorrhizal. Using
mycorrhizal morphology and restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) analysis, we were able to
distinguish 43 ectomycorrhizal taxa. Fourteen of these taxa were identified using a sporocarp and mycelial culture
based internal transcribed spacer (ITS)-RFLP reference database, and another three were identified by
mycorrhizal morphology. Cenococcum geophilum, Piloderma croceum and Suillus variegatus were present on the
seedlings, irrespective of age, as well as on the old trees. At one forest, 23 ectomycorrhizal taxa were found as
mycorrhizas, of which 10 occurred on both seedlings and old trees. These 10 species accounted for 92 and 73%
of the mycorrhizas on the seedlings and old trees, respectively. A 3-yr survey of ectomycorrhizal sporocarps at the
same site revealed 62 EM taxa. The degree of similarity between the composition of EM species reflected by
sporocarps and by mycorrhizas, was low. Ectomycorrhizal species present in our ITS-RFLP database constituted
7.5–19% of the mycorrhizas on seedlings and old trees, whereas they constituted 80–95% of the total production
of epigeous sporocarps. The unidentified taxa comprised 70–87% of the mycorrhizas. Our findings support the
view that the species composition of mycorrhizas colonizing naturally regenerated seedlings in forests is similar
to that of mycorrhizas colonizing surrounding trees. We suggest that the concept of the mycelial network be
expanded in order to embrace both the significance of interconnections between different trees as well as the
continuity or perpetuation of EM fungal communities.