Agarics and boleti (Agaricomycetes, Basidiomycota) of sphagnum peat-bogs and swampy forests of "Slobozhansky" National Nature Park

Abstract

Habitats with Sphagnum mosses are extremely rare in Forest-Steppe zone of Ukraine. Such habitats there are on the territory of the National Nature Park “Slobo­zhansky” (Kharkiv region, Ukraine) with more than 300 peatbogs, swampy forests and bog-lakes. Sphagnum mosses are known as substrates for a lot of specialized agarics and boleti species. Sphagnum mosses form unique environmental conditions and consequently a complex of specific agarics and boleti is appear there as well. 26 species of agarics growing among Sphagnum mosses were detected during investigations in the Park. Only part of them (Galerina cerina, G. paludosa, G. sphagnicola, Hypholoma elongatum, H. udum and Tephrocybe palustris) could be considered as closely associated with Sphagmun mosses by substrate links. Some of the detected among mosses species might be related to highly damped habitats, but they were not related with the mosses. The Majority of the species obviously are not associated with Sphagnum mosses anyway, but are tolerant to conditions made by the mosses (for example aid reaction). Seventeen species of agarics were found in Kharkiv Forest-Steppe only in Sphagnum mosses and swampy forests of the National Nature Park “Slobozhansky”. The territory of National Nature Park is one of key territory for support of biodiversity of agarics on the East of Ukraine.

Keywords

• agaricoid fungi
• sphagnum mosses
• peatbogs
• national nature park “slobozhansky”
• ukraine