2001 Volume 42 Issue 3 Pages 273-279
Dematiaceous mitosporic fungi darkening decaying fir needles on the ground were studied. Fungal communities on decaying, blackish fir needles were investigated in nine sites of the Kanto district, Japan, using a washing method. A total of 108 taxa was recorded from 540 sampled needles. Among abundantly occurring dematiaceous fungi, Anungitea continua, A. uniseptata, and Endophragmiella uniseptata were recognized as the major colonizers, forming a hyphal network on the surface of decaying fallen needles and darkening them. The effects of climate on the distributions of seven dematiaceous fungi, including the major colonizers, were analyzed. The abundance (proportion of needles colonized by a fungal species) of Chaetopsina fulva showed a significantly positive correlation with annual mean air temperature at each sampling site. No other significant correlations between the selected climatic factors and the distributions of dematiaceous fungi were recognized.