TITLE:
Distribution of Myxomycetes on Varied Leaf Litter Types in a Mixed Forest in Warm-Temperate Western Japan
AUTHORS:
Kazunari Takahashi
KEYWORDS:
Cellulolytic Activity, Dominant Trees, Foliicolous Myxomycetes, Litter pH
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Forestry,
Vol.5 No.7,
September
30,
2015
ABSTRACT: 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.