Prakash Pradhan

Inventory and spatial ecology of macrofungi in the Shorea robusta forest ecosystem of lateritic region of West Bengal

Macrofungi are broad in diversity and play an important role in sustaining ecosystems. However, the quantity and quality of their habitat is decreasing and the threat of extinction looms over the remaining 95% of the worlds undiscovered fungal species. There is an urgent need for inventorisation, monitoring and conservation of macrofungi and the habitats supporting their growth. This paper focuses on the species richness, assemblage and spatial ecology of the macrofungi whose lifecycles are intricately woven with natural Shorea robusta forests in the lateritic region of West Bengal, India. Decreasing soil productivity, poor regeneration of Shorea seedlings and subsequent habitat degradation for macrofungi are a prime cause of concern.

Macrofungal diversity and habitat specificity: a case study

The diversity of macrofungi in the lateritic region of West Bengal was explored and 120 species, one subgenus and a variety, having eight ecological functions, were found to grow among three types of habitats, i.e. natural forests, plantation forests and villages. Yate’s corrected chi-square (χ2) test statistic was performed upon the 2 × 2 table (contingency table) and testing the null hypotheses of independence of observed cell frequencies of the presence/absence of a species in a given habitat type. Various degrees of specificities of macrofungi to their habitats were observed, i.e. Amanita vaginata, Astraeus hygrometricus, Laccaria laccata, Lactarius zonarius, Porphyrellus malaccensis, Russula brevipes, Russula delica, Russula emetica and Russula laurocerasi were absolutely specific for natural forests; Pisolithus arhizus and Ramaria fumigata were absolutely specific for plantation forests; Auricularia auricula, Schizophyllum commune and Termitomyces clypeatus (only association coefficient 100%) were found to absolutely specific for village habitat. MS Excel-based formulas for calculation of association/specificity of species to habitat and species to species as well as other diversity indices are provided. Local and tribal populations used 19 species of macrofungi during their fruiting period, of which 17 had culinary values and four were locally considered medicinal. This study is a first of its kind, and has various applications to allied disciplines in understanding diversity, ecology and biological prospects of the macrofungal realm.

Macrofungal diversity and ecology of the mangrove ecosystem in the Indian part of Sundarbans

Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove biomes, have a rich biodiversity of diverse flora and fauna. Although various attempts had been made previously to explore the diversity of this World Heritage Site, information related to the diversity and ecology of macrofungi in this region is sparse. In this context, the aim of this study was to record the macrofungal diversity and describe the macrofungal communities of this ecosystem whose lifecycles are intricately woven with the mangrove ecosystem of the Indian part of Sundarbans. Carpophore surveys were conducted from June 2010 to September 2012 over 77 randomly placed quadrats (20 × 20 m2). A total of 455 carpophores belonging to 62 species across 27 families and 46 genera were recorded. Of the total number of macrofungal species listed, around 55% were saprophytic. The genera with the greatest species richness were Ganoderma and Tricholoma. Comparing the species richness estimators, the cumulative number of species over the three successive years revealed that 75–100% of potential macrofungal species were recorded. Results from the present study are an important contribution to the knowledge of the macrofungal diversity of the mangrove ecosystems, both in India and worldwide.

Contribution to the Macromycetes of West Bengal, India: 8–12

Five members of Agaricales (Agrocybe pediades, Calocybella swetha, Cantharocybe virosa, Lepiota echinacea, and Oudemansiella canarii) were collected from different parts of West Bengal, India and are reported herein with detailed morphological characters. Literature survey revealed that all of the collected taxa represent their first distributional record from the state.

Contribution to the Macromycetes of West Bengal, India: 23–27

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Crinipellis cupreostipes (Marasmiaceae, Agaricales, Basidiomycota): a new distributional record from India

The present study reports Crinipellis cupreostipes (first described from Thailand) as a new record for Indian mycobiota. A phylogenetic analysis based on nrDNA ITS shows that C . cupreostipes can be readily distinguished from other morphologically similar species such as Crinipellis nigricaulis var. macrospora . A detailed taxonomic description with illustrations and an artificial key to Crinipellis species previously reported from India and its neighboring countries are provided.