Soil Microfungi of the Colombian Natural Regions

Abstract

Although Colombia was one of the first tropical countries where an effort was made to gather mycological flora, contributions to the taxonomy, diversity, and ecology of soil microfungi are still scarce. In this study, the diversity of soil microfungi was studied collecting data from literature according to the Colombian natural regions: Andean, Amazonian, Caribbean, Orinoquía, Pacific, and Insular. The majority of the records comes from the Andean region, the most accessible to research. The other regions have been much less studied, with the Insular one with no data at all. International literature reported, up to now, ca. 300 different species of soil microfungi belonging to 126 different genera and 6 phyla (Ascomycota, Basidiomycota Mucoromycota, Glomeromycota, Mortierellomycota, and Olpidiomycota). Vescicular-Arbuscular fungi were widely investigated with Acaulospora and Glomus, the most recorded genera with ca. 20 species each. Ascomycota was the most diverse phylum with Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Fusarium representing the majority. Mortierella is strongly present in Mortierellomycota, and in the panorama of all recorded fungi, too. The other phyla and genera were less recorded. It is, therefore, evident the need to continue studying the soil microfungi in Colombia to have a better understanding of soil functioning and its ecosystem services.