Bark myxomycetes in Costa Rica's urban area

Myxomycetes are amoebae that disperse through spores and are useful for addressing ecological questions on microorganisms. The study of urban myxomycete dynamics is incipient but a few attempts in the Neotropics have been carried out. In Costa Rica, myxomycetes have been well studied in forested areas, but not that much in urban situations. In order to document myxomycetes in Costa Rica´s largest urban extent for an evaluation of the degree to which their presence is related to air quality and chemical values associated with woody substrates. For this, a two-year, double protocol survey for myxomycetes was carried out in 12 locations within Costa Rica´s Metro Area. Both air quality and chemical values associated with bark in the same locations were also obtained. A total of 32 morphospecies of myxomycetes were identified and higher biodiversity values were found in the southern portion of the Metro Area. A northern study location in Heredia was the exception to this pattern. Response variables showed moderate correlations with copper, zinc, and air quality variables; and multiple regression analyses demonstrated to be highly correlated with Shannon´s Diversity Index. This dataset confirms the presence of a core of myxomycete species in Costa Rica’s Metro Area and proposes both a primary and a secondary level of ecological control of myxomycetes in urban systems