Fungi decaying stems of fallen tawa (Beilschmiedia tawa) trees in the central North Island of New Zealand

Abstract

The principal decay fungi active within the decomposing stems of six uprooted trees of Beilschmiedia tawa in a dense podocarp forest were determined by isolating onto a culture medium selective for basidiomycetes. The most common fungi obtained were species of Armillaria and Ganoderma applanatum sensu Wakef., a finding consistent with comparable results from other indigenous tree species in earlier central North Island studies. The ascomycete species Kretzschmaria zelandica, present in two of the trees, was obtained only after eliminating benomyl and streptomycin as constituents from the selective culture medium. A previously determined spatial relationship between fruiting by G. cf. applanatum and presence within the stem, as revealed by isolation, was supported in this study. It therefore appears that for B. tawa, also, distribution of fruitbodies is a reliable indicator of internal colonisation by this species.

Keywords:

• Beilschmiedia tawa
• Armillaria
• Ganoderma cf. applanatum
• Kretzschmaria zelandica
• podocarp forest
• coarse woody debris
• wood decay
• decomposition
• isolation
• basidiocarp
• ascocarp