An Annotated And Illustrated Catalogue Of Polypores (Agaricomycetes) Of The Białowieża Forest (NE Poland)

Abstract

The Białowieża Forest (BF) is one of the best-preserved lowland deciduous and mixed forest complexes in Europe, rich in diverse fungi. This paper summarizes what is known about the poroid fungi of the Polish part of the Białowieża Forest, based on literature data, a re-examination of herbarium materials, and the authors’ studies from 1990–2014. An annotated catalogue of polypores recorded in the forest is presented, including 80 genera with 210 species. All literature and herbarium records are enumerated, and 160 species are illustrated with color pictures. Fourteen species previously reported in the literature have uncertain status because they lack voucher specimens and were not confirmed in recent field studies. Antrodiella subradula (Pilát) Niemelä & Miettinen, previously known from Asia, is reported for the first time from Europe. Fourteen species are newly reported from the Białowieża Forest (mainly from Białowieża National Park), including 8 species with first records in Poland (Antrodia hyalina Spirin, Miettinen & Kotir., Antrodia infirma Renvall & Niemelä, Antrodiella subradula, Junghuhnia fimbriatella (Peck) Ryvarden, Postia folliculocystidiata (Kotl. & Vampola) Niemelä & Vampola, Postia minusculoides (Pilát ex Pilát) Boulet, Skeletocutis chrysella Niemelä, Skeletocutis papyracea A. David), and 6 species reported previously from other localities in Poland [Antrodiella faginea Vampola & Pouzar, Dichomitus campestris (Quél.) Domański & Orlicz, Loweomyces fractipes (Berk. & M. A. Curtis) Jülich, Oxyporus latemarginatus (Durieu & Mont.) Donk, Perenniporia narymica (Pilát) Pouzar, Phellinus nigricans (Fr.) P. Karst.]. Several very rare European polypores already reported from the Białowieża Forest in the 20th century, such as Antrodia albobrunnea (Romell) Ryvarden, Antrodiella foliaceodentata (Nikol.) Gilb. & Ryvarden, Buglossoporus pulvinus (Pers.) Donk, Dichomitus albidofuscus (Domański) Domański and Gelatoporia subvermispora (Pilát) Niemelä, were found at new localities, confirming their continuous occurrence in this forest.

Białowieża Forest—A Relic of the High Naturalness of European Forests

“…Out of 394 species, known in Europe, 210 polypores were recorded in BF. This is close to 90% of the species of this taxonomic group known from Poland [86] ( Table 1).…”

Anthoporia, a new genus in the Polyporales (Agaricomycetes)

“…Only single records are from other European countries: Belarus, Poland, Spain and former Yugoslavia (Komarova 1964;Ryvarden & Melo 2014). In Poland it was reported only from Białowieża National Park (Karasiński & Wołkowycki 2015). The species is associated with old-growth and natural coniferous and mixed forests, being very sensitive to disturbance, in particular to removal of kelo trees (standing dead pines) (Niemelä et al 2002).…”

Macrofungi on fallen oak trunks in the Białowieża Virgin Forest – ecological role of trunk parameters and surrounding vegetation.

“…Our focus on larger trunks was based on the fact that large old trees play unique and diverse ecological roles (Lindenmayer et al 2012) and their mycobiota has proved to be richer in comparison with smaller ones (Lindhe et al 2004, Iršė naitė & Kutorga 2007. Simultaneously, the Białowieża Virgin Forest is a fungal diversity hotspot with unusually rich mycobiota containing numerous rare fungi and species preferring old-growth forests (for recent summaries, see Karasiński et al 2009, 2010, Karasiński & Wołkowycki 2015, Karasiński 2016. For all these reasons, it is an ideal place for a case study on the ecology of fungi on decaying oak wood.…”