Remarks to the ecology of the boreo-montane polypore Amylocystis lapponica based on data from the Czech Republic and Poland

Jan Holec,Tomáš Kučera

doi:10.5586/am.2007.017

Abstract

In the Czech Republic, the rare polypore Amylocystis lapponica continuously occurs in the Boubínský prales virgin forest (southern Bohemia: Šumava Mts.) where it has been documented for more than 60 years. Similarly, in Poland it has been known only from the Puszcza Białowieska virgin forest (northeastern Poland) for more than 50 years. Generally, it is considered a species of boreal coniferous forests of northern Europe (taiga) and montane coniferous forests in Central and Southern Europe. However, the data from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and western Ukraine show that it also grows in mixed montane forests composed mainly of Fagus sylvatica, Picea abies and Abies alba. In Poland, the locality is situated in a lowland forest consisting mostly of Carpinus betulus, Quercus robur and Tilia cordata. In Central Europe, A. lapponica occurs only in virgin forest refuges with the following habitat conditions: vegetation continuity (never cut), natural tree species composition, multi-aged structure, rich presence of dead wood in various stages of decay, relatively large area of the virgin forest surrounded by near-natural forests, stable, cold and humid meso- and microclimate. Consequently, A. lapponica may be considered an indicator of long-term vegetation continuity and stable habitat conditions.

Highlights

Amylocystis lapponica (Romell) Singer (Basidiomycetes, Polyporales, Fomitopsi daceae) is a polypore typical of northern boreal forests (Ry varden, Gilbertson 1993; Dahlberg, Croneborg 2003)
Boubínský prales virgin forest is the only locality of Amylocystis lapponica in the Czech Republic
The species has not been found in other virgin forests of the country (e.g. Žofínský prales in south-eastern Bohemia, Mionší, Salajka and Razula in north-eastern Moravia) in spite of a long and intensive study of polypores in the Czech Republic (e.g., Pilát 1936-1942; Kotlaba 1984; Kotlaba, Po u z a r, Va mpola in Holec, Beran 2006)

Summary

Introduction

Amylocystis lapponica (Romell) Singer (Basidiomycetes, Polyporales, Fomitopsi daceae) is a polypore typical of northern boreal forests (taiga) (Ry varden , Gilbertson 1993; Dahlberg , Croneborg 2003). In Europe, the species has a boreo-montane distribution and is extremely rare outside boreal forests. This relates to its occurrence in the Czech Republic (CR) and Poland (PL). In each of these countries, A. lapponica occurs only at one large locality, representing the bestpreserved virgin (primeval) forest of the country: Boubínský prales (National Nature Reserve) and its vicinity in the Mt. Boubín complex (CR) and Puszcza Białowieska. The occurrence in the Czech Republic was summarised by Kotlaba (1984) and Kotlaba et al (1995), who used data from older publications by Kotlaba and Po u z a r (1963) and Pilát (1965), labels of herbarium collections and field notes. In Poland, the occurrence of A. lapponica was recently evaluated by Piątek (2005)

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion