Fungi of Cameroon

Fungi of Cameroon is a contribution towards assessing the current macrofungal diversity associated with the ecosystems of Cameroon's southern forests, and evaluates the impact of deforestation and slash-and-burn on fungal communities and tracks the occurrence and changes to the fungal communities through the seasonal climatic variations (rainfall). During three forays in different seasons, more than seven-hundred fungal samples were collected, all of which are described and characterised. 78% of these were basidiomycetes, while ascomycetes accounted for 21% of the samples. The identification of about 85% of all collected specimens with modern mycotaxonomic techniques has yielded a total of 271 distinct species, belonging to 110 genera in 58 families. The volume provides compiled keys at the family, genus and species level, followed by micro- and macromorphological descriptions of different taxa, providing data on habitat, local and worldwide distribution where available. A full description is provided fore each species, supported by reliable line-drawings and often SEM images for ornamented basidiospores. The overall recorded species were new to the Mbalmayo forest reserve, while 75 of the described species were new to Cameroon, and eleven new mycobiota were described, plus one combination. The greatest fungal diversity was observed in forest stands, declining towards fallows and cropland. A distinct reduction of the diversity of wood and litter-dependent fungal species can be observed where land conversion takes place which is a definite threat to fungal species. As expected, seasonal variations fundamentally influence and govern the fruition and composition of the fungal communities studied.