Abstract
Evaluations of the changes in biodiversity and community structure due to urbanization have mainly been conducted on plants and animals, but there is a lack of information on microorganisms. This study aimed to assess myxomycete diversity in isolated woodlands in urbanized area. The survey was conducted in an urban park with many trees in the Mizushima Industrial Zone in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, Japan and a secondary forest surrounding the Industrial zone. Twig litter was collected in the forest floor at each site and examined using the moist chamber culture method to quantify myxomycete. fruiting. In total, 81 % of the 260 Petri dishes cultured produced plasmodia, and 54 % produced fruiting bodies. A total of 27 species were
identified, 26 of which were found in the urban park and 13 in the secondary forest. Twelve species were found in both, however, the dominant species of the community differed, with a dissimilarity index of 0.546. The newly created urban park about 40 years ago is regularly managed, so dead trees and fallen leaves have been removed,
and there is relatively little woody substrate on which myxomycetes can live. However, the twig litter under the various planted trees, has become an important habitat for diverse myxomycetes. The diverse tree species composition provides diverse habitats even in urbanized environments and is enhancing myxomycete diversity compared to nearby secondary forests resulting from fragmentation of natural forests. The easy and quantitative observation of myxomycete biodiversity for twig litter using the moist chamber culture method provides a new approach for investigating the balance and biodiversity of humus ecosystems.
