The occurrence of fungal associations in New Zealand soils

[First paragraph(s)...]
Within the soil, mould fungi occur as spores and as actively growing mycelium. By plating on nutrient agar identifiable colonies are produced from these true soil organisms, both active and inactive, and also from spores present as chance inclusions from the air. Furthermore, the species so isolated are not the full complement since slow-growing fungi are swamped by others more suited by the culture media. Keeping these facts in mind the species lists secured by plating techniques may be reviewed to see if they provide any evidence that fungi form stable associations in the soil.