We investigated the composition and structure of fungal communities associated with
leaf litter generated by Clusia nemorosa and Vismia
guianensis that belong to phylogenetically-related botanical families and
exist together in a remnant of the Atlantic Forest in Bahia, Brazil. Samplings were
conducted during wet (June 2011) and dry (January 2013) seasons in Serra da Jibóia.
The fungi were isolated using particle filtration and the 1,832 isolates represented
92 taxa. The wet season yielded the largest number of isolates (1,141) and taxa (76)
compared with the dry season (641 isolates and 37 taxa). The richness and diversity
of fungal species associated with C. nemorosa (64 taxa,
Simpson=0.95)were higher compared with those of V.guianensis (59
taxa, Simpson =0.90). Analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) revealed significant variations
in the composition and community structure of fungi isolated from the two plants as a
function of seasons. In contrast, nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis
show that the seasonality was an important influence on the distribution of fungal
species. However, the populations of the saprobic fungal communities were dynamic,
and several factors may influence such communities in the Atlantic Forest.
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