Diversity and distribution of macrofungi in the man-made Pitchandikulam Forest of Tamil Nadu, southern India

Abstract

Diversity and distribution of macrofungi in relation to rainfall and humidity in the man-made Pitchandikulam Forest of Tamil Nadu, southern India were studied. The 335 samples from five study plots were composed of 18 species assigned to 14 genera and eight families. Species density ranged from 46 to 87 individuals per plot. Of these, 164 collections were from soil, 147 from leaf litter, 21 from twig and 3 from dead wood. The Shannon diversity index ranged from 0.64 to 0.91. Overall, four species, i.e. Lycoperdon sp. (63 individuals), Marasmiellus nigripes (58), Termitomyces sp.1 (53) and Marasmiellus sp.1 (39) were recorded from all the plots. The species rank abundance measures were used to visualize distribution. Linear regression indicated no relationship between rainfall and species density. The quantitative analysis of macrofungi revealed a positive trend towards re-creation of forest too.