Fungi from peatlands

Abstract

The understanding of microbial biodiversity in peatlands has grown considerably over the past two decades. This is encouraging, given the global distribution of peatlands and their potentially increasing significance under a changing climate, particularly as it pertains to carbon cycling. The purpose of this review is to compile a comprehensive list of fungi that have been reported from peatlands and to summarize their general roles in these ecosystems. To date, 601 species of fungi have been identified globally from peatlands. Ascomycetes are the largest group with 276 species (46%), followed by basidiomycetes (243 species, 40%), zygomycetes (55 species, 9%), and chytridiomycetes (26 species, 4%). The most species-rich genera are Penicillium (48 species), Galerina (41 species), and Mortierella (20 species). The 20 most common fungal genera account for 252 of the 601 species (42%) in peatlands. From a functional perspective, most fungi in peatlands are saprobes and are involved in the decomposition of organic matter. A better understanding of this group of fungi will allow us to better predict carbon dynamics in the future.