Book of Abstracts (PDF) - International Mycological Association

IMC7 Main Congress Theme I: BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION Posters
1300 species of macrofungi have been recorded in Sicily
and Greece respectively. As regards beech woods in
particular, 402 taxa are reported from Sicily (which
account to 35% of the total number of fungi recorded from
Italian beech woods), whereas an equivalent number of
fungi (i.e. 405 taxa) were found to occur in beech woods of
Greece. In addition, the two investigated areas presented
137 taxa in common. Among the most representative
genera, Amanita, Boletus, Russula and Tricholoma are
prevalent in Sicily, whereas Cortinarius and the corticioid
fungi are quantitatively more represented in Greece.
Noteworthy is the occurrence of species strictly linked to
the thermophilous beech woods such as B. fragrans and B.
satanas (only in Sicily), and B. aereus, B. radicans (in both
areas examined).
606 - Biodiversity and distribution of aeroaquatic fungi
H. Voglmayr
Institute of Botany, Rennweg 14, A-1030 Vienna, Austria. -
E-mail: hermann.voglmayr@univie.ac.at
Aeroaquatic fungi are an ecological group of fungi
inhabiting shallow stagnant to slow-flowing freshwater
bodies. They grow on submerged plant litter and often
show pronounced ability to survive micro-aerobic
conditions. However, their dispersal units are only
produced if the substrate is exposed to the air; they consist
of complicated, usually multicellular structures of an
astonishing morphological diversity, which entrap air and
are therefore well buoyant. Buoyancy is often enhanced by
warts and hydrophobic encrustations. Dispersal takes place
on the water surface. Up to data, about 90 aero-aquatic
species are known world-wide. Most species have been
recorded exclusively from temperate climates (more than
75%), comparatively few from the tropics (less than 20%),
and very few were found both in tropical and temperate
habitats (about 5%). Many species have a wide geographic
distribution. Recent investigations revealed many new taxa
even in comparatively well-studied Europe, indicating that
its biodiversity is very imperfectly known world-wide.
Systematically, the aero-aquatic fungi comprise members
of the oomycetes, basidiomycetes and ascomycetes;
however, for the majority of species teleomorphs are
unknown. Concluded from known teleomorph stages and
DNA sequence data, the largest aeroaquatic genera
Helicoon and Helicodendron are polyphyletic, which may
be also true of other genera. This clearly demonstrates that
the aeroaquatic lifestyle evolved many times
independently.
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Book of Abstracts
607 - Utilisation of the population patterns and
pathogenicity of soilborne and root-colonising fungi as
bioindicators of soil health in agricultural soils
N.W. Waipara
HortResearch, Canterbury Research Centre, P.O.Box 51,
Lincoln, New Zealand. - E-mail:
nwaipara@hortresearch.co.nz
Biodiversity and population dynamics of microbes change
due to anthropogenic soil disturbances such as different
agricultural land management practices. Mycological
surveys, using several isolation methods, were undertaken
to determine species diversity of soil and root-colonising
fungi in pastoral, cropping, native grasslands and forest
soils in New Zealand. Soilborne plant pathogenic species,
such as Cylindrocarpon spp. and Fusarium spp., were
frequently isolated during the surveys. Pathogenicity of
these fungi was determined using axenically grown
seedlings to provide an index whereby the relative
pathogenicity of species could be compared between soil
and land management types. Results indicated that more
pathogenic species and strains were present in highly
disturbed agricultural soils compared to relatively
undisturbed native grassland forest and soils. These species
and methods may have potential to be used as bioindicators
of soil health and disease suppressiveness.
608 - Ecology of rare species of Hericium in Britain
P.M. Wald * & L. Boddy
Cardiff Scool of Biosciences, Park Place, PO Box 915,
Cardiff CF10 3TL, U.K. - E-mail: paul_wald@hotmail.com
The wood-decomposing species of Hericium are not
common in Britain. Hericium erinaceus is protected under
the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981), reported as being
'vulnerable' in the British Red Data List, and is a UK
Biodiversity Action Plan priority species. H. coralloides,
H. cirrhatum and H. alpestre are all listed in the Red Data
List as being 'vulnerable'. With the exception of H.
alpestre, which is found decaying coniferous wood,
Hericium spp. occupy the heart wood of deciduous trees
and all species cause white rot. The ecology of these
species of Hericium is little understood, thus we have
examined their establishment following inoculation into
felled logs and standing trees, how fungal community
structure develops once these fungi have become
established, and the outcome of interactions with other
wood-rotting fungi. The work has revealed that it is
relatively easy to establish these fungi by inoculation of
colonised dowels, they are quite combative against other
basidiomycetes, and they fruit readily. Preliminary
evidence, however, suggests that spore germination may be
poor. Thus, mode of colonisation may be an important
factor contributing to their apparent rarity. These studies
should provide the information required to conserve extant