Diversity of microfungi in the forests of Western Ghats in Goa and surrounding regions

Abstract

A concise picture of the diversity of microfungi, largely of Hyphomycetes, in the forests of Western Ghats in Goa and neighbouring regions in Maharastra and Karnataka, India is presented. Commenced in 1993-94, various habitats of and substrates from the Western Ghats, viz., aquatic and terrestrial leaf litter, dead insects, endophytes, extremophiles, phylloplanes, herbivore dung, salt pans, soil, wood bark and logs, perishable foods, etc. have been surveyed for microfungi. Several isolation techniques, viz. direct isolation, isolation following moist-chamber incubation, aquatic spore induction and endophytes through 3-step sterilization and litter particle-plating methods, were used to recover the fungi from the substrates. In all, 556 species in 312 genera of fungi have been documented. A sizable number of these are available in live culture form at the Goa University culture collection facility. With this 1.5 decade-long mycological survey, it can now be noted that Goa is one of the fairly well-documented provinces in India for microfungi.