Spatial distribution of Beta glucan containing wild mushroom communities in subtropical dry forest, Thailand

Abstract

In addition to their use as food, mushrooms have been gaining importance in medicinal practices. Beta glucan, known as a modulator of the immune system, is one of the bioactive compounds of interest. This study explores the relationship between environmental variables and spatial distribution of mushroom communities containing beta-glucan using Canonical Correspondence Analysis. Mushroom samples were collected for study from 125 sampling points within three sites in seven subtypes of subtropical dry forest along elevational gradients with a variety of ecosystems and climates from Thung Salaeng Luang National Park in the lower North of Thailand. Most mushrooms in the family Russulaceae, growing in deciduous dipterocarp forests and mixed deciduous forests with bamboo in the northern and the central-western parts of the park, and Polyporaceae, found in dry evergreen forests, were found to have relatively high beta glucan content. Mushroom communities could be categorized into five groups by cluster analysis using the Sorensen (Bray-Curtis) distance technique with remaining information of 75%; the groups were named according to altitude and forest type. It was found that the high beta glucan content mushroom community consisting of Pycnoporus cinnabarinus, P. coccineus, and P. sanguineus mostly occurred in the highland dry evergreen forest habitat. It is also shown that the occurrence of high beta glucan content mushroom communities is correlated with the specific habitat characteristics of high altitude, high crown cover percentage and high rainfall.