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Comparison of myxomycete assemblages associated with the seven different vegetation sites. Coefficient community (upper right) and percentage similarity (lower left) indices are given.
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Although many myxomycetes inhabit leaf litter on the forest floor and have feeding stages in litter layers, there has been little understanding regarding how the different types of leaf litter in a forest influence myxomycetes to distribute. In this study, I focused on the microhabitat distribution of foliicolous myxomycetes within a local secondar...
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... assemblages from the seven sites were compared using CC and PS indices for all possible combinations (Table 4). The highest value for CC measures was recognized between the assemblage from Q. glauca site and that from C. camphora site (CC ¼ 0.638), with 15 species in common to both litter sites, whereas the value for PS measures was 0.386. ...Similar publications
Abstract: Present study deals with density, basal area, population structure, species diversity and concentration of dominance of natural forests in Lohaghat of Champawat district in Kumaun Himalaya, Uttarakhand. The data were collected from each forest for different six classes such as seedling, sapling, young tree, pole size tree, mature tree and...
The seasonal occurrence and distribution of myxomycetes on different types of newly defoliated leaf litter were examined in a secondary forest in a warm temperate region of western Japan. The two types of leaf litter (deciduous trees, Prunus verecunda and Quercus variabilis, and evergreen trees, Q. glauca and Cinnamomum camphora) were incubated in...
Abstract: Present study deals with density, basal area, population structure, species diversity and concentration of dominance of natural forests in Lohaghat of Champawat district in Kumaun Himalaya, Uttarakhand. The data were collected from each forest for different six classes such as seedling, sapling, young tree, pole size tree, mature tree and...
Citations
... The myxomycete communities in leaf litter had higher diversity in mixed forest than broad leaved deciduous or evergreen forest in different vegetation types of warm temperate Japan (Takahashi 2013). Although the present study only investigated seven tree species using moist chamber cultures, a variety of myxomycetes were recorded. ...
Our knowledge of the ecological features of myxomycetes of the Yakushima Island World Natural Heritage site is poor. The present study assessed myxomycetes living on twig litter in Yakushima Island using the moist chamber culture method and focused on their distribution and association with different forest types. The survey was conducted along an altitudinal gradient from the coast to the montane forest (1360 m). Fallen twigs were sampled from the forest floor surface beneath representative dominant tree species at each survey site. Nineteen twig samples from seven tree species were cultured in dishes for a total of 380 cultures, of which 54% culture dishes yielded myxomycete fruiting colonies. In total, 35 myxomycete species in 15 genera were identified from 19 myxomycete communities. Ordination using non-metric multidimensional scaling indicated a significant correlation between community structure and twig pH. Four different forest types classified according to elevation separated into different myxomycete community structures, with species richness and abundance decreasing with increasing elevation. Species diversity was the highest in the coastal subtropical vegetation community, while the montane forest that comprised Cryptomeria japonica trees had lower species diversity. Subtropical vegetation characteristically involved four species, Comatricha tenerrima, Lamproderma scintillans, Perichaena depressa, and Ophiotheca chrysosperma, but Cribraria microcarpa preferentially occurred in the montane forests. The dominant trees in the forests apparently affected the myxomycete communities on twig litter. The new distribution data generated through this study provide a better understanding of the spatial composition of myxomycetes on Yakushima Island.
... A part of the life cycle of Oligonema is strongly dependent on water; therefore, the occurrence of a species of this genus is not associated with the substrate type but with a specific habitat that is waterlogged or periodically moist (De Haan et al., 2004). e other taxa are noted very oen on this substrate type (Drozdowicz et al., 2003;Lado et al., 2013;Müller et al., 2007;Rollins & Stephenson, 2012;Stephenson, 1989;Takahashi, 2013;Takahashi & Hada, 2012), although they have been sporadically observed on dead wood (Drozdowicz et al., 2003;Müller et al., 2007). Species developing in the litter form fine and brittle sporangia that are difficult to notice, making field observations arduous and time-consuming. ...
