Systematic and structural analysis of forest mycobiota with the participation of Abies alba Mill. in the Pokutsko-Bukovyna Carpathians

Abstract

The value and uniqueness of forest ecosystems are determined by their species diversity and biotic resistance to negative environmental impacts. The aim of the study is to determine the species composition, systematic position, trophic specialization, as well as the occurrence and abundance of forest mycobiota with Abies alba in the Pokutsko-Bukovyna Carpathians. The study was conducted in 2019-2023 within the forests of the branches “Kutske Forestry”, “Ivano-Frankivsk Forestry” and “Beregomet Forestry” of the State Specialized Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine”, as well as the forests of the National Nature Park “Vyzhnytskyi” and the National Nature Park “Hutsulshchyna”. Classical mycological identification methods were used in the study. Information from the interactive databases Index Fungorum, MycoBank, and World of Fungi of Ukraine was used to clarify the current systematic position and current names of taxa. It was found that the consortial relationships of the fungal biota of the Pokutsko-Bukovyna Carpathians forests are most closely related to the woody plants Picea abies, Abies alba, and Fagus sylvatica. During the mycological expedition, 54 species of representatives of the kingdom Fungi were identified, 81.5% of which belong to the order Basidiomycota and 18.5% to the order Ascomycota. It was found that the most numerous is the order Polyporales, and the least numerous are the orders Corticiales, Gomphales, Phallales, Pucciniales and Tremellales. It is shown that, according to trophic specialization, representatives of the studied mycobiota of the Pokutsko-Bukovyna Carpathians belong to the following groups: xylotrophic facultative saprotroph, xylotrophic facultative pathogen, xylotrophic obligate saprotroph, obligate pathogen and aboveground saprotroph. It is noted that the most widely represented are saproxylytrophs, which generally develop on dead and fallen wood. Thus, the systemic and structural analysis of the fungal biota of the Pokutsko-Bukovyna Carpathians forests allows for assessing the biocenotic value of fungi as bioindicators of the current state of stands, as well as identifying reference and valuable areas characterized by high biodiversity