Macrofungi on the coastal sand dunes of south-western India

This paper documents the distribution and diversity of macrofungi in coastal sand dunes characterized by less, moderate and severe disturbance regimes of the south-western India. Diversity was higher in moderately disturbed dunes compared to less or severely disturbed dunes. Among the 38 macrofungi recovered, ten, six, two and one species were edible, ectomycorrhizal, medicinal and considered to be of decorative value, respectively. Ten macrofungi were dominant (≥5 fruit bodies/625 m 2 ) on the coastal sand dunes. These were Amanita sp., Collybia dryophila var. extuberans, C. fusipes, Coprinus plicatilis, Dacryopinax spathularia, Lactarius sp., Lentinus squarrosulus, Marasmius kisangensis, Marasmius sp. 2 and Scleroderma citrinum). The coastal sand dunes are under severe anthropogenic pressure, especially urbanization, sand extraction, agricultural activities and seawall construction. The revegetated dunes are mainly represented by exotic tree species (e.g., Acacia and Casuarina), which are often harvested. Due to the removal of native vegetation and the ‘grow and harvest’ policy associated with exotic trees, the native flora, fauna and macrofungi of the coastal sand dunes are severely threatened. The results obtained in the present pilot study point out the need for long-term temporal and spatial investigation of the macrofungal resource of coastal sand dunes to gain a more comprehensive knowledge on their abundance, diversity, ecological significance, benefits and what must be done to implement strategies necessary for conservation.