A preliminary checklist of fungi in the Nags Head Woods Maritime Forest in North Carolina

Castanea, Sep 2002 by Grand, L F, Vernia, C S

ABSTRACT

Fungi collected in Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve (Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina) were identified and catalogued from 1996 to 2001. The 566.6 ha preserve contains the largest contiguous maritime forest on a barrier island on the Atlantic coast of the United States. Its unique diversity of habitats supports maritime deciduous and fresh-water swamp forests. The objective of this study is to document the biodiversity of the fungi of this unique forest. To date, 101 taxa of fungi representing 78 genera have been identified and a checklist of species is presented. Species collected are on deposit in the Mycological Herbarium, Department of Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University.

INTRODUCTION

Maritime forests along the Atlantic coast of the United States contain unique and unusual assemblages of flora and fauna. Their ecology has been recently summarized by Bellis (1995). Many of these forests are being lost to development. Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve (NHW), under the stewardship of the Nature Conservancy, is the largest contiguous maritime forest [ca. 567 ha (1,400 acres)] on a barrier island on the east coast of the United States.

The ecology and vegetation of the barrier islands of southeastern United States were previously studied by Oosting (1954). Recently Russell (1995) provided an annotated checklist of tree species in NHW. Wolfe reported 16 species of fungi from this forest (Bellis 1995). Grand and Vernia (1999) reported numbers of various taxa of fungi from Nags Head Woods but did not include a species list.

Rossman and Farr (1997) and Rossman et al. (1998) stressed the importance of determining fungal biodiversity, especially in unique ecosystems. Consequently the objective of this study was to document the biodiversity of fungi of the maritime and fresh-water swamp forests of NHW. This paper presents a preliminary checklist of fungi collected in Nags Head Woods, North Carolina from 1996-2001.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Various sites within NHW were visited at different times of the year from 1996 to 2001. Occurrence of a fungal species was recorded and collections were made either as a voucher for the fungal species or a voucher for a new occurrence on the host plant. Collections necessary for identification were placed in paper bags with appropriate field data and returned to the laboratory. Collections are on deposit in the Mycological Herbarium, Department of Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University. Nomenclature for plant species follows Kartesz (1980).

RESULTS

One-hundred one taxa of fungi, representing 78 genera in the phyla Ascomycota, Basidiomycota and Deuteromycota have been found to date. Fungal specimens are reported on 24 host species of primarily, woody vascular plants representing 20 genera. A checklist of species of fungi is presented.

CHECKLIST

ASCOMYCOTA

DISCOMYCETES

Lophodermium pinastri (Schrad.:Fr.) Chevall. -dead Pinus taeda L. needles

HEMIASCOMYCETES

Taphrina caerulescens (Desmaz. & Mont.) Tul. -leaf blister on Quercus falcata Michx.

LOCULOASCOMYCETES

Elsinoe corm Jenkins & Bitancourt -spot anthracnose on Cornus florida L.

Hysterium angustatum Albertini & Schwein.:Fr. -on Vaccinium arboreum Marsh.

Pleomassaria siparia (Berk. & Broome) Sacc. -on Liquidambar styraciflua L.

PYRENOMYCETES

Biscogniauxia atropunctata (Schwein.:Fr.) Pouzar -on Quercus virginiana P. Mill.

Biscogniauxia nummularium (Bull.:Fr.) Kuntze -on dead Acer rubrum L.

Cosmospora diminuata (Berk.) Rossman & Samuels -on Quercus virginiana

Diatrype prominens Howe -on Carya glabra (P. Mill.) Sweet

Diatrype stigma (Hoffm.:Fr.) Fr. -on dead Quercus nigra L. branches

Diatrypella betulina (Peck) Sacc. -on Acer rubrum

Endothia gyrosa (Schwein.:Fr.) Fr. -on dead and dying branches and trunk of Quercus virginiana

Eutypa limaeformis (Schwein.) Cooke -on Quercus nigra

Eutypa sp. -on Carya glabra

Eutypella sp. -on Myrica cerifera L.

Glonium lineare (Fr.) De Not. -on Persea borbonia (L.) Spreng., Prunus serotina Ehrh. and Nyssa aquatica L.

Hypoxylon annulatum (Schwein.) Mont. in Gay -on Quercus virginiana

Hypoxylon caries (Schwein.) Sacc. -on decorticated Salix nigra Marsh.

Hypoxylon truncatum (Schwein.:Fr.) J.H. Miller -on dead Quercus falcata and Q. nigra

Microsphaera calocladophora G.F. Atk. -on Quercus falcata

Microsphaera vaccinii (Schwein.) Cooke & Peck -on Gaylussacia frondosa (L.) Torr. & A. Gray in Torr.

Ophiodothella vaccinii Boyd -on Vaccinium arboreum

Phyllachora shiraiana Syd. -on Arundinaria gigantea (Walt.) Muhl.

Phyllactinia angulata (E.S. Salmon) S. Blumer -on Quercus nigra leaves

Rosellinia subiculata (Schwein.:Fr.) Sacc. -on Quercus sp.

Uncinula circinata Cooke & Peck -on Acer rubrum

Ustulina deusta (Hoffm.:Fr.) Lind -on Quercus virginiana

Xylaria cubensis (Mont.) Fr. -on dead Quercus falcata branch

Xylaria persicaria (Schwein.:Fr.) Berk. & M.A. Curtis -on old fruit of Liquidambar styraciflua

BASIDIOMYCOTA

GASTEROMYCETES

Astraeus hygrometricus (Pers.) Morgan -exposed sand in an open powerline right-of-way

Lycoperdon subvelatum Lloyd -on sandy soil