Macrofungal Diversity Research Articles

Schizophyllum commune: The main cause of dying trees of the Banja Luka arbored walks and parks

In the frame of investigation of the main cause of dying trees of the main arbored walks (Mladena Stojanovica Aley and Park), the investigation of the presence and diversity of macrofungi in Banja Luka City were undertaken in the period 2006-2011. Relatively poor generic diversity of lignicolous (pathogenic or potentially pathogenic and saprotrophic) macrofungi with only 16 species representing this group (13 basidiomycets: Schizophyllum commune, Fomes fomentarius, Stereum hirsutum, Coriolus versicolor, Flammulina velutipes, Pseudotrametes gibbosa, Ganoderma applanatum, G. lucidum, G. adspersum, Polyporus squamosus, Meripilus giganteus, Laetiporus sulphureus, Auricu?laria auricula-judae, and 3 ascomycets: Nectria cinnabarina, Xylaria hypoxylon, X. poly?morpha) were recorded. Such a poor qualitative composition of this very important fungal group could be explained by the reduction in the number of plant species in arbored walks and alleys, as well as the reduction in the number of fungi resistant to heavy air pollution caused by nearby (1-5m) fuel combustion in engines. Although only preliminary, our results pointed to the necessity of conservation and protection of the most beautiful features of Banja Luka and its alleys and arbored walks, by undertaking the measures of curing damaged trees and treating them with fungicides in order to wipe out the epiphytia caused in more than 95% of cases (dated May 2011) by Split-gill (Schizophyllum commune), present on dead wood but also on damaged trees of Aesculus hyppocastaneum (127 trees), Tilia cordata (124 trees), Tilia platyphyllos (36 trees), Tilia argentea (40 trees), Acer negundo (20 trees), Platanus acerifolia (2 trees), Robinia pseudoacacia (3 trees), Fraxinus ornus (1 tree), Betula pendula (1 tree), Catalpa sp. (2 trees), etc. Altogether, during the last decade, around 200 trees collapsed or were sanitary cut in Banja Luka arbored walk from the Malta site to the Green bridge, a total length around 5 km. The reason for this was primarily due to Split-gill fungus and the restoration of arbored walks in the streets extremely polluted by engine fuel consumption in the zone of Mladena Stojanovica street. By analyzing the trees along the City of Banja Luka main street it could be concluded that, besides the appearance of suffocation of plants, due to wide asphalt surfaces that are located immediately next to the tree-trunks and heavy air pollution, fungi caused illnesses are the most important cause of the decline of trees. With its great adaptation to arid climate and ability to resist to the air pollution, Schizophyllum commune turned out to be the most aggressive and successful universal fungal invader of trees from old alleys, even threatening immuno?compromised human individuals. However, man and his direct or indirect impacts contrib?ute to the dying of trees much faster than the fungal pathogens in the busiest and most polluted Mladena Stojanovica street.

The international conservation importance of Welsh ‘waxcap’ grasslands

The large decline in plant and animal diversity of semi-natural grasslands resulting from the introduction of modern agricultural practices in the 1940’s has been well documented and such changes are also suspected of causing the decline in the abundance and diversity of macrofungi in these habitats. We conducted repeated surveys at 48 selected grassland sites around Wales to record the presence and abundance of fruitbodies (FBs) of grassland macrofungi belonging to the taxa Clavariaceae, Hygrocybe, Entoloma, Geoglossaceae, Dermoloma (also Porpoloma and Camarophyllopsis spp.) which are grouped collectively as fungi (acronym of group names) and considered typical of nutrient poor ‘waxcap’ grasslands. A total of 111 CHEGD species (of the ca. 200 species previously found in UK/Ireland) were recorded. That these included one species unknown to science, 14 new to Wales including two new to the UK attests to the extent of past under-recording. Phenological differences in fruiting were found between Entoloma and Hygrocybe spp., and patterns of occurrence at the sites correlated well with numbers of records from the Fungal Records Database of Britain and Ireland. The recent post-glacial history and high human population densities have generally resulted in lower levels of biological diversity in north-western Europe than in other parts of the world. Compared with current data from other European countries and globally, Welsh grasslands host particularly diverse macrofungal communities, yet the organisms continue to attract little attention from mainstream conservation bodies, whilst much conservation effort is lavished on species which are relatively common elsewhere.

