Microfungi colonising coniferous needles in litter were intensively studied in previous decades, but forest stands on serpentine soils have been overlooked. Also, the effects of microclimatic conditions on fungal communities in coniferous litter are unknown. In our study, we aimed to characterise communities of culturable microfungi colonising pine litter needles collected from two types of Scots pine forest growing on serpentine bedrock, i.e. dense forest with relatively stable microclimatic conditions and open-canopy forest on exposed rock with highly variable conditions. The composition of their fungal communities was analysed in respect to microclimatic conditions at the collection sites. Using a combination of phenotypic and molecular data (sequences of ITS rDNA), 35 taxa were distinguished in 1078 fungal colonies recorded, out of which 25 were identified to the species level. Fungal communities were most affected by needle type (litter vs. fermentation layer) followed by maximum temperature during the previous five months. Interestingly, a higher number and abundance of species were recorded at the warmer site, in the open-canopy forest. Dominant fungi recorded in this study (Desmazierella acicola, Phacidium lacerum and Scleroconidioma sphagnicola) were mostly identical to those recorded in previous studies and the occurrence of less abundant taxa previously not recorded in pine litter suggests that the uppermost litter layer represents an important reservoir of fungal diversity.
Koukol O., Magdalinou E., Pánková H., Borovička J., Münzbergová Z. (2022): Do microclimatic conditions in two forest types on serpentine bedrock affect culturable microfungi in pine litter needles? – Czech Mycology 74(2): 181–194.
