Preliminary studies of fungi in the Biebrza National Park (NE Poland). I. Micromycetes

Abstract

This paper presents the results of the first short-term inventory of fungi species occurring in the Biebrza National Park, one of the biggest and best preserved protected areas of Poland. The paper is focused on a survey of microfungi. Fungi were collected in early autumn 2012, within the framework of a scientific project by the Polish Mycological Society. The results are published in two parts containing micro- and macromycetes, respectively. An annotated list of 188 identified taxa covers true fungi including 33 zygomycetes, 130 ascomycetes (including anamorphs) and 22 basidiomycetes, as well as two chromistan and one protozoan fungal analogues. The identified fungi taxa, inhabiting diverse ecological niches, represent a wide range of trophic groups including saprotrophs, biotrofic and necrotrophic parasites of plants, pathogens of arthropods, fungicolous fungi and species isolated from soil and organic matter. From 188 annotated taxa, 89% (167 species) have not been recorded in the Biebrza National Park until now and four species are newly reported for Poland (Alternaria nobilis, Clonostachys solani, Mariannaea elegans, Metasphaeria cumana). Data on the species richness and taxonomic diversity of the identified fungi are briefly commented in terms of micromycetes role in managing nature conservation.

Keywords

• all-species inventory
• micromycetes
• plant parasites
• arthropod pathogens
• soil fungi
• fungal ecology
• protected area