Diversity of fungal species isolated from litter-mycelial mats in the litter layer of a Korean deciduous forest

We isolated and identified the fungal species associated with litter-mycelial mat formation in the litter layers of a deciduous forest. A total of 43 isolates, belonging to 17 fungal taxa, were identified, and included 14 ascomycetes, 1 zygomycete, and 1 basidiomycete. The most abundant species were Biscogniauxia sp. followed by Chaetomium globosum, Hypoxylon sp., Mortierella sp., and Xylaria sp. Biscogniauxia sp., Hypoxylon sp., and Xylaria sp., but not Mortierella sp. or C. globosum, produced a colored zone on guaiacol medium, thus demonstrating lignin-degrading ability. Six of seven ligninolytic fungi were ascomycetes associated with the formation of a litter-mycelial mat in the litter layer of a deciduous forest. These data suggest that ascomycetes play a very important role in the formation of litter-mycelial mats in litter layers and that these mats are formed during the early to middle stages of decomposition in forest ecosystems.