PIONEERING STUDIES ON HIGH-ALTITUDE MUSHROOMS OF TRANS-HIMALAYAN LADAKH (JAMMU & KASHMIR), INDIA- DISTRIBUTION, PHENOLOGY AND ETHNOMYCOLOGY Konchok Dorjey1* and Roshi Sharma2 1Department of Botany, Eliezer Joldan Memorial College, Leh, Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, India 2Department of Botany, University of Jammu, Jammu, Jammu & Kashmir, India *Correspondence: [email protected] ABSTRACT Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir is positioned at 30˚15΄ to 36˚15΄N latitude and 75˚15΄ to 80˚15΄E longitude in Trans- Himalayan region of Indian subcontinent. The region represents a unique geographical location with wide range of floristic and faunal composition. The present paper provides a review of the distribution of high-altitude mushrooms in Ladakh. The paper, besides providing a preliminary list of 26 macro fungi reported from Ladakh, also gives an overview of the distribution, habitat, phenology and substrate preferences of these macromycetes. A part of this, paper also contributes information on ethnomycology, edibility and molecular characterisation of mushrooms of Ladakh. Keywords: Ladakh, High-altitude, Mushrooms, Distribution, Phenology, Ethnomycology. INTRODUCTION 27,046 were considered to be mushrooms (Kirk et al.. Mushrooms, particularly called macrofungi, fleshy fungi 2008). However, Deshmukh (2004) mentioned the existence or macromycetes, are typical heterotrophic organisms that of as many as 41,000 mushrooms worldwide, of which consist of distinct epigeous and hypogeous fructifications approximately 850 species were recorded from India. produced from the underlying mycelial thread under Macrofungi are significant group of organism on earth. optimum climatic conditions. Being saprophytic, parasitic Edible mushrooms, for centuries, have been used for and symbiotic heterotrophs, they constitute a significant human consumption owing to the potential flavour as well component of terrestrial ecosystem in particular and earth’s as medicinal and tonic attributes of mushrooms (Manzi et biodiversity in general. Mushrooms are cosmopolitan, al., 2001). Beside food, macromycetes are known to possess seasonal moisture loving fungi, fruiting predominantly during bioactive compounds of medicinal value or secondary rainy season and sparsely in spring and autumn. Within the metabolites produced by fungi to protect themselves from the ambit of macrofungi, they produce morphologically diverse hordes of attacking microbes. These bioactive compounds fruiting bodies that consequently categorised them into with medicinal attributes of varying degree were known to popular group such as cup fungi, gilled fungi, puffballs, possess properties of antioxidant, anti tumouranti bacterial truffles, polypore, bracket fungi, etc. They have diverse and antifungal (Mizuno 1995; Mothana et al., 2000; Kim et texture, varying from fleshy to sub-fleshy or woody and al., 2004; Lindequist et al., 2005; Vishwakarma et al., 2017; sometimes leathery. Ragupathi et al., 2018). Fungi are the third significant functional section after Mushrooms represent one of the major components of fauna and flora as decomposers, symbionts and pathogens forest and grassland communities. In forest ecosystem, they demonstrating global diversity between 1.5 and 3 million represent a significant indicator of the forest life supporting species based on the recent reports in tropics (Teke et al., system (Stamets 2000). Based on their ecological role, they 2018). The estimation of world’s fungi have been the subject may be saprophytes, parasites and mycorrhizal in nature. of vigorous discussion. Tropical and sub-tropical countries While as the saprophytic fungi are the major decomposer are known to harbour more fungi than the reported number of terrestrial ecosystem, the parasitic macromycetesare and thus resulted discrepancy related to the global fungal pathogenic to plants; mycorrhizal symbionts constitute estimate. For the last couple years, numbers of studies significant component of fort ecosystem as they form a havebeen focused on enumerating the global fungal diversity mutual relationship with roots of higher plants. (Crous 2006). Of the 1.5 million world’s fungi estimated Ladakh (30˚15΄ to 36˚ N and 75˚15΄ to 80˚15΄E) in Jammu by Hawksworth (2001), as many as 98,998 species of fungi and Kashmir state is located in Trans-Himalayan region of belonging to 8283 genera have been described, of which, Indian subcontinent. The region is known as cold desert with ENVIS Bulletin Himalayan Ecology, Vol 26, 2018 59 unique topography, climate and distinct culture and tradition. families of Agaricomycetes, dominant being Agaricaceae (6), Although sub-zero temperature of winter to scorching heat Thelephoraceae (3), Cortinariaceae (2) while as Gomphaceae of summer with little