THE FORESTS OF WESTERN GHATS. AN ABODE OF NOVEL AND INTERESTING MICROFUNGI* I K avaka 36: 1— 11, 2008 The forests of Western Ghats, an abode of novel and interesting microfungi* D.J. B hat Department of Botany, Goa University, Goa-403 206. India, E-mail: bhatdj® rediffmail.com ABSTRACT "Nahi jnaanena sadnisham pavitmmahi vidyati" (■=.Nothing is more purer than knowledge) - Lord Shrt Krishna in Bhagavad Gita I am deeply honoured lo have been elected as President of Mycological Society of India. I am equally thankful lo Thapar University, Patiala, for organizing the 34th Annual meeting of die Society along with a National Symposium Mycological Society of India Kanyakumari. These mountains are 30-80 km away from the sea coast. The escarpment is steep and The Mycological Society of India was established in January 1973 in Chennai (formerly precipitous along the western side and gently inclined Madras), on the sidelines of International Symposium on the east, the highest elevation is at Anamudi in on Taxonomy of Fungi held at Centre for Advanced Kerala. Many Studies in Botany. University of Madras. The main short, fast flowing, seasonal streams and architect of the event was Professor C.V. perennial rivers originate in the Western Ghats and Subramanian. 1 joined the Botany Department, at a flow down to the Arabian Sea. The ghats receive slightly later date in the same year, for my post-M.Sc. south-west monsoon rain from June to September; the Diploma in Mycology and Plant Pathology and downpour is heavy on the western side of the ghat subsequently for doctoral studies. I narrowly missed ranging from 200 to 350 cm annually. The mean the opportunity of witnessing the birth of the Society. annual temperature ranges between 26°C to 37°C, Nevertheless, I have been associated with the Society which seldom falls below I6°C. The mean annual ever since, in various capacities which 1 considered as relative humidity is about 80f& Under these warm and a privilege. The Society has completed 33 years and I humid conditions, luxuriant forests flourish in the am very glad that a Luge number of young students of windward western side of the ghats, which include mycology are now enrolling as Members. wet-evergreens, sholas, moist-deciduous, dry-deciduous, scrub-jungles and plateau-grasslands. Centre for Advanced Studies in Botany. Diverse plant species flourish in the forests of Western University of Madras Ghats (Pascal. 1989). I did my doctoral thesis under the supervision of Fungi of the Western Ghats have been explored Professor C.V. Subramanian and, subsequently also and documented to some extent (Subramanian. 1971; worked on a UGC-sponsored project entitled 'Fungus Rao and de Hoog. 1986; Subramanian and Bhat, 1987; Flora of South India’ My stay at the Centre for Bhat and Kendrick, 1993; Sarbhoy et a i, 1986; Advanced Studies in Botany, University of Madras, for Sarbhoy et al., 1996; Jamaluddin et al., 2004; duration of sin years was most rewarding. Invaluable Manoharachary et a i, 2005; Jacob, 2000; D’Souza, guidance from Professor Subramanian and numerous 2002; Nair, 2002; Keshav Prasad, 2003; Jalmi. 2006; mycological events and interactions that t<x>k place those Gawas. 2008). Despite the hitherto efforts, vast area of days together provided me not only a foundation on peninsular India still remained unexplored. fungal biology but everything that I know tixlay. Encounters with micro-fungi Forests of Western Ghats, southern India (Fig.l) My doctoral studies on Hypocrealean fungi and The Western Ghats, hilly and mountainous subsequent project works on floristics of terrain on the western side of peninsular India, about Hyphomycetes demanded extensive field work. In the 1500 km stretch parallel to the coastline between 8° N last three decades, in search of microfungi, I wandered to 22°5' N and 72°5’ E to 76°5' F., extend from river around numerous forests of the Western Ghats (Fig. 1), Tapti southward through the States of Maharastra, from Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu) to Mahabaleshwar Goa. Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, up to (Maharashra) through (he States of Kerala. Karnataka * Presidential address delivered during the 34,h Annual Meeting of the Mycological Society of India at Thapar University. Patiala, Punjab, India 2 K P. RADHIKA AND B F RODRIGUES ' u * ' V r •ty" t § 4 : WESTERN GHATS, INDIA .......................... .. • O Wahafl^tal'W^f WfcJ^VPl* • \ l ft . '*> £ . • - ,i - - r \ 'i . Am con (i^ n .W , \ c W J o v, V * «• ."’■Xl.- J ,«j • \ W hsstSb ', T° O S h tn m »l!yf* G»jl*Ppp* ,9* * v- *>■•..• \ 4 o*tt»rt*'-N|W«tir'" Ktit: W i S W '- ' 0 Arjtmpo r «?«s> #«7i o k ndi'TmtJvh<i4<i>» » A ’ "f i !'»,* ,_}•**o ^ ■*- Bubrttmanya gfial4}i»Wi«^ uo Koctagu (iW '^noof ; 3wnp'i#MW>|-Mo® V Ow,V*T o Mii&jmsttauW8-<i»aU i oOonkatruAd ‘ • f * : ' : O'»••.. o ^BJloy ( * Nj , q Pdlh«iity»-. & ¥*»acni a KOlJditjn*. 09?<i*' Th^adi *.