安徽琅琊山大型真菌区系多样性

To understand the macrofungal diversity in Langyashan Nature Reserve,Anhui Province,China,the macrofungal flora was preliminarily analyzed based on relevant fungal taxonomic literature and the expertise of a respected author of forest surveys of macrofungal resources.A total of 107 species,belonging to 56 genera in 25 macrofungal families and 107 divisions(Ascomycota and Basidiomycota),were identified.The dominant families were Polyporaceae(20 species,18.69%),Tricholomataceae(14 species,13.08%),Cortinariaceae(11 species,10.28%),and Russulaceae(10 species,9.35%).These four families accounted for 16% of the 25 families but 51.04% of all species in the Langyashan Nature Reserve.Thirteen families(Amanitaceae,Auricullariaceae,Bolbitiaceae,Boletaceae,Cantharellaceae,Hygrophoraceae,Lycopereaceae,Pleuteaceae,Polyporaceae,Russulaceae,Coprinaceae,Cortinariaceae,Ganodermataceae,Agaricaceae,Stereaceae,Tricholomataceae,and Pleurotaceae) contained 2—9 species each,together accounting for 52% of all families and 41.12% of all species(these 13 families together contained 44 species).There were eight families(Clathraceae,Clavicipitaceae,Hypocreaceae,Phallaceae,Entolomataceae,Geastraceae,Sphaeriaceae,and Strophariaceae) that each contained only one species,which accounted for 32% of all families and the eight species were 7.48% of all species in the study area.Geographically,the families were divided into three types: a cosmopolitan element(76% of all families);the tropical or subtropical families(Ganodermataceae,Clavicipitaceae,Clathraceae,and Entolomataceae),which accounted for 16% of families;and a north temperate element(Cortinariaceae and Hygrophoraceae),which accounted for 8%.No family was unique to Langyashan Nature Reserve.The dominant genera were all basidiomycetes: Amanita(8 species,7.48%),Trametes(7 species,6.54%),Lactarius(5 species,4.67%),Marasmius(5 species,4.67%),and Russula(5 species,4.67%).These five genera totaled 30 species,which accounted for 28.04% of the species in the study area.Four of the five dominant genera(80%) were of the cosmopolitan type,and the fifth dominant genus was a north temperate group.Geographically,the genera were divided into four types: a cosmopolitan element(37 genera,66.07%),a pantropical element(11 genera,19.64%),a north temperate element(6 genera,10.71%),and an Eastern Asian element(1 genus,1.79%).The majority of genera were cosmopolitan,while most others were pantropical or temperate.The cosmopolitan and north temperate elements together had 43 genera,which accounted for 76.79% of the total genera in Langyashan Nature Reserve.The cosmopolitan and pantropical elements together had 48 genera,which accounted for 85.71% of the total genera in study area.These geographic patterns appeared to be closely related to the climate,geography,and vegetation in the area.The species could also be grouped into four geographical elements: cosmopolitan species(75 species,70.09%),temperate zone species(16 species,14.95%),tropical or subtropical species(15 species,14.02%),and Sino-Japanese species(1 species,0.93%).Thus,the species of macrofungi in Langyashan Nature Reserve were largely cosmopolitan,with moderate representation of species with tropical or subtropical and temperate distributions.In addition to the important ecological functions performed by macrofungi,the macrofungi in Langyashan Nature Reserve hold great potential for food,medicine,and forestation.To preserve their populations over the long term,these macrofungal resources should be exploited reasonably.

Macrofungal diversity in disturbed vegetation types in North-East Hungary

AbstractMacrofungi play an extraordinarily important role in the catalysis of the nutrient cycle of deciduous and coniferous forests. Habitat degradation adversely influences the number of fruiting bodies of macrofungi and diminishes the diversity of the fungal community. The diversity of the terricolous- and lignicolous macrofungi assemblages were compared in stands of semi-natural and two plant associations modified by humans in different degrees in North-East Hungary. We used data from 15 permanent plots that were sampled for vascular plants and macrofungi. Rank-abundance curves and Rényi’s diversity profiles were applied for diversity research. The results indicated that structure and diversity of the terricolous macrofungi assemblages were mainly influenced by climatic and habitat conditions and the degradation of the plant associations to a lesser degree. The diversity of lignicolous macrofungi was primarily affected by the continuous presence, quality, and quantity of deadwood. Accordingly, the form and degree of forest management, as well as the age of the growing stocks, influenced community structure. If nature conservation planning and conservation activity are based on those biodiversity indicators which are good proxies for macrofungi biodiversity, the latter might be optimal for preserving macrofungi biodiversity.

