The Phenology of Macrofungi in Relation to Autumn Rainfall in the Adelaide Hills

Macrofungal species richness and frequency of fruiting was investigated in relation to environmental conditions, early in the rainy season in Cleland Conservation Park in the Adelaide Hills. At two sites: a fern gully and an open woodland, eight permanent 25m² quadrats were sampled fifteen times between May and July, 1992. The influence of local temperature, rainfall patterns and soil moisture were assessed. Seventy-three basidiomycete and six ascomycete taxa were collected; the basidiomycete taxa representing five families, dominated by the gilled fungi. There was a strong temporal effect on fruiting pattern which was also correlated with rainfall and temperature during the sampling period. Early in the season there were clear differences between the fungal communities at the two sites, but as the season progressed, they converged towards more similar species compositions.