Saprobic fungi on wood and litter of Alnus alnobetula in the Swiss Alps BEATRICE SENN-IRLET* WSL, Swiss Federal Research Institute, Zürcherstrasse 111, CH – 8903 Bimensdorf, Switzerland ROLF MÜRNER Naturmuseum, Kasernenplatz 6, CH – 6003 Luzern, Switzerland ELIA MARTINI Sentiero per Sécc, CH – 6676 Bignasco, Switzerland NICOLAS KÜFFER tuttifunghi, Bahnstrasse 22, CH – 3008 Bern, Switzerland ROMANO DE MARCHI Bühlackerweg 33, CH – 8405 Winterthur, Switzerland GUIDO BIERI tuttifunghi, Bahnstrasse 22, CH- 3008 Bern, Switzerland *Correspondence to:
[email protected] ABSTRACT — 246 species representing 73 genera and 90 species of ascomycetes, basidiomycetes being represented with 44 genera of aphyllophoralean fungi with 77 species, 23 genera of agarics with 68 species and 8 genera of tremelloid fungi with 12 species growing on wood and litter of Alnus alnobetula in Switzerland are given. Clitocybe and Mycena species dominate among the leaf litter inhabiting species. Fallen branches have the highest species diversity. The host-specific Peniophora aurantiaca is one of the most conspicuous and most frequent species. KEY WORDS — lignicolous and foliicolous fungi, diversity, subalpine alder stand Introduction Bush-like Green alder (Alnus alnobetula (Ehrh.) K. Koch, syn. Alnus viridis (Chaix) DC. aggr., Betulaceae) is present in subarctic and in some subalpine vegetation types of the Northern Hemisphere. In the Alps two forms exist, Alnus alnobetula s.str. and Alnus alnobetula ssp. brembana (Rota) H.J.P. Winkl. with smaller leaves. Green alder is an early successional shrub that invades screes, avalanche slide paths and pastures in the subalpine zone of the Alpine, Carpathian and Dinaric chains in Europe. In the Western Alps, Green alder stands (Alnetum viridis Br.-Bl.) are widely spread at an altitude of 1000–2000 m, in Switzerland MYCOTAXON link page 120: 506 Expert reviewers: Cvetomir M.