Erratum to: Macrofungal diversity in Colombian Amazon forests varies with regions and regimes of disturbance

T. Boekhout (&) CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre, P.O. Box 85167, 3508 AD Utrecht, The Netherlands e-mail: t.boekhout@cbs.knaw.nl Fig. 7 Number of sporocarps (a) and species (b) in four Amacayacu plots during four visits with different amounts of precipitation. One visit (August 2003) took place in a relative dry period (55 mm/month), two (December 2003, April 2005) in moderately wet periods (approximately 185 mm/month), and one (October 2005) in a wet period (415 mm/month)

Macrofungal diversity in Colombian Amazon forests varies with regions and regimes of disturbance

Here we present the results of fungal biodiversity studies from some selected Colombian Amazon forests in relationship to plant biodiversity and successional stages after slash and burn agriculture. Macrofungal diversity was found to differ between forests occurring in two regions (Araracuara vs Amacayacu) as well as between flooded forests and terra firme forests in the Amacayacu region. Macrofungal biodiversity differed between regeneration states of different age in the Araracuara region. Suitable substrates, especially dead wood that occurred as a result of recent slash and burn agriculture, resulted in the formation of many sporocarps of wood-inhabiting species. Putative ectomycorrhizal species were found in a dipterocarp forest. Fifty two percent of the macrofungal species could not be identified to the species level, but could be assigned to a genus, and it is likely that a significant portion of these represent species new to science. Long term studies are needed to obtain a comprehensive and complete understanding of the diversity and functioning of mycobiota in Amazon forest ecosystems.

Diversity of macrofungal genus Russula and Amanita in Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuary, Southern Kashmir Himalayas

Pala SA, Wani AH, Mir RA. 2012. Diversity of macrofungal genus Russula and Amanita in Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuary, Southern Kashmir Himalayas. Biodiversitas 13: 65-71. The Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuary that extends over an area of 114 km2 lies in the Pir Panjal range at a distance of 70 km in south-west of summer capital Srinagar. It is rich in biodiversity including macrofungal diversity. The Sanctuary has been subjected to high ecological and anthropogenic disturbance due to the construction of Mughal road which is major threat for its biodiversity. Since there is hardly any report of documentation of macrofungi from this sanctuary. In this back drop a survey was carried out during the year 2010 and 2011 to explore and invetorise macrofungal diversity of the sanctuary. During thesurvey a no of macrofungi were documented, among which Amanita and Russula were dominant genus represented by 7 species each. All the 14 species viz. Amanita ceciliae (Berk. & Broome) Bas. Amanita flavoconia G.F. Atk., Amanita muscaria var. formosa Pers., Amanita pantherina (Fr.) Krombh., Amanita phalloides (Fr.) Link., Amanita vaginata (Bull. ex Fr.) Vitt., Amanita virosa (Fr.) Bertillon, Russula aeruginea Fr., Russula atropurpurea (Krombh.) Britz., Russula aurea Pers., Russula cyanoxantha (Schaeff.) Fr., Russula delica Fr. Russula emetica (Schaeff. ex Fr.) Gray. and Russula nobilis Velen. are ectomycorrhizal in nature and among them Russula aeruginea Fr. is reported first time from the Kashmir.

