MICROFUNGI FROM DECAYING LEAVES OF 2 RAIN-FOREST TREES IN PUERTO-RICO

Fungal species richness and abundance were compared in leaf litter of two tree species, Guarea guidonia and Manikara bidentata, in the Luqui llo Mountains of Puerto Rico. Four litter samples yielded a total of 3 337 isolates, ranging from 591 to 1259 isolates/sample. The number of species/sample ranged from 134 to 228, Nf any uncommon litter hyphomyc etes were recovered as well as coelomycetes, sterile strains, endophyt es, and phytopathogens, Species-abundance distributions revealed a typ ical pattern of a few abundant species and a high proportion of rare s pecies, Similarities in fungal species composition were not correlated with host species or with the site, Replicate samples examined by the moist chamber technique yielded a total of 24 species among the four litter samples, The particle filtration method indicated that leaves o f G. guidonia were more species-rich, while moist chambers indicated l eaves of M. bidentata were more species-rich. The moist chamber techni que underestimated the number and species of viable fungi.