Basidiomycetes at the timberline in Lapland 2. An annotated checklist of the polypores of northeastern Finland

Abstract

Seventy-seven polypores are listed from virgin forests in northeastern Finland, ten of which are classified as threatened in Finland. The host range and abundance of each species are given. The occurrences of threatened and also some abundant species are treated with special reference to their distribution and habitat ecology. Fungal species composition of spruce, pine and birch forests are compared: 33 species were recorded growing on Picea abies subsp. obovata, 31 species on Pinus sylvestris and 24 species on Betula pubescens. The economically most harmful pathogenic polypores found in the study area were Climacocystis borealis (Fr.) Kotl. and Pouz., Fomes fomentarius (L.: Fr.) Fr., Fomitopsis pinicola (Sw.: Fr.) Karst., Inonotus obliquus (Pers.: Fr.) Pil., Onnia leporina (Fr.) Jahn, Piptoporus betulinus (Bull.: Fr.) Karst. and Porodaedalea chrysoloma (Fr.) Fiass. and Niemelä. Problems in estimating abundances of wood-rotting fungi are discussed. The term boreo-continental is proposed to replace the misinterpreted 'taiga species' for a northern distributional pattern. The ecological role of wood-rotting fungi in a northern ecosystem, and yearly variation in fruit-body emergence are discussed. A new combination Skeletocutis lenis (Karst.) Niemelä is proposed and the background of the combination is briefly discussed.