Book of Abstracts (PDF) - International Mycological Association

IMC7 Thursday August 15th Lectures
described based on recent collections. Still the Congo-basin
is strongly under collected and will certainly yield a good
number of new species, especially those with resupinate
basidiocarps. Thus, there is still some time before the
alpha-phase can be said to be finished in this continent. In
the neotropics the situation is similar and recent intensive
collecting in the Amazonas basin has revealed a number of
new species, clearly indicating that we still not have a clear
picture of the biodiversity in this group.
278 - Taking your data online: Database experiences at
the USDA Systematic Botany and Mycology
Laboratory
D.F. Farr
USDA, Systematic Botany and Mycology Laboratory,
BARC-West, Rm. 304, Bldg. 011A, Beltsville MD 20705,
U.S.A. - E-mail: davef@nt.ars-grin.gov
As the Web becomes increasingly pervasive as a primary
source of information, one might suggest that if the
information is not on the Web it does not exist. A primary
role of systematics is to provide a basic framework that
society can use to communicate about the natural world.
While there are many potential users of systematic
information, these data are most readily available to those
with access to the large libraries associated with
universities and research institutions. As systematists, we
need not only to develop and synthesize information, but to
ensure that it is available to those who need it. The web is a
visual and interactive medium, which opens up many
exciting ways for systematists to distribute their
knowledge. Greater thought should be given to providing
information on the Web if we want to remain a viable part
of the information age. At the same time it is important to
understand the differences between the Web and print
media and to develop a presentation formats that organize
and deliver content is a usable way. To assist systematists
in facilitating their use of the Web, an online tutorial has
been developed. This tutorial explores the techniques for
presenting and relating the descriptive text, images,
specimen data and keys that make up the systematists'
publication. It is hoped that these examples will stimulate
systematists to include Web publication as one of their
research products.
279 - Foliicolous diversity: the Caribbean example
M. Rodríguez Hernández
National Botanic Garden, Carretera del Rocío km 3.5,
Calabazar, Boyeros, CP 19230 C.Habana, Cuba, Cuba. -
E-mail: hajb@ceniai.inf.cu
Flora and vegetation in the Caribbean Islands have a great
diversity and richness, therefore, it is a nice place for fungi,
particularly for foliicolous, leaf-surface fungi. As treated
here, they are those which have the mycelium and fruit
bodies on the leaf surface and are in contact with the leaf
and the atmosphere, and subject to the influence of both.
The Caribbean is a good region for leaf-surface fungi
because: • There are more than 20 fungal families and
hundreds of species • There are more than 1,000 host plants
belonging to 125 families They might be divided, since an
ecological or practical point of view, in 3 main groups:
Saprobic, Parasite and Hyperparasite. Interesting examples
may be shown: • Trichomerium grandisporum: it has a
world-wide distribution and has been found on more than
50 host plants belonging to more than 20 families. It grows
since cultivated areas at sea level to rainforests • Meliola
opuntiae: on Cactaceae in dry places, in Cuba and Jamaica
with only 2 records • Meliola orchidacearum: on
Orchidaceae in humid vegetations, only in Cuba and
Dominican Republic with 3 records Some outstanding
examples among host plants are: Mangifera indica,
Syzygium jambos, Rondeletia canellaefolia, Sideroxylon
jubilla, Acrosynanthus trachyphyllus, associated with many
saprobic species, or Cupania americana and Ocotea
leucoxylon with parasitic ones. The present paper offers a
list of leaf-surface fungi in the Caribbean and the related
host plants.
280 - The ecology of foliicolous fungi
G.S. Gilbert 1 & D.R. Reynolds 2*
1 University of California, Environmental Studies, 1156
High St., Santa Cruz, CA 95064, U.S.A. - 2 Natural History
Museum, 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, California
90007, U.S.A. - E-mail: dreynold@nhm.org
Foliicolous fungi require leaves to make a living in a forest,
yet remarkably little is known of such fungi where most
leaves are available - in the forest canopy. The 3dimensional
structure of diverse tropical forests creates
strong vertical gradients and horizontal patchiness in
suitable environmental conditions and host availability for
leaf-surface fungi. Using canopy cranes in Australian and
Panamanian moist tropical forests, we have explored the
roles of host plant availability, fungal dissemination, and
microclimate in determining the spatial distribution and
diversity of foliicolous fungi. Fungi were found in all strata
of the forest at Cape Tribulation, Australia, but the more
than 30 genera of non-lichenized leaf-surface fungi were
much less common on exposed canopy leaves than in the
understory. Understory environmental conditions were
darker, relative humidity greater, and temperature variation
less extreme, all factors that may promote fungal growth.
For three focal plant species, the density of hyphal growth
on the leaf surface was greater in the understory than in the
canopy. Nevertheless, within the understory in both
Australia and Panama, the probability of fungal
colonization increased with increase light availability. The
types of fungi found varied greatly among plant hosts. The
spatial pattern of fungal colonization in the understory was
not strongly associated with presence of fungi in the
canopy.
Book of Abstracts 89