Ecology of Daldinia concentrica: Effect of abiotic variables on mycelial extension and interspecific interactions

Abstract

Attached ash (Fraxinus excelsior) branches, colonized by Daldinia concentrica, were collected from locations in South-West Britain and the patterns of decay analyzed. A notable feature was the limited number of individuals of D. concentrica in branches and the considerable lengths and volumes of wood that they occupied. It is suggested that this fungus is a primary colonizer and that colonization may be by latent invasion. Mycelial extension, at optimal temperatures on malt agar, was rapid and D. concentrica was more tolerant of low water potentials than basidiomycetes found in attached branches. It is a combative fungus and it replaced most of the organisms with which it was paired in culture, although the outcome was modified, sometimes considerably, by water potential and gas regime.