Herein, the results of studies conducted in the Łagiewnicki Forest in the city of Łódź (central Poland) in 2010–2012 are presented. These were the first long-term observations into myxomycetes in the Łagiewnicki Forest and in central Poland. Investigations were conducted using the route method for the entire forest complex (2010–2012). Additionally, twelve logs were selected in the “Las Łagiewnicki” forest reserve for detailed observations in 2011–2012; these logs belonged to four tree species: Betula pendula Roth, Carpinus betulus L., Quercus sp., and Picea abies (L.) H. Karst. In total, 1,561 specimens were collected and were classified into 96 taxa (91 species and five varieties). Three species ( Diderma saundersii , Oligonema flavidum , and Didymium eximium ) are new to the biota of Poland, while five ( Arcyria stipata , Hemitrichia calyculata , Oligonema schweinitzii , Physarum flavicomum , and Physarum robustum ) are included on the red list of rare myxomycetes in Poland. Stemonitopsis amoena is also classified as a rare species; to date, this species has been reported in one locality in Poland. The scale by Stephenson et al. was used to determine the frequency of occurrence of individual taxa; 55 taxa were classified as rare, nine as sporadic, 26 as common, and six as abundant taxa. Three ecological groups of slime molds were identified based on the type of substrate they colonized: lignicolous (54 taxa), foliicolous (seven taxa), and corticolous (two taxa). No preference for the substrate was noticed in a group of 33 taxa that occurred on different substrate types. The phenology of myxomycete occurrence was also analyzed; 49 taxa occurred throughout the entire vegetative season, while only single records of species that were found in specific months were noted. The biota collected in the “Las Łagiewnicki” forest reserve and that in a Łagiewnicki Forest segment outside it (of the same size and the same occurrence of plant communities as in the reserve) in 2011–2012 were also compared.
... The life cycle of myxomycetes (myxogastrids) includes both protozoan-like amoebae and fungal-like sporeproducing fruiting bodies (sporocarps or sporophores), which led these organisms to be classified as either protozoans or fungi (Alexopoulos et al. 1996;Kirk et al. 2008;Keller and Everhart 2010;Stephenson and Rojas 2017). Myxomycetes have been found in every major terrestrial ecosystem examined to date and are particularly abundant in forested regions where decaying logs, stumps, and dead leaves provide a plentiful supply of potential substrates (Takahashi 2013;Dagamac et al. 2015;Liu et al. 2015;Keller et al. 2017). ...
Five specimens, initially presumed to be Fuligo septica or Mucilago crustacea, were collected from Jilin Province and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in China, but all five turned out to represent a new aethaloid species, Didymium yulii. This new species is characterized by pseudocapillitia without capillitia and an aethalioid fruiting body, features that are morphologically distinct from those of any other species of Didymium. To assess the phylogenetic relationships between D. yulii and other members of Didymium and in the Didymiaceae, sequences from two nonoverlapping targeted portions of nuc 18S rDNA (~450 bp and ~1050 bp) and translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1) were obtained and analyzed. The results indicate that D. yulii forms a single clade separate from other species of Didymium and the clade that contains M. crustacea, which strongly supports the identification of the five specimens as a new species.
... These lowland forests seem to have more diverse vegetation, and the forest cover is interrupted by emergent trees and tree fall gaps. Similarly, Takahashi (2013) noted higher numbers of myxomycete species in Japanese mixed evergreen/deciduous compared in comparison to pure bamboo or pine forests. Tran et al. (2006) report a higher number of taxa from plots with mixed litter than from plots with uniform litter, composed by leaves of a single tree species. ...
Karst forest represents a distinct landscape with highly alkaline soil and limestone rocks. This specialized topography supports many unique species of plants and animals. Thus, documenting species in this area is important for any biodiversity research. In this study, a field survey was conducted to assess abundance, diversity, and distribution of myxomycetes in a karst forest within Quezon National Park, Philippines. Fruiting bodies were collected in addition to decaying substrates (e.g., aerial leaves and ground leaf litter) and twigs for culture in moist chambers. A total of 35 species from 16 genera was identified. The majority of these species occurred only rarely. Myxomycete communities between aerial and ground litter had the highest level of similarity based on their species composition and corresponding relative abundance. This study documented diversity of myxomycetes from the lowland karst landscape in the Philippines and now serves as baseline information for investigating plasmodial slime molds in Quezon National Park.
... For instance, temperature and moisture are considered to be the primary factors limiting the occurrence of myxomycetes in nature (Alexopolous 1963). More so, recent global studies of tropical myxomycetes suggest that forest disturbances (Rojas and Stephenson 2013), leaf preferences (Takahashi 2013), elevation (Dagamac et al. 2014) and seasonality can also influence their diversity (Ko Ko et al. 2011, Dagamac et al. 2012. ...
Karst forest represents a distinct landscape with highly alkaline soil and limestone rocks. This specialized topography supports many unique species of plants and animals. Thus, documenting species in this area is important for any biodiversity research. In this study, a field survey was conducted to assess the abundance, diversity and distribution of myxomycetes in a karst forest within Quezon National Park, Philippines. Fruiting bodies were collected in addition to decaying substrates, e.g. aerial leaves and ground leaf litter, and twigs for culture in moist chambers. A total of 35 species from 16 genera were identified. The majority of these species occurred only rarely.. Myxomycete communities between aerial and ground litter had the highest level of similarity based on their species composition and corresponding relative abundance. This study documented the diversity of myxomycetes from the lowland Karst landscape in the Philippines and now serves as baseline information for investigating plasmodial slime molds in Quezon National Park.
