BOIS ET FORÊTS DES TROPIQUES, 2002, N° 274 (4) 33 MYCORHIZES / LE POINT SUR… Ectomycorrhizal basidiomata fruiting in lowland rain forests of Peninsular Malaysia Su See Lee* Roy Watling** Yahya Noraini Sikin* * Forest Research Institute Malaysia Kepong 52109 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia ** Caledonian Mycological Enterprises Edinburgh EH4 3HU Scotland United Kingdom This paper examines the patterns of putative ectomycorrhizal basidiomata fruiting in or a lowland rain forest and in a planted forest community in Peninsular Malaysia, and their Royal Botanic Garden relationship with local weather conditions from data collected over a period of 6 years in the rain Edinburgh EH3 5LR forest and 7 years in the planted forest. Scotland United Kingdom Photo 1. Russula virescens (Schaeff.) Fr., a very common species growing in large troops under many dipterocarp species at FRIM and in Pasoh forest. This edible fungus is found throughout Europe, Asia and North America. Photo S.S. Lee. BOIS ET FORÊTS DES TROPIQUES, 2002, N° 274 (4) 34 Lee FOCUS / MYCORRHIZA Su See , Roy Watling, Yahya Noraini Sikin RÉSUMÉ ABSTRACT RESUMEN FRUCTIFICATION ECTOMYCORRHIZAL BASIDIOMATA FRUCTIFICACIÓN DES BASIDIOCARPES FRUITING IN LOWLAND RAIN DE LOS BASIDIOCARPOS ECTOMYCORHIZIENS DANS LES FORESTS OF PENINSULAR ECTOMICORRÍCICOS EN LOS FORÊTS OMBROPHILES DE FAIBLE MALAYSIA BOSQUES OMBRÓFILOS DE BAJA ALTITUDE DE LA MALAISIE ALTITUD DE MALASIA PENINSULAR PÉNINSULAIRE The lowland rain forests of Peninsular Malaysia are dominated by ectomyc- Los bosques ombrófilos de baja alti- Les forêts ombrophiles de faible alti- orrhizal Dipterocarpaceae, one of the tud de Malasia peninsular están tude de la Malaisie péninsulaire sont most important families of timber poblados mayoritariamente por dip- majoritairement peuplées de diptéro- trees in Southeast Asia. The main terocarpáceas ectomicorrícicas, una carpacées ectomycorhiziennes, l’une groups of ectomycorrhizal fungi de las más importantes familias de des plus importantes familles involved in symbiotic associations árboles de monte alto del sudeste d’arbres de haute futaie d’Asie du with dipterocarps are members of the asiático. Los principales grupos de Sud-Est. Les principaux groupes de Amanitales, Boletales, Cantharella- hongos ectomicorrícicos simbiótica- champignons ectomycorhiziens sym- les, Russulales and several hypo- mente asociados a las dipterocarpá- biotiquement associés aux diptéro- geous taxa, which are all members of ceas pertenecen a los taxones amani- carpacées appartiennent aux taxons the Basidiomycota. Prof. E.J.H. Corner tas, boletos, rebozuelos y russulas amanites, bolets, chanterelles et rus- first highlighted the seasonal fruiting así como a varios taxones hipogeos, sules ainsi qu’à plusieurs taxons of agaric fungi in the peninsula but he todos del orden de los basidiomice- hypogés, tous de l’ordre des basidio- did not present any climatic data to tos. El Profesor E. J. H. Corner fue el mycètes. Le Professeur E. J. H. Corner demonstrate this correlation. This primero que evidenció la fructifica- a été le premier à mettre en évidence paper examines the patterns of puta- ción estacional de los agaricales en la la fructification saisonnière des aga- tive ectomycorrhizal basidiomata península, pero sin presentar datos rics dans la péninsule, mais sans pré- fruiting in a lowland rain forest and in climáticos para demostrar esta corre- senter de données climatiques pour a planted forest community in lación. El presente artículo estudia démontrer cette corrélation. Le pré- Peninsular Malaysia, and their rela- los esquemas de fructificación de los sent article étudie les schémas de tionship with local weather condi- basidiocarpos ectomicorrícicos puta- fructification des basidiocarpes ecto- tions from data collected over a tivos en el bosque ombrófilo de baja mycorhiziens putatifs dans la forêt 6year period in the rain forest and altitud y en un bosque plantado de ombrophile de faible altitude et dans 7years in the planted forest. Malasia peninsular, así como sus une forêt plantée de la Malaisie relaciones con las condiciones climá- péninsulaire, ainsi que leurs relations Keywords: ectomycorrhizal fungi, ticas locales, a partir de datos recogi- avec les conditions climatiques tropical rain forest, fungal fruiting, dos durante seis años en el bosque locales, à partir de données recueil- seasonality. ombrófilo y durante siete años en el lies sur six ans dans la forêt ombro- bosque plantado. phile et sur sept ans dans la forêt plantée. Palabras clave: hongo ectomicorrí- cico, bosque ombrófilo tropical, fruc- Mots-clés : champignon ectomycorhi- tificación fúngica, carácter estacional. zien, forêt ombrophile tropicale, fruc- tification fongique, caractère saison- nier. BOIS ET FORÊTS DES TROPIQUES, 2002, N° 274 (4) 35 MYCORHIZES / LE POINT SUR… Introduction Materials and Methods Trees of the ectomycorrhizal of the year extended from March to Dipterocarpaceae family dominate the May, with a less regular second sea- Between 1992 and 1997, puta- tropical rain forests of Malaysia. son from some time in August to tive ectomycorrhizal fungi were col- Members of this family are some of the October or November, coinciding with lected in Pasoh Forest Reserve, a low- most important sources of timber in the return of wet weather after rela- land dipterocarp forest located Malaysia and Southeast Asia, account- tively dry periods of several weeks approximately 140 km southeast of ing for about 80% of the timber ex- (Corner, 1935; 1988). Although he Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, ported from the region. As with other stated that the exact dates of fruiting under the auspices of various joint mycorrhizal symbioses, the diptero- could vary from place to place collaborative projects. The lowland carp ectomycorrhizal association has depending on local weather condi- rain forest of Pasoh is floristically very been demonstrated to enhance phos- tions, he did not present any weather rich, i.e. a total of 335 256 stems 1 cm phorus uptake and improve seedling data to confirm this correlation. dbh and greater, belonging to 814 growth in several dipterocarp species Here we examine the patterns of species, 294 genera and 78 families (Lee, Alexander, 1994; Yazid et al., putative ectomycorrhizal basidiomata have been recorded within a 50 ha 1994). Some members of other tropi- fruiting in a lowland rain forest and in area. Common plant families in this cal lowland rain forest tree families, a planted forest community in forest include the Euphorbiaceae, i.e. Fagaceae, Leguminosae and Peninsular Malaysia, and their rela- Annonaceae, Dipterocarpaceae, Myrtaceae, are also known to be capa- tionship with local weather condi- Leguminosae and Burseraceae ble of forming ectomycorrhizas. tions from data collected over a (Kochummen, 1997). Fungi were col- However, information on these associ- period of 6 years in the rain forest lected in March every year and also in ations is lacking for Malaysian and and 7 years in the planted forest. early September 1995 and late Southeast Asian rainforests. Information on the fruiting seasons August 1996, coinciding with the Based on basidiomata observa- would be useful to determine the beginning of the two predicted annual tions, the main groups of ectomycor- best times for observing and collect- rainy spells of February-March and rhizal fungi involved in symbiotic ing such basidiomata for further stud- July-August. During each visit of associations with dipterocarps are ies, e.g. isolation into culture for vari- about 3 days duration, collections members of the Amanitales, Boleta- ous experimental purposes such as were made along the Main Trail, les, Cantharellales, Russulales and ectomycorrhizal synthesis experi- Nature Trail, around Ecological Plot 1 several hypogeous taxa — all mem- ments, and for investigations on their and the Arboretum (Watling et al., bers of the Basidiomycota (Ogawa, biology and ecology (Watling et al., 1998). 1992; Smits, 1994; Watling, Lee, 1998). Such information could also be Between 1993 and 1999, puta- 1995, 1998; Watling et al., 1998). used by students/visitors/mushroom tive ectomycorrhizal basidiomata Prof. E.J.H. Corner was the first collectors wishing to observe or col- were collected weekly in the to highlight the seasonal fruiting of lect mushrooms in lowland rain- Cryptogamic Garden and surrounding agarics in Peninsular Malaysia in a forests of Peninsular Malaysia and in area on the FRIM campus and along paper published in 1935. He stated the preparation of pamphlets and the main road leading into FRIM, that generally the first fruiting season guidebooks. where various tree species including Photo 2. Pisolithus aurantioscabrosus Watling, a newly Photo 3. described fungus from the lowland rainforest at Ectomycorrhizas of Pisolithus aurantioscabrosus traced from a basidiome Pasoh, Negeri Sembilan, Peninsular Malaysia. to roots of trees in Pasoh forest. Photo S.S. Lee. Photo A. Taylor. 36 BOIS ET FORÊTS DES TROPIQUES, 2002, N° 274 (4) FOCUS / MYCORRHIZA Table I. Number of species of putative ectomycorrhizal fungi collected the dipterocarps Hopea odorata and annually between 1992 and 1997 from Pasoh Forest Reserve, Negeri Dryobalanops aromatica had been Sembilan, a lowland rain forest in Peninsular Malaysia. planted as avenue trees. Trees in the Cryptogamic Garden and surrounding Year areas were planted in the late 1920s 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 and belong to the Casuarinaceae, Fungal families Mar. Mar. Mar. Mar. Sept. Mar. Aug. Mar. Dipterocarpaceae, Lauraceae, Lecy-