Wahlenbergia 1 Distribution: University of Umeå, Department of Ecological Botany, S-901 87 UMEÂ, SWEDEN Åke Strid Wood-inhabiting Fungi of Alder Forests in North-Central Scandinavia. I. Aphyllophorales (Basidiomycetes). Taxonomy, Ecology and Distri­ bution. Akademisk avhandling som med tillstånd av rektorsämbetet vid Umeå universitet för avläggande av filosofie doktorsexamen framlägges till offentlig granskning vid Avdelningen för ekologisk botanik, Botanik, Fysiologi, Hufo, sem.-rum B, tisdagen den 27 maj 1975, kl. 10. Abstract Wood-inhabiting fungi were collected on different trees in 99 loca-' lities of alder woods, dominated by Alnus incana or occasionally A. glutinosa, in N-C Sweden and C Norway. Most of the localities are situated near the east coast of Sweden where the prevailing land elevation creates conditions suitable for colonization by alder. The remaining localities are mainly found in the inland parts of Sweden and Norway, along streams, in ravines etc. The investigated localities are briefly described as to their general vegetation, and a regional survey of the alder forests is given. The number of collections of Aphyllophorales amounts to approxi­ mately 5,000, comprising 286 species. The following new combinations are proposed: Hypoohnicium polonense (Bres.) Strid, H. pruinosum (Bres.) Strid, Phlebia lindtneri (Pil.) Parm. and Sistotrema hete- roncmum (John Erikss.) Strid. Seven species are collected as new to Scandinavia, viz., Botryobasidium aure urn3 Ceratobasidium stridiit Hyphoderma orphanellum, Hyphodontiella multiseptata, Hypoohnicium pruinosum> Phlebia lindtneri and Tubuliorinis effugiens, and approxi­ mately 85 additional species are reported for the first time from the investigation area. Six specimens of Cortioiaoeae have remained undetermined but are included in the species list. Most of them represent species new to science, but they are not, for different reasons, described as new species. Preliminary, one of them is re­ ferred to Ceratobasidium, one to Hyphoderma and two to Sistotrema. All species are presented in a list with annotations on their aut- ecology, distribution in Scandinavia and, when needed, taxonomy. The records of species collected more than once are mapped on 196 m a p s . The ecology of wood-inhabiting Aphyllophorales in alder forests is discussed, including habitat conditions (decay, moisture, tempera­ ture, soil conditions), distribution of fungi on different host trees, succession of fungi and some regional-ecological traits. The distribution of fungi is summarized by a grouping of represen­ tative species into flora elements which, in turn, are compared to those that have been proposed for vascular plants. Umeå 1975 237 pp. UJahlenbergia Vol. 1 Åke Strid Wood-inhabiting Fungi of Alder Forests in North-Central Scandinavia 1. Aphyllophorales (Basidiomycetes). Taxonomy, Ecology and Distribution University of Umeå Department of Ecological Botany UMEÄ SWEDEN Doctoral dissertation at the University of Umeå, Sweden 1975 University of Umeå Department of Ecological Botany S-901 87 UMEÂ, SWEDEN Editor: Professor Bengt Pettersson Printed in Sweden University of Umeå UMEÂ Issued: May 5, 1975 (First printing) December 31, 1975 (Second printing, with corrections) Abstract Strid Å. 1975. Wood-inhabiting Fungi of Alder Forests in North- Central Scandinavia. 1. Aphyllophorales (Basidiomycetes). Taxonomy, Ecology and Distribution. -- Wahlenbergia 1:1— 237. Umeå. Wood-inhabiting fungi were collected on different trees in 99 loca­ lities of alder woods, dominated by Alnus incana or occasionally A. glutinosa, in N-C Sweden and C Norway. Most of the localities are situated near the east coast of Sweden where the prevailing land elevation creates conditions suitable for colonization by alder. The remaining localities are mainly found in the inland parts of Sweden and Norway, along streams, in ravines etc. The investigated localities are briefly described as to their general vegetation, and a regional survey of the alder forests is given. The number of collections of Aphyllophorales amounts to approxi­ mately 5,000, comprising 286 species. The following new combinations are proposed: Hypochnioium pòlonense (Bres.) Strid,H. pruinosum (Bres.) Strid, Phlebia lindtneri (Pil.) Parm. and Sistotrema hete- ronemum (John Erikss.) Strid. Seven species are collected as new to Scandinavia, viz., Botryobasidium aureum, Ceratobasidium stridii, Hyphoderma orphanellum3 Hyphodontiella multiseptata, Hypochnioium pruinosum, Phlebia lindtneri and Tubulicrinis effugiens, and approxi­ mately 85 additional species are reported for the first time from the investigation area. Six specimens of Corticiaceae have remained undetermined but are included in the species list. Most of them represent species new to science, but they are not, for different reasons, described as new species. Preliminary, one of them is re­ ferred to Ceratobasidium, one to Hyphoderma