Macrofungal diversity and ecology in four Irish forest types

The macrofungal communities of Irish native tree species (ash and oak) and exotic tree species (Scots pine and Sitka spruce) forests were examined through the collection of sporocarps over 3 yr. Sampling of 27 plots revealed 186 species of macrofungi, including 10 species new to Ireland. The species richness of non-native Sitka spruce and Scots pine forests was similar to that of native oak forests. However, specific communities of macrofungi existed in each of the forest types as confirmed by non-metric multidimensional scaling and multi-response permutation procedure. Indicator species analysis was used to identify macrofungi which are indicative of the four forest types. The oak community lacked certain species/genera known to be distinctive of oak woods in Britain, possibly due to low inoculum availability as a result of historic removal of Ireland’s oak forests. Our results indicate that, while being similar to native forests in species richness, non-native forests of Sitka spruce and Scots pine in Ireland harbour many fungal species which are not typical of native forests, particularly members of the genus Cortinarius.

English

Macrofungi not only play an important role in pollution control and other environmental protection measures, but also an important resource in food and pharmaceutical industries. However, the diversity of the macrofungal community in the core habitat of the giant panda in Bifeng Gorge, China is still inadequate. In the current study, the macrofungal diversity in Bifeng Gorge was investigated using morphologic and molecular biological methods. The results show that 275 species were found which were classified into 122 genera from 52 families. Up to 54.55% of the species were classified into various families, including Russulaceae, Strophariaceae, Agaricacea, Tricholomataceae, Psathyrellaceae, Mycenaceae, Marasmiaceae and Polyporaceae. The microfungi thrive in different areas within the Bifeng Gorge, which could be roughly classified into six ecological communities, namely, evergreen broadleaf forest (I), Cryptomeria fortunei forest (II), Metasequoia glyptostroboides forest (III), bamboo forest (IV), mixed bamboo- broadleaf forest (V) and grassland (VI). Further studies revealed that the order of the richness index (R) was I > II > V > III > IV > VI, evenness index (E) and dominance index (D) were V > III > IV > I > II > VI, and species diversity index (H’) was I > V > III > IV > II > VI. The data suggests that despite the lagged sporophore peak compared with the highest temperature, macrofungal diversity was positively related to the temperature in the area.   Key words: Bifeng Gorge, biodiversity, macrofungi, vegetation type.

Macrofungal diversity in moist temperate forests of Garhwal Himalaya

Macrofungal diversity in moist temperate forests of Garhwal Himalaya

Macrofungal diversity in moist temperate forests of Garhwal Himalaya

The present investigation was carried out in different moist temperate forests of Garhwal Himalaya. The fruiting bodies of macrofungi were collected from these forests between July 2008 and September 2009. Frequent field visits and collections were made within the elevation range of 550-2500 msl in the districts Pauri, Tehri, Chamoli and Rudraprayag. As a result of an extensive field survey and microscopic study in laboratory, 40 taxa belonging to 11 families were identified. Two families and 2 taxa belonged to class- Ascomycetes viz: Family-Helvellaceae and Morchellaceae, and nine families and 38 taxa to class-Basidiomycetes viz: Family-Agaricaceae, Amanitaceae, Boletaceae, Cantharellaceae, Coprinaceae, Ganodermataceae Hydnagiaceae, Lycoperdaceae and Russulaceae. Some macrofungi are also being used as medicine viz: Morchella esculenta , Hydnum repandum , Agaricus campestris , Cantharellus cibarius , Coprinus comatus and Ganoderma lucidum .

A preliminary checklist of macrofungi of Guatemala, with notes on edibility and traditional knowledge

Despite its biological wealth, current knowledge on the macromycetes inhabiting Guatemala is scant, in part because of the prolonged civil war that has prevented exploration of many ecological niches. We provide a preliminary literature–based checklist of the macrofungi occuring in the various ecological regions of Guatemala, supplemented with original observations reported here for the first time. Three hundred and fifty species, 163 genera, and 20 orders in the Ascomycota and Basidiomycota have been reported from Guatemala. Many of the entries pertain to ectomycorrhizal fungal species that live in symbiosis with the several Pinus and Quercus species that form the extensive pine and mixed forests of the highlands (up to 3600 m a.s.l.). As part of an ongoing study of the ethnomycology of the Maya populations in the Guatemalan highlands, we also report on the traditional knowledge about macrofungi and their uses among native people. These preliminary data confirm the impression that Guatemala hosts a macrofungal diversity that is by no means smaller than that recorded in better studied neighboring Mesoamerican areas, such as Mexico and Costa Rica.

