Old-growth forest fungi – new localities and habitat and host preferences in Slovakia (I).

Abstract

“Old-growth forests” comprise habitats from untouched, primeval forests to partially man-influenced, near-natural forests. Some fungal species occur preferably in these forests with a high degree of naturalness. Occurrence data from Slovakia for five wood-inhabiting fungal species was processed. The numbers of known localities of these species in Slovakia range from 4 to 49. The five species prefer different stages of wood decay when producing fruitbodies. Records of the studied species indicate that Amylocystis lapponica and Ionomidotis irregularis occur only in old-growth forests, especially in the best-preserved virgin and natural ones, in Slovakia typically on wood of only one or two tree species. Antrodia labyrinthica occurs in natural and nearnatural forests, while the remaining two species can survive in managed forests with a natural tree composition, localised close to forests of higher naturalness (Skeletocutis odora) or even in more intensively managed forests with a small amount of decaying wood and parks (Yuchengia narymica). The substantial increase in the number of records of some species in Slovakia can be related to more intensive research in montane old-growth forests (e.g. Amylocystis lapponica) or probably to a massive spread of species (Yuchengia narymica), even in a wide elevation range.