- Proposed
- Under Assessment
- Preliminary Assessed
- Assessed
- NTPublished
Fomitiporia atlantica Alves-Silva, Reck & Drechsler-Santos
- Scientific name
- Fomitiporia atlantica
- Author
- Alves-Silva, Reck & Drechsler-Santos
- Common names
- IUCN Specialist Group
Mushroom, Bracket and Puffball- Kingdom
- Fungi
- Phylum
- Basidiomycota
- Class
- Agaricomycetes
- Order
- Hymenochaetales
- Family
- Hymenochaetaceae
- Assessment status
- Published
- Assessment date
- 2021-10-20
- IUCN Red List Category
- NT
- Assessors
- Bittencourt, F., Kossmann, T., Martins da Cunha, K., Baltazar, J.M., Costa-Rezende, D.H., Trierveiler-Pereira, L. & Drechsler-Santos, E.R.
- Reviewers
- Mueller, G.M.
Assessment Notes
Justification
Fomitiporia atlantica is a rare species, endemic to Dense Ombrophilous Forests in the Atlantic Forest of Southern Brazil. Its population is estimated to be between 10,000 and 20,000 individuals all within one subpopulation. Its habitat is under an array of various threats and the species' population is negatively impacted by this habitat loss and degradation. We suspect that F. atlantica has undergone a decline of ca. 26% over the past 50 years (three generations) and this decline is ongoing. Fomitiporia atlantica is assessed as Near Threatened under criteria A3ce; C1+2a(ii).Taxonomic notes
It bears similarities with its sister species, F. subtilissima, and also species of F. apiahyna complex, but is readily recognizable by its robust and imbricate basidiomata and large spores.Geographic range
Fomitiporia atlantica is endemic to the Atlantic Forest of Southern Brazil. Only two sites of occurrence are currently known: Parque Natural Municipal São Francisco de Assis in Blumenau, Santa Catarina; and São Salvador, Montenegro, Rio Grande do Sul. These two sites are part of the same vegetational domain, the Atlantic Forest, but are 390 km apart. Despite continuous surveys on a nearby and large protected area, Parque Nacional da Serra do Itajaí, as well other National Parks of Santa Catarina, no additional records were made. Further fungarium revisions revealed that one specimen collected by Rick in 1944 is Fomitiporia atlantica, from a site that now corresponds to an urbanized area. Its role as a plant pathogen suggests specificity with a host species or taxon that may influence its distribution, but any specificity remains unknown.Population and Trends
This species is endemic to the Atlantic Forest domain of Southern Brazil. While many localities in this domain have been and continue to be sites surveyed for polypores, this species has been recorded from only two sites, suggesting that the species is rare and locally endemic. This species may be a plant pathogen, and uncovering its host species or group of species could clarify its population trends. The two known sites are in Dense Ombrophilous Forests in Parque Natural Municipal São Francisco de Assis in Blumenau, Santa Catarina (five samples), and São Salvador, Montenegro, Rio Grande do Sul (one sample). These two sites are 390 km apart, but are part of the the same vegetational domain, the Atlantic Forest. There is an estimated 300 to 500 potential sites the species may occur in throughout the Dense Ombrophilous Forests of Southern Brazil. The population is estimated at between 10,000 to 20,000 mature individuals within one subpopulation. The Atlantic Forest has suffered from severe habitat loss, which still continues due to an array of threats. A population decline is inferred in due to loss of suitable habitat (da Silva et al. 2020) and the influence that habitat degradation has on species occupation in a given environment (Berglund and Jonsson 2003, Haddad et al. 2015). We suspect that F. atlantica has undergone a decline of ca. 26% over the past 50 years (three generations) and population declines are ongoing.
Population Trend: decreasing
Habitat and Ecology
Fomitiporia atlantica is a polypore endemic to Dense Ombrophilous Forests in the Atlantic Costal domain of Southern Brazil. This species is found decaying recently dead hardwood stumps and trunks. Although it is found on dead wood, some species of Fomitiporia and other Hymenochaetaceae genera have some level of host species specializations, and F. atlantica is likely to be a pathogen on standing trees before the tree's death.Threats
The species is restricted to the Brazilian Coastal Atlantic Forest which is known to be undergoing an exceptional loss of habitat due to human occupation, land use changes, deforestation and fire (Myers et al. 2000). Other threats to the Atlantic Forest include introduction of invasive species and the interaction between these factors (Pinto et al. 2006). Also, the reduction and ‘savannization’ of Atlantic Forest is expected due to climate change in the next decades (Salazar et al. 2007).Conservation Actions
The main actions required to prevent the decline of the species is the protection of its habitat by the implementation of protected areas and enforcement of public policies to maintain and appropriately manage high quality sites and recover secondary forests. Additional sites where this species may occur must be considered as priority areas for this species' conservation.Additional surveys at other sites of Atlantic Forest are needed to confirm the distribution of F. atlantica distribution. Revision of fungarium specimens may also reveal additional records and sites of occurrence. Fomitiporia atlantica may play a role as plant pathogen, and research on its potential host species or group of taxa may clarify its distribution range and threats.
