Current state of the species composition of mycobiota in South-East Kazakhstan

Abstract

To date, no information has been available on the species composition of fungi in southeastern Kazakhstan, the center of agrobiodiversity but also home to rare and endemic species. Therefore, our objective was to investigate the diversity of fungi, fungus-like organisms, and lichens in southeastern Kazakhstan. The scientific and practical significance of the work is to obtain data on the species composition of mycobiota, which will allow planning measures for its monitoring, protection and restoration. The material for the article served as the authors’ own collections, conducted in 2021-2023. The study and identification of fungi were carried out according to the standard methodology. In the study area 2864 species of fungi, fungus-like organisms and lichens from 3 kingdoms, 22 classes, 84 orders, 260 families and 770 genera were found. Among them, 36 species were new to southeastern Kazakhstan, and 8 species were new to Kazakhstan. It is worth noting that the Karasay region had the largest number of species (1547) when analyzing the distribution of fungi, fungus-like organisms, and lichens. The study’s value and practical significance lies in the data obtained on the species composition of fungi, fungus-like organisms, and lichens, including their distribution and confinement to different types of substrates.