Abstract
This paper reviews current knowledge of diversity of soil microfungi in the tropics by focusing on Brazilian ecosystems and evaluates the possible influence of land use (i.e., forest, cacao, fallow and pasture) on fungal communities. Methods used in the past (culture-based procedures) and present assessment of soil microfungi diversity are discussed. Some of the common methods for soil fungi assessment based on isolation procedures are presented and discussed, these are: soil dilution plate, soil washing and selective media and baiting techniques. Assessments focusing on predictor sets, which include phytopathogens and their antagonists, are indicated as a reasonable alternative for estimating diversity of soil microfungi if a long-term study is not feasible. Moreover, applications of molecular tools for studies of soil fungal communities, such as DNA sequencing and molecular fingerprint techniques and quantitative polymerase chain reaction, are also considered.