Contributions to the macrofungal diversity of Uşak Province

This study was conducted on the macrofungal specimens collected from Uşak in 2006^-2009. In field and laboratory studies, 100 taxa belonging to 30 families and 2 classes were identified. Ten taxa belong to Ascomycetes and 90 to Basidiomycetes. Seven of them, i.e. Pseudoplectania sphagnophila (Pers.) Kreisel, Conocybe pulchella (Velen.) Hauskn. & Svrcek, Entoloma politoflavipes Noordel. & Liiv, Entoloma saundersii (Fr.) Sacc., Entoloma serrulatum (Fr.) Hesler, Hygrophorus nemoreus (Pers.) Fr., and Rugosomyces ionides (Bull.) Bon, are new records for Turkey.

Diversity of macrofungi at the University of Dar es Salaam Mlimani main campus in Tanzania

Macrofungi play important roles in nutrient cycling, forestry, pharmacology industry, production of cultivated fungi in the food industry, as well as their vital role in biodegradation and biodeterioration. Information about the diversity, community organization, and variations in time and space of macrofungi community belonging to the Basidiomycota and Ascomycota at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) Mlimani main campus in Tanzania is totally non-existent. This study was conducted on three major habitats based on types of land use namely: natural trees, planted trees and the gardens which included cleared grounds at the UDSM. The method based on fruit body recording and analysis to provide a set of biodiversity quality indices which included fungi taxonomic field work and inventory of collections made to document the macrofungi species present. It also included quantitatively comparisons in terms of species diversity and richness across the three major habitats studied using diversity species indices. Results showed that there were 18 families, 29 genera and more than 61 species out of more than 676 fruit bodies collected. The Agaricaceae family in the Agaric morpho group were the best represented taxa (71%) with the least represented (2%) belonging to Hydnaceae of the ‘tooth fungi’ morpho-group. Shannon Wiener diversity species indices showed that the species composition varied among habitats with the natural tree leading (3.8882) followed by planted trees (3.1358) and the gardens recorded the least (2.8647). On the other hand, the Reyni diversity of species ordering showed a tremendous decrease of species diversity in the disturbed habitat. These results show that there is high species diversity and abundance in the ‘natural trees’ which are relatively protected compared to ‘planted trees’ and ‘gardens’ as well as a tremendous decrease of species diversity in the disturbed habitats. These findings suggest that disturbances and soil compaction affects the macro fungi distribution. The results thus recall for the need for conservation and further research in this area, particularly at the community and species level which is essential to monitor the effectiveness of, or the need for conservation, and also to follow the effects of natural or artificial disturbance. Key words: Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, communities, macrofungi, morpho-group.

Applications of self‐organizing map for patterning macrofungal diversity of xerothermic swards

AbstractMacrofungal communities were investigated in four associations of xerothermic swards: Festucetum pallentis, Origano‐Brachypodietum, Adonido‐Brachypodietum pinnati and Diantho‐Armerietum elongatae in a Jurassic area of the Częstochowa Upland (southern Poland). A total of 47 species were recorded. The self‐organising map (SOM)—an unsupervised algorithm for artificial neural networks—was used to recognise patterns in the macrofungal communities of diverse xerothermic swards. Only two associations were mycologically similar: Origano‐Brachypodietum and Adonido‐Brachypodietum pinnati. Species with high and significant IndVal (the species indicator value) for each investigated phytocoenoses are presented. The presence of macrofungal species and the participation of indicator species were connected with habitat factors of plant associations, as documented by the IndVal application. In the least fertile phytocoenoses, macrofungal communities were poor with few indicator species. The more fertile phytocoenoses had richer and more varied communities of macrofungi with higher numbers of indicator species. The ordering methods applied in this study were very effective for analyzing the macrofungal communities existing in plant associations.

