No abstract

Biodiversity loss, degradation of ecosystems and other global concerns emphasize urgent issues in nature conservation. Fungi as an important component of biodiversity need to be protected as much as other living organisms. In the article, two basic strategies in conservation are outlined and recent advances in fungal conservation, both in situ and ex situ, are considered. The key role of mushroom culture collections for ex situ fungal conservation is highlighted. Conservation of species diversity and genetic resources in culture collections provides the essential basis for biotechnological potential. The largest collections of fungi registered in the World Data Center for Microorganisms (WDCM), a unique global network for ex situ preservation of fungal and microbial diversity, are mentioned. Of the existing culture collections of fungi in Ukraine, the IBK and FCKU mushroom culture collections are characterized. A list of the species maintained in the IBK and FCKU collections, evaluated in the European countries against the IUCN criteria and categories and available at the European Council for Conservation of Fungi (ECCF) website as the preliminary European Red List of endangered macrofungi, is provided. A special attention paid in the IBK and FCKU collections to cultures of rare species of fungi, particularly of those listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine, as well as the opportunity of the reintroduction into natural habitats are briefly discussed. Some examples of other rare species of fungi from these collections, potential candidates for national red-listing, are presented.

The biodiversity preservation is one of the main missions on present days. Two main trends of biodiversity conservation in-situ and ex-situ are known today. However, use of both these methods is not enough for the protection of rare species of macromycetes. Therefore, we need a new method for protecting the rare species of fungi, which support their vital process in not only the laboratory but also reproducing it in nature. In this article, we propose the use of a new method of preserving the rare species of fungi in nature. The re-situ is a method that provides introducing and support of vital functions of mushroom in nature with the forming of their basidioma. For our research, we used Clathrus archeri (Berk.) Dring, which is included in the Red Data Book of Ukraine. It was found that the substrate on which the mycelium was grown and subsequently used for natural conditions had a significant influence on the success of‘reinoculation’ of C. archeri. Among all the investigated substrates, only one (beech shavings) proved to be suitable for growing of sowing mycelium of C. archeri. The research showed that the reproduction of C. archeri in nature should be held on non-forest experimental sites, mainly on meadows during the spring months.

No abstract

The article presents an investigation of the influence of the corona discharge with needle-ring electrode configuration on the efficiency of Aspergillus niger spore germination and Cyathus olla mycelium development. Current-voltage characteristics were measured for different distances between the needle and the metal ring. The plot of the dependence of conductance on voltage was built and the corona discharge breakthrough voltage was determined to be (2.7±0.1) kV. The treatment of Aspergillus niger spores was conducted at different development stages: at the germination stage (corona discharge treatment 1 day after the seeding) and dormant state (corona discharge treatment on the day of seeding). The growth rate of Cyathus olla mycelium in samples treated by corona discharge and in control group samples was investigated. The influence of the corona discharge on the potato dextrose agar growth medium before the seeding of Cyathus olla was studied. The pure cultures were obtained from the Culture Collection of Fungi at Kyiv University (FCKU) at the «Institute of Biology and Medicine» Educational and Scientific Centre of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

No abstract

No abstract

Wild service tree (Sorbus torminalis) is a rare, endangered, relict species, that is protected by law in many European countries. Outside the species distribution range, the trees are usually planted in botan­ical gardens, parks, arboretums, and at the roadside. Such old introduced trees are an important source of knowledge about species’ acclimation process and current growth-limiting factors in the new environment. In Kyiv, the oldest live S. torminalis trees have been planted in botanical gardens and arboretums after the 1950s. In addition, some trees of this species are preserved in front of the historical building Liberman’s mansion, but the year of their planting remains unknown. Regarding dendroclimatological investigations of this species are scarce and have been provided only in Central European forests, a detailed analysis of the species growth-to-climate relationships should be performed not only the species’ natural range but also in its secondary ranges. In this article, we studied three S. torminalis trees in a historical place in Kyiv to determine their age and evaluate environmental conditions driving the growth of this rare species out of its natural range in Kyiv. To reach our goal we used the dendrochronological approaches, i.e. tree-ring dating, partial correlation analysis using stationary and moving time windows. Our results showed that S. torminalis trees were planted after the last building owner S. Liberman’s death (1917). The studied trees are the oldest of known alive S. torminalis trees in Kyiv. Dendroclimatological re­sults revealed S. torminalis is sensitive to higher air temperature and moisture excess in the period of wood formation in Kyiv. S. torminalis trees at 2 Bankova Street are the oldest species examples in Kyiv and have important historical, cultural, and scientific values. S. torminalis species could be widely used in urban forestry, particularly in regions with projected soil moisture shortening.