\ «, pTenkas* \ t o \ ; > > | \ q wjpidanlinil 3*1 ^*‘ |, *• ‘J #* iSoogicr Fig. 1. Various localities in (he forests of Western Chats. India, visited by the author during 1976-2007 and Goa. and scanned several types of substrates the forests of Western Ghats in Coorg (now Kodagu), which included decaying plant litter, freshwater foam, located in the State of Karnataka. Moist chamber aerial plant parts, internal of fresh leaves and twigs, incubated dead and decaying twigs of Coffea Arabica herbivore dung, dead insects, etc. This enduring search L.. gathered from Abby Falls, near Madikeri, under for microfungi provided me some insight on stereoscope exhibited glistening, appendaged, colourless, hyphomycetc diversity of the region. In this address, I sphencal spores in masses on phialidic conidiophores. will highlight the excitements derived while This was nothing to do with Hypocrealean fungi; yet, 1 encountering some of the new hyphomyectous fungi in showed the slides to Professor Subrantanian The the forests of Western Ghats. mycology laboratory of Centre for Advanced Studies in Botany at Madras University then had total command on Hyphomycetes from the forests of Western Ghats conidial fungi, at global level. Professor Subramanian It was in the monsoon of 1976, in search of was instant in declaring that the fungus might be an llypocrealean fungi. I set out on my first field trip into unknown one and 1 should examine it further. Continued THE FORESTS OF WESTERN GHATS, AN ABODE OF NOVEL AND INTERESTING MICROFUNGi* 3 detailed studies in the next few months, resulted with 1980. We traveled in a train engine to the Falls from description of Bahusutrabeeja d w a y a Subram. et Bhat, a Londa railway station and I had an hour-long swim in new species in a new genus (Subramanian and Bhat, the pond adjacent to the railway track. I had no idea 1977a). Though Hypocrealean fungi were my focus, in my those days that I would continue my quest on fungi, inner-self, 1 developed spccial interest on hyphomycetous subsequently from Goa University. fungi. It was my firm conviction then that 'knowledge gaining exercises will surpass everything else’ A brief with fungi of Ethiopia A phiaJidic hyphomycete, Putagraivam During 1981-88, I had worked in Asmara sundaram Subram et Bhat (Subramanian and Bhat, University, Ethiopia (presently Eritrea) Positioned in 1977b), anamorphic phase of a hypocrealean Asmara, I had a distinct opportunity to survey the Peethambara sundara Subram et Bhat (Subramanian highland forests of southern Ethiopia. From fungal and Bhat, 1977c), that I gathered from my native diversity study point of view, Ethiopia is equally rich village, Darbhe (Irde) located in the foothills of and. undoubtedly, those were some of my very Western Ghats, Karnataka State, was an accidental productive mycological study period (Bhat, 1983, discovery. Closely and curiously watching my fungus 1984, 1985, 1986; Bhat and Sutton, 1984, 1985. 1986, collecting methods, my father who didn't even have Bhat and Chien. 1990. 1992). any formal education, brought a head-load of decaying Return to the Western Ghats twigs o f Macaranga indica Wright which had bright-coloured stromatic ascocarps on the surface, My interest on hyphomycetes grew steadily from the nearby forests. The ascocarps of and progressively, on return to India. In the subsequent Peethambara sundara, a new hypocrealean fungus, years, while working in Mangalore (1988-89) and Goa had accompanying cotudial synnemata on the Universities (1990-2007), along with my students and substrate- Single ascospore in culture also produced colleagues, I surveyed many forests and streams of the the synnematous conidial phase. The study ended up in Western Ghats and collected fungal samples from the description of hitherto unknown everywhere. We trekked long distances; stayed telcomorph-anamorph connection of the new fungus. overnights in deep jungles, nearby bus stands and Putagraivam sundaram is now a synonym of railway platforms. Collection and description of fungi Didymostilbe sundara (Seifert. 1985) were sheer excitements. Our mycofloristic investigations were was not confined to the forests of My two visits to Silent Valley in Kerala during Western Ghats alone. We also surveyed the forests of March-April and December 1980 for collection of Andaman Islands (Bhat and Kendrick, 1993; D’Souza lungi were most memorable. Led by the Botanical el al., 2002) and north-eastern highlands of Arunachal Survey of India, I was part of a big team set out to Pradesh, Assam and Nagaland in India (Bhat, 2006). study the extent of biodiversity of the region I collected samples of fungi from all over the forests and I had invaluable support from Professor K M, streams over a period of 6 weeks. Together with Kavcriappa, Vice Chancellor. Mangalore University, Professor Subramanian. I examined every bit of the Professors K, Natarajan and B.P.R Vittal, Centre for samples and documented the fungi (Subramanian, Advanced Studies in Botany, University of Madras; Dr 1992; Subramanian and Bhat, 1987).