Authors: Härkönen, Marja
Journal: Karstenia, Volume 17 (1977), Issue 1, pages 19-32.
Doi: https://doi.org/10.29203/ka.1977.121
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Abstract: Bark from living trees was periodically collected from three localities in southern Finland: from an urban, air-polluted park, a virgin forest and a managed forest, representing similar boreal coniferous forest areas. In moist chambers 19 species of Myxomycetes appeared on the pieces of bark. Eight are new to Finland: Echinostelium minutum deBary, E. cribrarioides Alex., Perichaena chrysosperma (Currey) A. Lister, Stemonitis pallida Wingate, Comatricha elegans (Racid.) G. Lister, Paradiacheopsis fimbriata (G. Lister & Cran) Hertel, P. solitaria (Nann.-Brem.) Nann.-Brem., Physarum pusillum (Berk. & Curt.) G. Lister. Six species were abundant: Echinostelium minutum de Bary, Arcyria pomiformis (Leers) Rost., A. cinerea (Bull.) Pers., Comatricha nigra (Pers.) Schroet., Enerthenema papillatum (Pers.) Rost. and Paradiacheopsis fimbriata (G. Lister & Cran) Hertel.
Slime moulds appeared on bark with a wide range of pH, 2-9. Some species, e.g. Comatricha nigra, seemed to prefer an acid substrate, others, e.g. Arcyria cinerea, a less acid one. Among the common species the incubation time needed for fructifications to develop varied from a couple of days to over 40 days. Bark from the urban locality yielded many fructifications but of only six species. Paradiacheopsis fimbriata was very common and formed large colonies in places inhabited by the lichen Bacidia chlorococca (Stenh .) Lett., which is highly resistant to atmospheric pollution. Bark from the virgin forest produced fewer fructifications, but of many more species (16). Bark from the managed forest had few fructifications and few species (5). With the moist chamber culture method no phenological variation can be shown.