... In the tropical forests of northern Thailand, litters of two species of trees were particularly favorable substrates for many species of myxomycetes (Tran et al., 2006). Takahashi (2013) subsequently documented that myxomycete assemblages differed between deciduous broadleaf and evergreen tree leaf litters in local woodlands of warm-temperate Japan. However, not much is known about how dominant trees in a forest influence the heterogeneous habitats of myxomycetes and promote species diversification in a forest. ...
... Twigs over 5 mm in diameter were removed from the litter mass. The litters were incubated in three or six 60-liter containers (96 × 69 × 20 cm) according to the in situ incubation method (Takahashi, 2013) at the collection sites (Figure 1(B)). Litter masses in the incubation containers maintained moderately more moisture than on the ambient ground, increasing the growth potential of myxomycetes in the leaf litters during field season from April to November. ...
... Globally, myxomycete spores are dispersed by the wind (Kamono et al., 2009), whereas the sensitivity of these organisms to substrate types serve as the basis for species distribution at a local scale (Takahashi, 2013). The distribution patterns of microorganisms are suggested to be similar to those known from higher plants and animals (Foissner, 2006). ...
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 Pru-nus jamasakura tree yielded 21 species, a Quercus glauca tree yielded 20 species, an Ilex peduncu-losa 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.
... As the annual cycle of new leaf litter and its decomposition progresses, the varied leaf litter types should provide highly variable microhabitat for myxomycetes. We expect that both the defoliation season and tree accurate ecological understandings of foliicolous myxomycetes, by using the in-situ incubation method (Takahashi 2013), for accurate assessment of foliicolous myxomycetes present on the deciduous trees and evergreen trees in a mixed forest floor. ...
... Two hundred liters of deciduous tree leaves were collected in early February, and evergreen tree leaves in late April, during their respective defoliation seasons. Then, their litter masses were incubated in the three containers (respectively 60 L in volume, 96 × 69 × 20 cm) by the in-situ incubation method (Takahashi 2013) on the same forest floor where they were collected. Three containers for each tree species were incubated in the forest floor (Fig. 1A). ...
... Leaf-litter-mass containers (Takahashi 2013) can be used to measure ecological characteristics excluding the soil on foliicolous myxomycetes inhabiting natural forest floors, allowing for statistical analysis of temporal changes associated with leaf-litter types. The leaf-litter masses provided adequate microhabitat for myxomycetes to grow and complete their life cycles. ...
The spatiotemporal distribution and dynamic changes of species composition of myxomycetes in humid subtropical forests of Houhe National Nature Reserve in southern China were studied by collecting samples of bark and ground litter within four seasons for isolation of myxomycetes in moist chamber cultures and by collecting fruiting bodies in the field from June to October. A total of 725 specimens of myxomycete fruiting bodies representing 77 species of 25 genera were registered, among them 302 records/51 species from field collections and 423 records obtained from 600 moist chamber cultures of ground litter and bark of living trees, which resulted in 35 and 39 species, respectively. Cornuvia serpula and Perichaena microspora were recorded for the first time in China. Both myxomycete species richness and diversity were significantly different in ground litter among sites and field collections among months. NMDS combined with Permanova indicated that the site had a greater impact on the myxomycete community of bark and litter than the season, while the month of field collections had a greater impact than the sampling sites. CCA and VPA analysis showed that the bark-inhabiting myxomycete species were mainly affected by spatial variables, while the litter-inhabiting and field collected species were more affected by climatic factors.
Higher floral and faunal biodiversity is expected in multi-species-covered mountainous forests than in mono-typic agricultural plantations. To verify this supposition for cryptogamic species like the plasmodial slime molds, a rapid field survey was conducted for myxomycetes and substrates in forest floor litter and agricultural plantation were collected in Negros Occidental, Philippines. Morphological characterization identified a total of 28 species belonging to the genera Arcyria, Ceratiomyxa, Collaria, Comatricha, Craterium, Cribraria, Diderma, Didymium, Hemitrichia, Lamproderma, Physarum, Stemonitis, Trichia and Tubifera. The myxomycete species Arcyria cinerea was the only abundant species found both in the agricultural and forested areas. The majority of collected species were rarely occurring. In terms of species composition, more myxomycetes were recorded in the mountainous forest (27) compared to agricultural sites. Furthermore, aerial leaf litter collected in the forests had the highest number of records for fruiting bodies but in terms of species diversity, twigs yielded higher value based on Shannon index. Findings in this study verify that a habitat with more heterogenous plant communities yields higher species of myxomycete assemblages. This research is the first study to report myxomycetes from Negros Occidental.
