Distribution of Myxomycetes on Varied Leaf Litter Types in a Mixed Forest in Warm-Temperate Western Japan

Myxomycete assemblages were compared on various leaf litters of different vegetation types in a local mixed forest consisting of deciduous and evergreen trees in western Japan. A total of 33 myxomycete species were recorded and associated with the chemical and biological environments of leaf litters under natural condition of the forest floor. Different myxomycete assemblages were found on different sites under the dominant trees in a short distance apart (300 m). A site of Prunus jamasakura tree yielded 21 species, a Quercus glauca tree yielded 20 species, an Ilex pedunculosa tree yielded 12 species, and two Quercus serrata trees yielded 13 and 14 species, respectively. Non-metric multidimensional scaling demonstrated that the myxomycete assemblages were closely related to the litter types of deciduous and evergreen trees, and both litter pH and cellulolytic activity influenced distribution of myxomycete species. Species richness was higher in leaf litters with higher pH than in leaf litters with more acidic pH such as I. pedunculosa litter. The dominant tree litter and litter pH strongly influenced the species distribution of foliicolous myxomycetes in a local mixed forest.

IMD:The first online database of documentation on Myxomycetes fungi from India

The Indian Myxomycetes Database(IMD)is the first on-line database of information on Myxomycetes in India.The database contains 394 records from 11 families,50 genera and 351 species,and can be accessed at www.fungifromindia.com.Every species from this much neglected group of fungi has been given a unique identity number that can be cited in publications where a new species is described.Every entry in this database has been linked with the globally recognized myco-database(www.mycobank.org).The IMD is part of an Indian initiative to promote international biodiversity documentation and form a global network of databases on biological information.

Coprophilous myxomycetes: Recent advances and future research directions

Species of myxomycetes are adapted to different ecological niches and occupy different microhabitats.The majority of species have a wide ecological amplitude and may be found on various kinds of substrata.Some species have narrower ecological niches and are restricted to or mainly found on one special kind of substratum.Coprophilous species grow on dung or on a substratum in close contact with dung.The vast majority of records stem from moist chamber cultures on dung from herbivorous mammals,but several species have also been recorded on droppings from birds.A limited number of species can be regarded as truly coprophilous in that they have predominantly or in some cases only been recorded on dung.Some of these species are known from very few collections and their dependence on dung may therefore be difficult to judge.No correlation is absolute and species regarded as coprophilous may sometimes,although rarely,turn up on other types of substrata.Dung is rich in bacteria and nutrients and is a favourable substratum for myxomycetes.Many species normally inhabiting other habitats are occasionally found on dung,and up to now about 114 species have been reported from this kind of substratum,a number that will continue to grow.At least three species,Licea alexopouli,Kelleromyxa fimicola and Trichia brunnea,have thick-walled spores,a possible adaptation to passing through the intestinal tract of a herbivore before germination can take place.

Biogeographic patterns of the myxomycete biota of the Americas using a parsimony analysis of endemicity

Myxomycetes are microorganisms frequently considered to be of cosmopolitan distribution,however as studies in unexplored areas have intensified,more information has become available on the patterns of distribution of these organisms,but no historical or cladistic biogeographic approaches have been applied to understand such patterns.In this study a parsimony analysis of endemicity(PAE)was used in order to generate a preliminary hypothesis on the biogeographic relationships of 13 American areas in which a well-known myxomycete biota exists.In general terms the hypotheses of the relationship between the myxomycete assemblages of areas used in this study agree with those reported for other groups of organisms.They appear to show that a historical-geographic pattern influences the distribution of myxomycetes as much as environmental factors.Three main clades were found in the analysis,with the first one including the two subantarctic localities,the second one representing the South American transition zone and the last one including all the Neotropical and Nearctic areas,but arranged into two subclades,one with the arid areas and the other with the tropical and temperate humid areas.Each clade or subclade in the cladogram is supported by the presence of several morphospecies,some of which appear to represent endemic species restricted to specific geographic areas.The results of this analysis are proposed as a working hypothesis that can perhaps be supported in the future with new data from other complementary regions of America or with more intense surveys in the areas already explored.They are inconsistent with the hypothesis of cosmopolitan distribution for these microorganisms,as they appear to indicate groups of species that are restricted to certain geographic areas,some of which may be endemic,such as those from the subantarctic forests of South America,those found exclusively in the South American arid areas or those that have been recently described from arid areas of North America.

Occurrence of Stemonitis axifera(Bull.)T.Macbr.(Myxomycota:Stemonitales)in Pondicherry,a union territory of India

Stemonitis axifera,observed on a piece of dead wood from Pondicherry,a union territory of India is described here based on morphological and microscopical characteristics.This observation is relevant due to the infrequency of records of Stemonitales in southern India,especially in a territory like Pondicherry,a union territory of India with no appreciable forest cover and low biodiversity.