Status of macrofungal diversity in the wet evergreen forests of Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve, Western Ghats, India

Abstract

Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve is a part of Western Ghats (India), has diverse ecosystems and constitutes an important biogeographical ‘hotspot’ which is well known for its species richness and endemism. Since limited information was available on the mycoflora in this area, a survey was conducted to evaluate the macrofungal diversity in the wet evergreen forests of the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve. The survey was carried out during the monsoon and post-monsoon seasons of 2021–2022 and revealed the existence of 62 macrofungal species belonging to 43 genera, 24 families, and eight orders. Out of the eight orders, seven orders belong to the division Basidiomycota and the other order Xylariales belongs to Ascomycota. The family Polyporaceae was identified as the dominant family. The survey also noted the presence of saprotrophic and mycorrhizal fungi. Among the identified species, the maximum density was of Panellus pusillus (6.08) followed by Microporus xanthopus (5.38). Microporus xanthopus (82.14%) exhibited the maximum frequency of occurrence and was identified as the most common species. Coprinellus disseminatus was the most abundant species among macrofungi. The assessment of macrofungal diversity using the Shannon biodiversity index resulted in a value of 2.99, indicating a rich and diverse fungal population within the forest. This finding emphasizes the significant role of the forest ecosystem in supporting a wide variety of fungi