Microfungal diversity of Juncus trifidus L. and Salix herbacea L. at isolated locations in the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains

Paweł Kwiatkowski,Wojciech Pusz,Jacek Urbaniak,Brayan Jacewski

doi:10.5586/am.1118

Paweł Kwiatkowski, Wojciech Pusz + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.5586/am.1118

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Abstract

During cold periods in the Pleistocene Epoch, many plants known as the “relict species” migrated and inhabited new areas. Together with plants, some microfungi also migrated, remaining present on plants and in plant communities. However, the relationship between fungi and the migrating plants (especially host plants) is not well understood. Therefore, we examined the diversity and distribution of microfungi associated with two migratory relict plants in the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains: Salix herbacea L. and Juncus trifidus L. In total, we found 17 taxa of fungi that were collected from nine different locations. Nine fungal taxa were collected on S. herbacea, and eight taxa on J. trifidus. Localities richest of fungi on S. herbacea were Mały Śnieżny Kocioł (Karkonosze Mts, Sudetes) and on J. trifidus, the Tatra Mts (Carpathian Mts). This work provides new insights into the distribution of fungi inhabiting S. herbacea and J. trifidus in Poland.

Highlights

The present distribution and genetic structure of organisms are consequences of repeated climatic changes in the Pleistocene during the past several million years
The research was conducted in several locations in the Sudetes and Carpathian Mts ranges in summer 2017 and included specimens of J. trifidus and S. herbacea (Tab. 1, Tab. 2, Fig. 1)
Melampsora arctica has been found in the Tatra Mts. (Carpathian Mts) by Chlebicki [1]

Summary

Introduction

The present distribution and genetic structure of organisms are consequences of repeated climatic changes in the Pleistocene during the past several million years. The cold periods in the Pleistocene Epoch caused substantial changes in ecosystems, such as organism extinction, habitat fragmentation, and modified vegetation in the colder areas of Europe, America, and the Arctic [1,2,3,4].These climatic changes were the primary reason for numerous plant or animal migrations to the southern part of Europe or into warmer localities, in front of glaciers, where they were able to survive unfavorable conditions; once favorable conditions returned, they could migrate back to the northern areas [5,6,7] Such organisms, commonly called glacial relicts, were widely distributed when the climate changed in the Holocene Epoch; the changing climate caused numerous organisms to adapt to the new climatic conditions and reduced their ranges to smaller refugia, mostly in high mountains, where the arctic boreal conditions and cold climate remained. According to Chlebicki and other authors [1,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15], 35 microfungal species have been found so Published by Polish Botanical Society

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