Jolanta ADAMCZYK & Leszek KUCHARSKI

MACROFUNGI IN DIFFERENT HABITATS OF SMALL POSTGLACIAL PONDS MARGINS IN THE KUJAWY REGION (CENTRAL POLAND)

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Résumé

Résumé : Les champignons supérieurs dans différents habitats entourant les pièces d'eau d'origine postglaciaire dans la région de Kujawy (Pologne Centrale).

Dans  les années 1994-1996, les champignons supérieurs ont été récoltés sur 17 placeaux entourant des pièces d’eau d’origine postglaciaire situées dans la partie sud de la région de Kujawy (Pologne Centrale). Les macromycètes poussaient dans trois types d’habitats : pâturages, prairies et champs. Au total, 136 espèces ont été identifiées. Les habitats des prairies se sont révélés les plus riches en espèces de champignons. Les groupes intéressants des champignons nitrophiles, coprophiles et carbophiles ont été observés dans la mycoflore des placeaux examinés, ainsi que 9 espèces menacées au niveau du pays. Malgré leur surface restreinte, les placeaux examinés sont riches en espèces de champignons. Il faudra protéger ces habitats pour préserver leur diversité biologique.

Abstract

Summary

In 1994-1996 macrofungi were sampled in the margins of small postglacial ponds located in the southern Kujawy Region (Central Poland). The macrofungi occurred in 3 types of habitats: pastures, meadows, and cultivated fields. A total of 136 macrofungus species were identified. Most of the species were recorded in the meadows. Interesting groups of nitrophilous, coprophilous, carbophilous species and 9 threatened species in Poland were among those recorded. Despite their small areas the investigated margins of ponds are rich in macrofungus species; hence their protection is much desired as important for maintaining macrofungus biodiversity.

Table of content

I. INTRODUCTION

1The Kujawy is one of the oldest agriculturally managed regions of Poland. Evidences of agricultural exploitation were discovered in excavations from as early period as the Neolithic. Numerous water reservoirs and fertile soils have made the region suffer strong agricultural pressure for over the recent 5000 years (COFTA-BRONIEWSKA & KOŚKO 1982). As a result the region has been almost completely deforested. Forest covers only about 6% of the Kujawy while the average for Poland is 28%. About 35% of its agricultural land is drained. A characteristic component of the agricultural landscape of the Kujawy are post-glacial mid-field depressions (“eyelets”). There are few data on the flora, fauna and vegetation occurring in the “eyelets” and on their margins (KLOSS 1993, KUCHARSKI 1996), and on the flora and vegetation of similar water reservoirs, but of antropogenous origin, in northern Germany (MIERWALD 1987). Macrofungi of the “eyelet” margins haven’t been investigated neither in Poland nor in any other European country.

2The aim of the study is :

3- gaining knowledge about the composition of macromycetes in the margins of "eyelets" of various exploitation types,

4- determining the influence of exploitation type on the macrofungus species composition,

5- estimating the function of mid-field depressions in preserving the macrofungus species diversity in the Kujawy.

II. STUDY AREA

6The Kujawy Region lies in Central Poland, between the Vistula and Warta rivers. The landscape of the study area is decisively affected by the last glaciation. Two phases of the Baltic glaciation have left their traces in the form of terminal moraines, which contributed to a great diversity of the area’s morphology. The center of the study area is crossed by a sequence of terminal moraines of the Leszno phase of the Baltic glaciation. In the vicinity of the village of Kłóbka the sequence joins terminal moraines of the Poznań phase of this glaciation. These two sequences form a ridge. Areas located north and south of the moraines include : a slightly undulating ground moraine in the south, incised with outlow troughts of glacial waters and with moraines built mainly of moraine clay, covered by a thin layer of sands of weathered marsh silts in the north. The area located between the two terminal moraines has a specific relief. Concave depression forms, many of which have no outlet, dominate there. A characteristic feature of the landscape are unevenly distributed elevations and hillocks contrasting with numerous depressions filled up with water or peat. In Poland they are called “eyelets” (=”oxbows”). Their area ranges from 10-20 square meters to a few hectares. There are 35 of them, and they cover a total area of 20 ha (average 8-10 ha) per km² (100 ha). Their depth is 2-10 m, and slope up to 5%. The Kujawy section of the ridge has a complex tectonic structure due to numerous dislocations, especially in the section mentioned above (PAWŁOWSKI 1953). There are salt diapers there (at depths of over 100 m), which originated in the Upper Permian period. According to HOHENDORF (1952) the climate of the Kujawy is the driest in central Europe. The precipitation in the study area is the lowest of the whole Kujawy. The annual precipitation is on average 494 mm.

