Macrofungi in Mediterranean maquis along seashore and altitudinal transects

In semi-arid Mediterranean environments, fungal activity is fundamental for buffering biotic and abiotic stress to the plant and for sustaining a vegetation cover. Despite the important role that fungi play in habitats stability, mycological data from Mediterranean ecosystems are scarce and fragmentary. We investigated fungal diversity in several areas characterized by Mediterranean maquis, from continental Italy, Sicily, and Greece in order to contribute to the analysis of distribution, ecology, and diversity of macrofungi in evergreen sclerophyllous shrublands at different elevation and distance from the seashore across the Mediterranean Basin. Several fungal taxa that are remarkable due to their ecology, rarity, and limited geographical distribution were recovered. Among them, the ectomycorrhizal species <i>Amanita dunensis</i> and <i>A. valens</i> were recorded for the first time in Italy. The wood-inhabiting macrofungi, <i>Aleurodiscus dextrinoideocerussatus</i>, <i>Peniophorella tsugae</i>, <i>Perenniporia meridionalis</i>, <i>Phanerochaete martelliana</i>, <i>Vararia ochroleuca</i>, and six <i>Peniophora</i> species were reported for the first time in Greece. Some species, such as <i>Gloeodontia columbiensis</i>, <i>Ceriporia aurantiocarnescens</i>, <i>Peniophora pithya</i>, and <i>P. tamaricicola</i> were collected on new substrates. For the two rare basidiomycetes <i>Amanita eliae</i> and <i>Battarrea phalloides</i>, molecular identification and phylogenetic analysis gave valuable information on their relationship with similar taxa.

在半干旱地中海生境中，真菌活动对于缓解植物所受的生物与非生物胁迫、维持植被覆盖具有核心作用。尽管真菌在维持生境稳定性中扮演着关键角色，但地中海生态系统的真菌学数据仍较为匮乏且零散。本研究针对意大利本土、西西里岛及希腊的多处地中海灌丛（Mediterranean maquis）分布区域开展真菌多样性调查，以期为解析地中海盆地内不同海拔、距海岸距离各异的常绿硬叶灌丛中大型真菌的分布格局、生态特征及物种多样性提供数据支撑。本次调查共采集到一批因生态特性特殊、物种稀有且地理分布局限而具有重要研究价值的真菌类群。其中，外生菌根真菌<em>Amanita dunensis</em>与<em>A. valens</em>在意大利境内为首次记录。木生大型真菌<em>Aleurodiscus dextrinoideocerussatus</em>、<em>Peniophorella tsugae</em>、<em>Perenniporia meridionalis</em>、<em>Phanerochaete martelliana</em>、<em>Vararia ochroleuca</em>以及6种<em>Peniophora</em>属物种在希腊境内为首次报道。部分物种，如<em>Gloeodontia columbiensis</em>、<em>Ceriporia aurantiocarnescens</em>、<em>Peniophora pithya</em>及<em>P. tamaricicola</em>，在新型基质上被首次采集。针对两种稀有担子菌<em>Amanita eliae</em>与<em>Battarrea phalloides</em>，本研究通过分子鉴定与系统发育分析，明确了其与近缘类群的亲缘关系，为相关研究提供了极具价值的参考信息。