is a widespread genus of () with polyporoid basidiomata found mainly in the tropics. Species of are predominantly parasitic of woody plant hosts, while some species grow as saprotrophs. Data on the genus is still scarce for tropical Africa, where we expect a high diversity given the high plant diversity in this area.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEarliella scabrosa is a pantropical species of Polyporales (Basidiomycota) and well-studied concerning its morphology and taxonomy. However, its pantropical intraspecific genetic diversity and population differentiation is unknown. We initiated this study to better understand the genetic variation within E.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWood-inhabiting fungi (WIF), such as polypores, are extremely species-rich and play vital roles in the functioning of forest ecosystems as decomposers. Despite the importance of polypores, our knowledge of the diversity and distribution of these fungi is still poor in general and especially for West Africa. To advance our knowledge we here summarise results from field collections between 2017 and 2021 and present (i) a taxonomic overview, (ii) phylogenetic placements and (iii) an illustrated catalogue of wood-inhabiting polypore fungi with colour pictures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSpecies of the wood-decay genus Phylloporia (Hymenochaetaceae, Hymenochaetales, Basidiomycota) are widely distributed in the tropics. Phylloporia species are, however, morphologically and ecologically diverse, which makes morphology-based species identification challenging. In this study, we re-examined species of Phylloporia reported from Benin (West Africa).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFScientific information about biodiversity distribution is indispensable for nature conservation and sustainable management of natural resources. For several groups of animals and plants, such data are available, but for fungi, especially in tropical regions like West Africa, they are mostly missing. Here, information for West African countries about species diversity of fungi and fungus-like organisms (other organisms traditionally studied by mycologists) is compiled from literature and analysed in its historical context for the first time.
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