Diversity of wood-inhabiting fungi in natural beech forests in Transcarpathia (Ukraine): a preliminary survey

Abstract

We found 131 species of wood-inhabiting fungi in two different beech forest types in the Carpathian Mountains of Ukraine. The corticioid and poroid aphyllophorales (Basidiomycetes) showed a remarkably high species richness. Among them species highly depending on large amounts of dead wood, especially logs for growth and fruiting, such as <em>Dentipellis fragilis. </em>The woodruff beech forests (<em>Galio-Fagenion</em>) harbour a greater number of fungal species than the fir beech forests (<em>Abieti-Fagenion</em>). These beech forests in the Carpathian Mountains provide an interesting opportunity to study the beech forests in Europe in their natural appearance, not or hardly influenced by human activity.