III. MATERIAL AND METHODS

717 “eyelets” of the southern Kujawy were selected to this study (Fig. 1) taking into account the diversity of their margins. The margins represent 3 types of habitats: pastures, meadows and fields (Table 1). Investigations were carried out in 1994-1996. In each of the objects investigations were carried out at least 4 times a year from mid May to mid November. Irregular observations of the surface were carried as late as in 1997 and 1998. Research covered only the area that is not flooded by water accumulating in an “eyelet”. List of macromycetes, vascular plants as well as actual vegetation were prepared for each of the objects.

IV. RESULTS

IV.1. Composition of the mycoflora

8A total of 136 macromycetes species (Table 2) were detected. Most of them were recorded fruiting on soil (70) and on wood (49). A less abundant group consisted of macrofungi growing on plant remnants (on litter, twigs, mosses) (11) and in places that were remnants of burned out bonfires (6). Basidiomycetes dominated, while only 9 Ascomycetes were noted. Most were saprotrophs, which constituted about 90 % of all recorded species (Table 2). Mycorrhizal and parasitic species were few, while their presence was related to the occurrence of certain tree surfaces.

9Nine species of macrofungi threatened in the scale of Poland (according to WOJEWODA & ŁAWRYNOWICZ 1992), 9 of which were observed. These are :  Agaricus macrosporus (Moell. & J. Schff.) Pill.-I, Agaricus xanthodermus Genevier-R, Coprinus niveus (Pers.: Fr.) Fr.-R, Disciotis venosa (Pers.: Fr.) Boud.-R, Galerina paludosa (Fr.) Kuhn.-I, Gyrodon lividus (Bull.: Fr.) Sacc.-R, Hygrocybe punicea (Fr.) Kumm.-I, Mitrula paludosa Fr.-I, Tephrocybe palustris (Peck) Donk-R.

IV.2. Relation between the vegetation of ponds margins and macrofungus composition

IV. 2.1. Meadow communities

10The margins of 5 post-glacial "eyelets" are overgrown by meadow vegetation. Two of the investigated depressions (6 and 12) are surrounded by patches of mid-humid meadow vegetation of the alliances Arrhenatherion elatioris and Deschampsion cespitosae. In other of the objects vegetation typical of humid and wet meadows was observed. They were communities dominated by grasses (alliance Calthion) or by sedges (alliance Magnocaricion).  The typical meadow patches are rarely mowed, once a year at the most, and are characterized by a considerable fertility of the substratum. They are fed with mineral compounds by surface run-off water flowing to an "eyelet" from its whole microcatchment.

11The highest macrofungus species number was recorded in the meadow areas (103). Most of them also fruit in pasture habitats. It was only there where 7 saprotrophic species on ground : Agaricus xanthodermus, Hygrocybe coccinea, Leotia lubrica, Lepista sordida, Mitrula paludosa, Mycena galopus, Entoloma serrulatum, 6 mycorrhizal species: Amanita muscaria, Boletus edulis, Chalciporus piperatus,  Gyrodon lividus, Suillus bovinus, S. luteus, and 2 species on wood : Nectria coryli, Pleurotus dryinus were noted. The presence of mycorrhizal fungi is related to the occurrence of pine trees in site number 9 (probably planted) and of alder in site number 4.

12Macrofungi that prefer such substrates as remnants of green vegetation, twigs of trees and bushes, mosses, e.g. Mycena rorida, M. avenacea, Galerina hypnorum and others (Table 1) more frequently fruit in meadow areas.

IV. 2.2. Pasture communities

13The margins of most of the “eyelets”, 9, are surrounded by pastures. The vegetation of these habitats was diversified. A decisive majority was represented by communities of the alliance Cynosurion. In some of these objects (3, 4, 11, 17) grazing of poultry was conducted and communities of the alliances Lolio-Plantaginion majoris and Agropyro-Rumicion crispi occurred there. An abundant group of as much as 96 macromycetes appeared in these pasture areas. The species : Agaricus macrosporus (noted once), Cudoniella clavus (determined on plant remnants partially submerged in water), Lycoperdon ericaeum, L. nigrescens, Scleroderma citrinum, S. verrucosum and  Tephrocybe palustris were observed only in pastures habitats as well as 6 species noted by various authors in burnt areas (MOSER 1949, GINKO 1984, TURNAU 1984, WATLING 1988, DYLAG & GUMIŃSKA 1997, FRIEDRICH 2001, SUMOROK 2001). These are : Geopyxis carbonaria, Helvella lacunosa, Tephrocybe anthracophila, Peziza praetervisa, P. violacea, Pholiota carbonaria. In the investigated habitats they develop on burned wood remaining after bonfires.