Diversity of macromycetes determined by tree species, vegetation structure, and microenvironment in tropical cloud forests in Veracruz, Mexico

Tropical montane cloud forests (TMCFs) have high levels of plant and fungal diversity. We examined whether macromycete alpha and beta diversity were associated with woody plant diversity, forest structure, or microclimate, in four TMCFs at lower (1240–1440 m) and upper altitudes (1790–1900 m) in Veracruz, Mexico. Every 2 weeks during the growing season, macromycetes were collected from ten 10 m × 10 m permanent plots per site, and air and soil temperature and humidity were measured. In total, 2059 macromycetes (509 species) and 678 woody plants (63 species) were recorded. Macromycete diversity (Shannon Index) values of the two sites located in lower forests were higher than in upper sites. Beta diversity (Jaccard index) indicated high turnover among sites and sampling times. Macromycete richness was negatively correlated with overstorey tree richness, understorey vegetation structure, and air temperature, but was positively correlated with air humidity and soil water content and altitude. Ordinations separated lower from upper altitude forest sites. Changes in composition and abundance of macromycete species with altitude were explained by precipitation, temperature, and understorey vegetation structure, while soil water content effect changes within a growing season. Results imply that understorey vegetation structure is a more important aspect for macrofungal diversity management than for woody plant diversity.

Macrofungal diversity associated with the scale-leaf juniper trees, Juniperus excelsa and J. foetidissima, distributed in Turkey

In this article, an attempt has been made to establish the qualitative composition of macromycetes in the communities of scale-leaf juniper, Juniperus excelsa M.Bieb. and J. foetidissima Willd., distributed in Turkey. A total of 127 species of macrofungi were registered, 2 belonging to Ascomycota and 125 to Basidiomycota. Of those, 69 species were collected in Juniperus excelsa stands, 23 in J. foetidissima stands, and 35 species in both juniper stands. The ecologic status for the fungal species is as follows: 30 lignicolous and 39 terricolous in J. excelsa stands, 19 lignicolous and 4 terricolous in J. foetidissima, and 31 lignicolous and 4 terricolous in both stands. For Turkey, 23 taxa were new, and 5 of them were new at genus level. The new genera were Pyrenopeziza Fuckel, Amyloathelia Hjortstam & Ryvarden, Byssoporia M.J.Larsen & Zak, Globulicium Hjortstam, and Subulicium Hjortstam & Ryvarden.

Macrofungal diversity of Ilgaz Mountain National Park and its environs (Turkey)

The current research is based on macrofungi collected from Ilgaz Mountain National Park and its environs between 2004 and 2008. As a result of field and laboratory studies, 220 taxa belonging to 59 families were identified. Nineteen taxa belong to Ascomycota and 201 to Basidiomycota. Three — Bisporella subpallida, Tricholoma bufonium, Leucogyrophana pseudomollusca — represent new records for Turkish mycobiota.

Macrofungal Diversity of Erzincan Province (Turkey)

Macrofungal Diversity of Erzincan Province (Turkey)

Mycorrhizal macrofungi diversity (Agaricomycetes) from Mediterranean Quercus forests; a compilation for the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal)

A compilation study has been made of the mycorrhizal Agaricomycetes from several sclerophyllous and deciduous Mediterranean Quercus woodlands from Iberian Peninsula. Firstly, we selected eight Mediterranean taxa of the genus Quercus, which were well sampled in terms of macrofungi. Afterwards, we performed a database containing a large amount of data about mycorrhizal biota of Quercus. We have defined and/or used a series of indexes (occurrence, affinity, proportionality, heterogeneity, similarity, and taxonomic diversity) in order to establish the differences between the mycorrhizal biota of the selected woodlands. The 605 taxa compiled here represent an important amount of the total mycorrhizal diversity from all the vegetation types of the studied area, estimated at 1,500–1,600 taxa, with Q. ilex subsp. ballota (416 taxa) and Q. suber (411) being the richest. We also analysed their quantitative and qualitative mycorrhizal flora and their relative richness in different ways: woodland types, substrates and species composition. The results highlight the large amount of mycorrhizal macrofungi species occurring in these mediterranean Quercus woodlands, the data are comparable with other woodland types, thought to be the richest forest types in the world. We point out that the presence of genera that are very well adapted to sclerophyllous Mediterranean woodlands with a potential use in afforestation or recovery programs, or being rare species, are listed in the Regional Red List of Endangered Macromycetes. Since, these woodlands suffer heavy environmental pressure, human and climate mediated, we conclude many species are approaching a high extinction risk, and it is urgent to apply legal and management measures, both,of national (Spain and Portugal) and European governments.