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Minna-Maarit Kytöviita,
University of Oulu:
DISTRIBUTION, ABUNDANCE, ECOLOGY AND HOST-SPECIFICITY OF
FINNISH TREMELLA-SPECIES
Other participants in
the project: Emilia Pippola and Heikki Kotiranta
The genus Tremella belongs to
heterobasidioid fungi (Heterobasidiomycetes) that are
also known as jelly fungi, because most species has jellylike
fruit bodies. When dry, the fruit bodies shrink drastically
and become thin but tough sheets. They look very different
from the jellylike wet fruit bodies. However, the fruit bodies
usually withstand even frost and drought and regain their
usual form under favourable conditions. Jelly fungi are either
saprotrophic or parasitic. They can parasitize among e.g.
ferns, mosses, flowering plants and other fungi. Especially in
the genus Tremella many parasites are known. Typically
they parasitize only one or few closely related host species.
Hardly any research
concerning jelly fungi has been made in Finland. Therefore,
current knowledge on species diversity, abundance,
distribution and ecology is extremely restricted. In addition,
ecological requirements of parasitic fungal species are poorly
known worldwide. For instance, research about environmental
factors affecting parasitism is concentrated mainly on a few
pathogens that are important from human point of view.
This research project
focuses on heterobasidioid genus Tremella. So far, nine
Tremella-species are recorded in Finland. Only four of
them could be included when previous revision of Finnish Red
List of fauna and flora was made, because there was not
sufficient information about other five species. Distribution
and abundance of many Tremella-species is unknown, and
total number of Finnish species is presumed to be more than
nine. For example, altogether 25 Tremella-species are
recorded in Nordic countries. This research project aims to
pull together and complete the current information about
species composition, distribution, abundance and ecology of
Finnish Tremella-species. In addition, nutrient
requirements and host specificity of parasitic fungi are
examined underlaboratory conditions Tremella encephala
serving as the model species. The
research project is part of
Deficiently known and endangered forest species
in Finland, called PUTTE, running
2003 - 2007.
So far, five new
Tremella-species are found, and more comprehensive
information about distribution of many species has been
achieved. This project has made it increasingly clear that
both the genus Tremella and other jelly fungi are even
globally very inadequately known. Furthermore, results of this
research project improve the possibilities to judge if the
Tremella species are endangered or not. Results will also
function as a basis for further research focusing on jelly
fungi.
Additional information:
Emilia Pippola, University of Oulu,
Department of Biology, P.O. Box 3000, 90014 University of Oulu,
tel. 050-5402551, epippola(at)paju.oulu.fi
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