Sarcoporia polyspora (Basidiomycota, Polyporales): a rare wood-decay fungus newly recorded from South America

Abstract

Brown-rot fungi degrade almost exclusively wood cellulosic materials participating in the, carbon cycle and soil formation of many forest regions, these are especially important on boreal and cultivated coniferous forests. These fungi and forests may have a common co-evolutionary history. Studying wood-inhabiting fungi in cultivated pine forests in Southern Brazil, we have analyzed morphologically and molecularly specimens of Sarcoporia polyspora, which has shown to be a rare and aggressive decomposer previously unreported from South America. Nuclear ribosomal ITS region sequences from North and South American specimens were compared.