Fungal Diversity
Sahyadri Tiger Reserve supports an impressive diversity of 135 fungal species, reflecting the humid climate, dense forest cover, and abundance of decaying organic matter characteristic of the northern Western Ghats. Fungi are indispensable components of forest ecosystems, playing vital roles in the decomposition of leaf litter and woody debris, nutrient recycling, soil formation, carbon cycling, and the establishment of mycorrhizal associations that enhance plant growth and forest productivity. Their ecological functions are fundamental to maintaining healthy and resilient forest ecosystems.
The reserve harbours a wide variety of mushrooms, bracket fungi, puffballs, coral fungi, jelly fungi, cup fungi, lichens, and slime molds. Representative species include Heimiomyces velutipes, Marasmius leveilleanus, Pleurotus ostreatus (Oyster Mushroom), Pleurotus pulmonarius (Indian Oyster), Termitomyces microcarpus (Termite Mushroom), Ganoderma lingzhi (Lingzhi), Schizophyllum commune (Split Gill), Cyathus striatus (Bird’s Nest Fungus), Geastrum saccatum (Earth Star), Phallus indusiatus (Bamboo Mushroom), Clavulinopsis fusiformis (Golden Spindles), Tremella mesenterica (Yellow Brain Fungus), Xylaria polymorpha (Dead Man’s Fingers), and Daldinia eschscholtzii (Coal Fungus). The reserve also supports a rich diversity of lichens, including Usnea complanata (Old Man’s Beard), Parmotrema tinctorum, Graphis bungartzii, and Xanthoria parietina, which serve as important indicators of air quality and ecosystem health.
The remarkable fungal diversity of Sahyadri Tiger Reserve highlights the ecological integrity of its forests and underscores its importance as a centre for fungal conservation, ecological research, and biodiversity documentation in the Western Ghats. Continued exploration of these often-overlooked organisms is likely to reveal additional species and further strengthen the reserve’s status as one of the region’s most significant biodiversity landscapes.