Wood inhabiting macro-fungi in tropical landscape and home-gar den trees: Their diversity and roles

Abstract

Wood is a biodegradable natural resource, and is often affected by various wood-inhabiting fungi. Hence, this study was carried out to investigate the diversity and impact of macro-fungi on landscapes and home-gardens in semi-urbanized areas in Colombo suburbs. Wood inhabiting, rotting and/or decomposing macro-fungi from landscape and home-gardens in this area were represented by many fungal groups; cup, jelly, toothed, polypores and gilled fungi. Sixty three species of wood-inhabiting fungi were recorded in this study, and basidiomycetes and ascomycetes accounted for 60 and 3 species respectively. The majority was gilled fungi recording 40 species whereas pored fungi, jelly fungi, toothed fungi and cup fungi recorded 16, 2, 2 and 3 respectively. Some key observations made from this study were white rot causing pored fungi, Ganoderma spp. caused a severe impact and ultimately demised the live landscape trees and Lentinus sajor-caju was abundant on the basal stem of live standing Tabebuia rosea, but it did not cause a significant damage to the tree health. Further, fifty eight fungal species were found on standing dead trees, stumps and fallen logs of various tropical tree species. Cocos nucifera recorded the highest species richness harbouring 21 fungal species including white rot and brown rot fungi. Results of this study revealed that most fungal species, common in this area were not host specific, and affected most of wood species.