Records of the Red-Listed Speciesof Fungiat Kholodnyi Yar National Nature Park

Abstract

Background. In light of the global climate crisis and the military actions undertaken on Ukrainian territory, the conservation of biodiversity has assumed a heightened significance in recent years. A prerequisite for the conservation of fungi listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine within protected areas is the research and inventory of their species composition within these areas. This is also the case for fungi found at Kholodnyi Yar National Nature Park, but detailed information about their habitat is currently absent in the literature. Methods. The material was collected by the route method. All finds were photographed without removal from nature. For some species, small pieces of fruiting bodies were selected for isolation into pure culture. To verify the species identification of Morchella crassipes samples, which were previously identified by using light microscopy based on morphological characteristics, molecular genetic methods were used, including DNA extraction, amplification of the marker sequence, sequencing, and BLAST analysis of the sequences. Results. The study, conducted between 2017 and 2024, revealed the presence of 12 species of rare fungi within the park. These included Amanita solitaria, Boletus aereus, Grifola frondosa, Helvella monachella, Hericium coralloides, H. erinaceus, Morchella crassipes, Mutinus caninus, Myriostoma coliforme, Plectania melastoma, Polyporus umbellatus, and Sparassis crispa. Two species, Boletus aereus and Myriostoma coliforme, are newly documented in the Right Bank Forest-Steppe. Six species were identified for the first time in the Cherkasy region (Boletus aereus, Helvella monachella, Hericium erinaceus, Myriostoma coliforme, Plectania melastoma, and Sparassis crispa). The article provides information about the locations where the fungi were discovered and includes original photographs. Additionally, it offers a summary of the distribution of these species in Ukraine. Сonclusions. The article presents for the first time generalized data on the distribution of fungi listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine within the Kholodnyi Yar National Nature Park. The frequency of findings and the number of fruit bodies indicate irregular fruiting or collection of these fungal species by the population.