Macrofungal diversity and ecology of the mangrove ecosystem in the Indian part of Sundarbans

Abstract

Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove biomes, have a rich biodiversity of diverse flora and fauna. Although various attempts had been made previously to explore the diversity of this World Heritage Site, information related to the diversity and ecology of macrofungi in this region is sparse. In this context, the aim of this study was to record the macrofungal diversity and describe the macrofungal communities of this ecosystem whose lifecycles are intricately woven with the mangrove ecosystem of the Indian part of Sundarbans. Carpophore surveys were conducted from June 2010 to September 2012 over 77 randomly placed quadrats (20 × 20 m2). A total of 455 carpophores belonging to 62 species across 27 families and 46 genera were recorded. Of the total number of macrofungal species listed, around 55% were saprophytic. The genera with the greatest species richness were Ganoderma and Tricholoma. Comparing the species richness estimators, the cumulative number of species over the three successive years revealed that 75–100% of potential macrofungal species were recorded. Results from the present study are an important contribution to the knowledge of the macrofungal diversity of the mangrove ecosystems, both in India and worldwide.