Abstract
Mangroves are transitional ecosystems between terrestrial and marine environments, and are dis- tinguished by a high abundance of animals, plants, and fungi. Although macrofungi occur in different types of habitat, including mangroves, little is known about their community structure and dynamic. Therefore the aim of this study was to analyze the diversity of macrofungi in a number of Brazilian mangroves, and the relation- ship between such diversity, precipitation and area of collection. A total of 32 field trips were undertaken from 2009 to 2010, and macrofungi were studied in four 250 x 40 m transects: Timbó and Santa Cruz Channel on the Northern coast, and Maracaipe and Ariquindá on the Southern coast. All basidiomata found along the transects were placed in paper bags, air-dried and identified using existing literature. It was found that Northern areas predominantly featured Avicennia schaueriana mangroves, while Rhizophora mangle dominated in Southern transects. A total of 275 specimens were collected, and 33 species, 28 genera, 14 families and six orders were represented. Overall abundance and species richness did not vary significantly among areas, but varied according to time, being higher during the rainy season. Subtle differences in composition were observed over time and between areas, probably due to variations in plant species occurrence. Further studies with collections during months of greater precipitation in transects dominated by different mangrove species of the same ecosystem are suggested to assess the overall diversity of mycobiota in these ecosystems.
Highlights
Mangroves are transitional ecosystems between terrestrial and marine environments and are important for the maintenance of biodiversity and water quality, sediment fixing, and the supply of primary production to the surroundings (Cintrón & Schaeffer-Novelli, 1980)
Richness and abundance varied, they did not differ significantly between areas [F(3;21)=3.324, TABLE1 Wood decaying fungi collected in four Brazilian mangroves (A=Ariquindá; M=Maracaípe; S=Santa Cruz Chanel; T=Timbó) and occurrence by substrate (As=Avicennia schaueriana; Lr=Laguncularia racemosa; Rm=Rhizophora mangle)
The present study showed that the relative proportion of macroscopic basidiomycete species was different among the four studied areas, and between the Northern and Southern mangroves
Summary
Mangroves are transitional ecosystems between terrestrial and marine environments and are important for the maintenance of biodiversity and water quality, sediment fixing, and the supply of primary production to the surroundings (Cintrón & Schaeffer-Novelli, 1980). Macrofungi occur in different habitat types, including mangroves, and are found with higher frequency and diversity in tropical forests Due to their saprotrophic, parasitic, or symbiotic lifestyles, they play an essential role in the ecological balance of forest areas. Gilbert & Sousa (2002) observed that macrofungi occur more frequently in a particular type of substrate, while Gilbert et al (2008) observed the host and habitat preferences of polypores in three well-defined, floristically distinct, tropical wetlands, which included mangroves. In the latter case, the habitat preference was related to specificity for a particular host. The data was used to test the hypothesis that diversity of fungi is directly affected by both rainfall and area of collection
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