and two to Sistotrema. All species are presented in a list with annotations on their aut- ecology, distribution in Scandinavia and, when needed, taxonomy. The records of species collected more than once are mapped on 196 maps. The ecology of wood-inhabiting Aphyllophorales in alder forests is discussed, including habitat conditions (decay, moisture, tempera­ ture, soil conditions), distribution of fungi on different host trees, succession of fungi and some regional-ecological traits. The distribution of fungi is summarized by a grouping of represen­ tative species into flora elements which, in turn, are compared to those that have been proposed for vascular plants. Contents I Introduction 1 Material and methods 2 .1 Delimitation of alder woods 2 tvJ tvj tvJ tvj to .2 Selection and distribution of the investigated loca­ lities 2 2.3 Sampling methods 3 2.4 Use of herbarium material 3 3 The area of investigation 5 3.1 Situation and extent 5 3.2 Topography and geology and their relation to the occurrence of alder 6 3.2.1 Altitudes and relative heights 6 3.2.2 Geology 8 3. 3 Climate 8 3.3.1 General climatic conditions. Maritimity and conti- nentality 8 3.3.2 Temperature 10 3.3.3 Vegetation period 12 3.3.4 Precipitation 14 3.3.5 Snow cover 16 4 The localities investigated and their general vegetation 20 4.1 The localities investigated. Situation and vegetation 20 4.2 A regional survey of the alder forests of the investi­ gated area 46 4.2.1 Genesis and disappearance of the alder border of the Bothnian Coast 46 4.2.2 Field layer vegetation of the coastal alder border 47 4.2.3 Field layer vegetation of subcoastal and inland alder woods 48 5 Recorded fungus species 50 5.1 Annotated list of species 50 5.2 Maps of records 10 3 6 Ecology 104 6.1 Alder forests as habitat for wood-inhabiting fungi 104 6.1.1 Edaphic conditions and diversity of the fungal flora 104 6.1.2 Temperature conditions in the woody substrates 105 6.1.3 Effect of moisture content on the growth of fungi 105 6.2 Fungi on different host trees 106 6.2.1 Distribution of fungi on deciduous and coniferous trees 106 6.2.2 Occurrence of fungi on different trees 107 6.3 The role of Aphyllophoraceous fungi in the investi­ gated alder forests 109 6.3.1 Regeneration of trees in alder forests on the Bothnian Coast 109 6.3.2 Regeneration of trees outside the Bothnian Coast 109 6.3.3 Succession of wood-inhabiting fungi in alder forests 109 6.4 Regional-ecological traits in the occurrence of fungi 111 6.4.1 Influence of the general edaphic factors on the occurrence of fungi 112 6.4.2 Influence of the altitude on the occurrence of fungi 113 7 Distribution 114 7.1 Earlier investigations 114 7.2 Distribution and its dependence on the environment 114 7.3 Flora elements 114 7.3.1 Widely distributed species 115 7.3.2 The southern element 116 7.3.3 The western element 116 7.3.4 The northern element 117 7.3.5 The northeastern element 117 7.3.6 The eastern element 117 7.3.7 The southeastern element 117 7.3.8 Rare species 118 7.3.9 Comparison between the distribution of southern, northern and northeastern species in the investi­ gated localities 118 7.4 Comparison between the flora elements of fungi and those of vascular plants 120 8 Acknowledgements 122 9 Maps 123 10 Fungus index 224 11 References 2 31 Sammanfattning 2 35 1 1 Introduction Since the latest glacial period the Swedish east coast, along the Gulf of Bothnia, has been subject to a land elevation that reaches ca. 9 mm per year in the northern part and 7 mm in the southern part of the area of current interest for this investigation (Magnus­ son et al. 1957:416). On the west coast of C Norway the land ele­ vation is much lower, 0— 4 mm per year (Rossiter 1967:284), and due to the steeper coast the consequences to the vegetational succes­ sion are less noticeable. On the Swedish east coast there is a dis­ tinct succession of the shore vegetation on the new land created by this elevation. The first wooded stage is an alder wood with Alnus incana and A. glutinosa and several other deciduous trees inter­ mingled. It may be preceded by a thicket dominated by Salix spp., Myriea gale and young Alnus spp. When I settled in Umeå, Västerbotten, in 1968 these fringe forests soon called for my interest because they gave me an opportunity to study wood-inhabiting fungi in a forest with phases of colonization, of optimal growth and of decline of a certain tree (alder) in a de­ fined area. The present investigation started in the vicinity of Umeå in 1968 and was limited to that area for the first few years. Later on it was expanded to include alder forests along inland waters of Väs­ terbotten and also some more remote localities on the coast. In the autumn of 1972 and 1973 I was given an opportunity to spend more time on field work and the whole area of investigation came to in­ clude most of the Swedish Bothnian Coast, the interior of North- Central Sweden and Central Norway (Fig.