precipitation and low relative humidity (1), Fomitopsidaceae (1), Psathyrellaceae (1) and Phallaceae (1) makes the plateau inhospitable terrain, the region constitutes an were least represented. important home for the luxurious growth of diverse group of Distribution of mushroom species varies in different fruiting high altitude macrofungi in addition to green plants. seasons as well as collection sites of study area. Mushrooms The macrofungal diversity of Ladakhis poorly explored.For collected in 10 different collection sites of Leh district such couple years, researchers (Dorjey et al., 2013a, b, 2015, 2016a, as Wanla, Skurbuchan, Tya-Tingmosgang, Phyang, Gangless, b, c; Yangdol et al., 2014, 2015, 2016a, b; Kour et al., 2016; Sumoor, Khardong, Phey, Nimmo, Gonpa were reported to Sharma et al., 2017a, b) at Botany Department, University exhibit variation in species distribution. of Jammu, initiated a pioneering studies on the mushrooms The number of species recorded area wise (Table 3) and of Ladakh to understand distribution, habitat, taxonomy and (Fig. 1) showed maximum number of seven species in Wanla other aspects of these unique high-altitude organism, and to area which include Cyathus olla, Helvella acetabulum, H. set a database for future study. The present paper, therefore, corium, H. macropus, H. queletii, Scutellinia setosavar. was designed to analyse and discuss the taxonomy, diversity, muscivorum var. nov. and Peziza ampliata. Pheyarea was distribution, substrate, phenology and ethnomycology of larger second in species richness with five species (Inocybe curvipes, fungal diversity of this cold arid region. I. sororia, Laetiporus sulphureusvar, Himalayan sisvar. nov., Phallus macrosporus and Thelephora japonica), followed by Species distribution and diversity three macrofungal species reported each from Tya-Tingmosgang From the list of different macrofungal species (Table 1) (Peziza succosa, P. vesiculosa and Ramaria conjunctipes) and reported from Leh district of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir, Gonpa (Scutellinia setosa, Thelephora regularis and Thelephora it is revealed that the region is rich repository of diverse vialis). Likewise two species- Peziza ammophila and Peziza fungal groups. Till date, as many as 26 macrofungal species badia as well as Bovista plumbea and Bovista plumbea var. dens- and varieties representing 12 genera and 10 families were caulis var. nov. were recorded from Skurbuchan and Gangless reported from Ladakh (Table 2). Of these, 11 fungal species respectively. However, areas like Phyang, Nimoo, Summor and were represented by three Pezizomycetes families- Pezizaceae Khardong showed least macro fungal richness with one species being dominant (5), followed by Helvellaceae (4) and reported from each area including Bovista minor, Psathyrella Pyronemataceae (2). Likewise, 15 taxa were belonged to seven spadicea, Calvatia bovista and Bovista pusill are respectively. Table 1. Members of wild macrofungi recorded from Leh district of Ladakh S. No Species Date of collection Accession No. Sources 1 Bovista minor Morgan July 2012 HBJU-266 Dorjey et al., 2016c 2 Bovista plumbea Pers. July 2012 HBJU-267 Dorjey et al., 2016c 3 Bovista plumbea Var. dens-caulis var. nov. August 2012 HBJU-268 Dorjey et al., 2016c 4 Bovista pusilla (Batsch) Pers. August 2011 HBJU-269 Dorjey et al., 2016c 5 Calvatia bovista (L.) Pers. August 2011 HBJU-270 Dorjey et al., 2016c 6 Cyathusolla (Batsch) Pers. August 2011 HBJU-201 Dorjey et al., 2013b 8 Helvella corium (O. Weberb.) Massee July 2010 HBJU-185 Dorjey et al., 2013a 7 Helvella acetabulum (L.) Quél. July 2010 HBJU-182 Dorjey et al., 2013a 9 Helvella macropus (Pers.) P. Karst. July 2010 HBJU-186 Dorjey et al., 2013a 10 Helvella queletii Bres. July 2010 HBJU-190 Dorjey et al., 2013a 11 Inocybe curvipes P. Karst. August 2014 HBJU-493 Yangdol et al., 2016a 12 Inocybe sororia Kauffman September 2014 HBJU-494 Yangdol et al., 2016a 13 Laetiporus sulphureus Var. September 2012 HBJU-245 Yangdol et al., 2014a Himalayan sisvar Nov. 14 Peziza ammophila Durieu& Lev. August 2011 HBJU-257 Dorjey et al., 2016b 15 Peziza ampliata Pers. July 2011 HBJU-258 Dorjey et al., 2016b 16 Peziza badia Pers. August 2012 HBJU-259 Dorjey et al., 2016b 60 ENVIS Centre on Himalayan Ecology S. No Species Date of collection Accession No. Sources 17 Peziza succosa Berk. August 2012 HBJU-260 Dorjey et al., 2016b 18 Peziza vesiculosa Pers. August 2012 HBJU-261 Dorjey et al., 2016b 19 Phallus macrosporus B. Liu, Z.Y. Li & Du September 2014 HBJU-402 Kour et al., 2016 20 Psathyrella spadicea P. Kumm. Singer, September 2014 HBJU-498 Yangdol et al., 2016b 21 Ramaria conjunctipes Coker Corner July 2011 HBJU-314 Dorjey et al., 2016a 22 Scutellinia setosa Nees Kuntze August 2011 HBJU-263 Dorjey et al., 2015 23 Scutellinia