Notes on the ecological distribution of the myxomycete Arcyria globosa
Steven L. Stephenson1, #, Adam W. Rollins2, Thida Win Ko Ko3, Randy G. Darrah4
Affiliations
1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, United States of America, 2Department of Biology, Lincoln Memorial University, Harrogate, TN 37752, United States of America, 3School of Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand, 4PO Box 391, Farmington, West Virginia 26571, United States of America
#Correspondence: [email protected]
Abstract
Prior to the virtual elimination of American chestnut (Castanea dentata) from the forests of eastern North America by the chestnut blight fungus, Arcyria globosa was commonly found on old chestnut burs that had fallen to the ground. The association of this myxomycete with chestnut burs was not absolute, but occurrences on other substrates appear to have been rare. During field collecting carried out in a forest in northern Thailand, it was noticed that old fallen cupules (burs) of Castanopsis indica often had scattered fruiting bodies of A. globosa present. Castanea and Castanopsis belong to the same family (Fagaceae) and produce spiky cupules that are rather similar morphologically. As such, A. globosa appears to display a particular affinity for the cupules of Castanopsis in the same manner as it does for Castanea. The basis for this seemingly remarkable ecological distribution is not known.
Citation
Stephenson SL, Rollins AW, Ko Ko TW, Darrah RG (2024) Notes on the ecological distribution of the myxomycete Arcyria globosa. MycoAsia 2024/04. DOI: https://doi.org/10.59265/mycoasia.2024-04
Submission history
Received: 01.08.2024
Accepted: 26.10.2024
Published: 28.10.2024
Editorial Team
Handling Editor: Dr. Belle Damodara Shenoy
Reviewers: Dr. Preeti Phate, Dr. Thomas Edison E. dela Cruz