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Abstract
The eumycetozoan genus Ceratiomyxa appears to have a cosmopolitan distribution, although two of the three macroscopic species within the genus have been reported only from tropical regions of the world. In theory these two tropical species might be expected to display more narrow niches than their cosmopolitan counterpart due to their specialization for tropical environments. However ecological data documenting niche separation in eumycetozoans are largely lacking. As part of several investigations carried out in the neotropics the ecology of the three macroscopic species of Ceratiomyxa was studied. The results from in situ measurements of environmental factors associated with their fructifications reveal a clear separation of niches between the two tropical species, which might be an indication of resource partitioning within the genus. As expected in theory the cosmopolitan C. fruticulosa shows the broadest niche of the three species. Moreover the niche overlap value between C. morchella and C. sphaerosperma along with results from a multivariate CDA analysis seem to indicate that these two species are more specialized than C. fruticulosa.
We appreciate the efforts of Nigel Pitman and the personnel of ACCA in Peru, the authorities of INRENA and MINAE in Peru and Costa Rica respectively and Brenda Flack and Alicia Tuggle for support in some of the field trips. Portions of this study were supported by grants from the Amazon Conservation Association, the Organization for Tropical Studies (unique code 1179) and the National Science Foundation (DEB-0316284).