IV. 2.3. Cultivated field communities

14The least noted type of land use surrounding the characterized post-glacial depressions is cultivated field. It occurred at only three “eyelets”. At these objects arable land surrounded and bordered a belt of rush vegetation that encircled the water area of the “eyelet”. Plants cultivated close to the “eyelets” were usually destructed during the spring snow-thaw. A margin deprived of these cultivated plants was colonized by tiny therophytes in early spring, e.g. Juncus bufonius and Myosurus minimus, which in next months were extirpated by weeds typical of humid fields (Polygonum hydropiper, P. lapathifolium, Bidens tripartita, and B. frondosa).

15It is at the margins of the cultivated field type “eyelets” the lowest number (34) of macromycetes species were identified. This resulted both from a low number of investigated areas as well as a small diversity of substrata that is satisfactory for the development of some macrofungus species. Despite this, 2 species that fruited in these areas were determined. These are: Disciotis venosa and Psathyrella candolleana. Note that Disciotis venosa, which is believed to prefer grassy and sheltered places (GUMIŃSKA & WOJEWODA 1985), fruited on a heap of remnants of cultivated plants.

V. DISCUSSION

16Taking into consideration the small area covered by the margins of the post-glacial “eyelets” (Table 1), the mycoflora recorded in them were rich and diversified. Macrofungi on ground are particularly interesting because 3 types of species may be distinguished among them; these are :

17- ubiquitous species – ones that appear equally frequently in meadow, pasture and cultivated field types of land use, e.g. Agaricus arvensis, Agrocybe praecox, Aleuria aurantia, Bolbitius vitellinus, Coprinus plicatilis, Macrolepiota procera, Panaeolus sphinctrinus, and others;

18- meadow species – associated with grassy mowed area, among which are Coprinus (Coprinus atramentarius, C. comatus, C. hemerobius), nitrophilous species, Panaeolus fimicola, P. papilionaceus, P. rickenii, Stropharia semiglobata and some Gasteromycetes, e.g. Vascellum pratense, and Lycoperdon perlatum;

19- pasture species – occurring in habitats overgrown by grassy vegetation and intensively grazed, such as certain Gasteromycetes species preferring shielded places, e.g. Lycoperdon ericaeum, Scleroderma citrinum, and S. verrucosum.

20A considerable number of ubiquitous species confirms the suggestion of certain authors (WOJEWODA 1975, ARNOLDS 1981, GUMIŃSKA & WOJEWODA 1985) that a majority of macrofungi occurring in meadows appear also in pastures and fields.

21Macrofungi that are more closely associated with meadows seem to be Camarophyllus niveus and Lepista sordida. In contrast, pastures are preferred by some Gasteromycetes species, such as Lycoperdon ericaeum and L. nigrescens.

22In the investigated meadow and pasture areas, a numerous group of macrofungi requiring soils rich in nitrogen and coprophilous fungi, e.g. Bolbitius vitellinus, Stropharia semiglobata, and species of the genus Panaeolus. This is related to the method of human exploitation of these habitats, mainly grazing animals and enriching them with surface run-off from surrounding fields.

23Human impact and particularly vicinity of agricultural settlements affects the composition of macromycetes of the investigated areas in another way, which is manifest in the occurrence of two specific types of macrofungi :

24- species that frequently grow on remnants of plants in orchards, on compost and other similar substrates, e.g. Agaricus hortensis and Stropharia rugosoannulata. These macrofungi easily penetrate adjoining habitats, i.e. the margins of the “eyelets” and find good developmental conditions there;

25- post-fire fungi, e.g. Geopyxis carbonaria and Peziza violacea, which require specific substrates, such as burned wood. This substrate is supplied by man, who makes bonfires in various places. Unfortunately, no succession relations may be determined among the here distinguished species because the bonfires were made in various time.

VI. CONCLUSIONS

26Despite their small areas ( a total of 8,25 ha) the investigated margins (a total of 8,25 ha) the investigated margins of “eyelets” are refuges for numerous precious (rare and threatened in Poland) species of macromycetes. The margins comprise pasture, meadow and arable field habitats that are strongly related to human agricultural impact, which favours the development of macrofungi, particularly these of specific habitat requirements, e.g. nitrophilous, coprophilous, and post-fire (scorched ground) species.

27The mid-field depressions of the southern Kujawy Region are valuable objects of nature. This is confirmed by both the carried out mycological as well as floristic and faunistic investigations. To maintain these sites in their present state and conserve the species diversity of macromycetes and other organisms it would be advisable to cover the “eyelets” with legal protection. In Poland, the most appropriate form of such protection would be to consider them ecological exploited objects. Ecological exploited objects are remnants of ecosystems that deserve protection because they are of such high importance for preserving biological diversity of the area in which they occur.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

28We would like to thank Dr. André Fraiture (Jardin Botanique National de Belgique) for extensive critical comments.

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About: Jolanta ADAMCZYK

About: Leszek KUCHARSKI