Xylotroph micromycetes of oak trees in Azerbaijan forests

It is of great importance to study the activities of fungi in forest ecosystems for both protecting them and optimizing their functions. In this study, we present 130 species of xylotroph micromycetes found on six different species of oak in Azerbaijan. Of the species found, 54 were from 38 genera from 10 families of the Ascomycotina subdivision. Thirty-four were of the Pyrenomycetes class in which many have stromas or their peritheciums formed in dense groups. The majority of these species were found on wood in the initial phase of decomposition. The Loculoascomycetes and Discomycetes class were represented by 18 and 2 species, respectively. Seventy-six species were identified as belonging to 36 genera of the Hyphomycetes and Coelomycetes classes of Deuteromycotina. The majority of xylotroph micromycetes in oak forests, however, belong to the Melanconiales and Spaeropsidales orders of the Coelomycetes class. Thus, it can be said that the role that relatively less-investigated micromycetes of broad-leaved forests play in the process of wood decomposition is no less important than that of xylotroph macromycetes of the Basidiomycotina subdivision.