Abstract
The study reported herein represents an effort to characterize the wood-decay fungi associated with three study areas representative of the forest ecosystems found in northwest Arkansas. In addition to specimens collected in the field, small pieces of coarse woody debris (usually dead branches) were collected from the three study areas, returned to the laboratory, and placed in plastic incubation chambers to which water was added. Fruiting bodies of fungi appearing in these chambers over a period of several months were collected and processed in the same manner as specimens associated with decaying wood in the field. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) ribosomal DNA region was sequenced, and these sequences were blasted against the NCBI database. A total of 320 different fungal taxa were recorded, the majority of which could be identified to species. Two hundred thirteen taxa were recorded as field collections, and 68 taxa were recorded from the incubation chambers. Thirty-nine sequences could be recorded only as unidentified taxa. Collectively, the specimens of fungi collected in the forests of northwest Arkansas belong to 64 and 128 families and genera, respectively.
Highlights
Wood-decay fungi play an essential role in the decomposition of the coarse woody debris (CWD) derived from trees and other woody plants that make up the major component of the vegetation in forest ecosystems
The role of wood-decay fungi is of paramount importance since numerous wood-decay fungi have the capability to degrade the lignin constituent of coarse woody debris [4,5], which otherwise would accumulate over time
These three study areas were selected because they occur in protected areas subjected to relatively low levels of human disturbance, are characterized by forests similar in composition and structure, were located close to the University of Arkansas to allow multiple visits, and could be accessed by means of roads or trails
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Wood-decay fungi play an essential role in the decomposition of the coarse woody debris (CWD) derived from trees and other woody plants (e.g., shrubs) that make up the major component of the vegetation in forest ecosystems. Wood-decay fungi are common in the forests of Arkansas, but there has never been a comprehensive study to characterize the taxa present. These three study areas were selected because they occur in protected areas subjected to relatively low levels of human disturbance, are characterized by forests similar in composition and structure, were located close to the University of Arkansas (which served as the base of operations for this research project) to allow multiple visits, and could be accessed by means of roads or trails
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