Species and functional diversity of macrofungi from protected areas in mountain forest ecosystems of Southern Luzon, Philippines

Fungi and their functions are among the least studied component of the ecosystem such that not more than 10% were named based on global conservative species estimate. In the Philippines, the species described do not reflect on documentation and conservation efforts amidst threat of forest degradation and climate change. This study investigated the current macrofungal diversity in parts of three important protected mountain forest ecosystems in Southern Tagalog Region in the Philippines: Mount Makiling Forest Reserve (MMFR), Mount Banahaw-San Cristobal Protected Landscape (MBSCPL), and Quezon Protected Landscape (QPL). Macrofungal sporocarps were collected and documented from selected sites and preserved as voucher specimens. Samples were characterized using morphological, anatomical, and chemical properties then validated field identification from mycological herbarium and consulted experts. Sixteen species representing 11 families with Shannon diversity index of 2.79 were observed from MMFR. Collections from MBSCPL were 35 species under 19 families with Shannon diversity index of 3.14. QPL recorded 21 species from 12 families with Shannon diversity index of 3.04. The diversity of macrofungi from protected areas showed unique species composition based on non-metric multidimensional scaling with high dissimilarity based on Bray-Curtis Index, suggesting possible differences in carbon sink on forest floor. Functional diversity of recorded taxa described a balanced proportion of saprophytic and mycorrhizal fungi with few parasitic fungi having economic and cultural values. Variations in macrofungal species and functions could reflect on the status of protected areas in terms of productivity and sustainability, requiring extensive sampling and monitoring to cover macrofungi in biodiversity assessment and conservation programs in this region of the country.