Diversity and spacio-temporal distribution of mushrooms in a Nigerian savanna: implication for their conservation

A total of ninety-three different species of mushrooms were found in the study area. These species belong to twenty-nine different families, most species belonging to the family Agaricaceae, Lyophyllaceae, Bolbitiaceae, Pluteaceae and Polyporaceae. They are dominated by the Agaricaceae family, which has a total of 48 species; followed by Lyophyllaceae represented by 6 species. The micro-habitats of mushrooms in the study area include Wood; soil around dead Tree Stump; Waste Dump; Cow Dung; Fallow; Arable land; and 22 different living trees species. More important habitats in term of mushroom species diversity are Parkia biglobosa, Tamarindus indica, and Dead Wood. The Parkia biglobosa tree has the highest species richness (45) and species diversity (Shannon Diversity index, SDI: 3.6). Tamarindus indica was the second, having 28 species richness and 2.7 SDI. These were followed by Dead Wood where 22 different mushroom species were recorded. Also, these three habitats (Parkia biglobosa, D...