Occurrence of myxomycetes in the aerial “canopy soil” microhabitat

Abstract

Myxomycetes (also called plasmodial slime molds or myxogastrids) are now known to occur in the aerial ―canopy soil‖ microhabitat of those forest types (primarily temperate and tropical rain forests) in which this type of microhabitat exists. They appear to be less common than dictyostelid cellular slime mold (dictyostelids) in canopy soil but can be relatively common in some microsites. Reported herein are the first records of myxomycetes from canopy soil in the temperate rain forests of the Southern Hemisphere.