VOLUME 6 NUMBER 1 (January to June 2013)
Phil. Sci. Lett. 2013 6 (1) 001-007
available online: January 17, 2013
*Corresponding author
Email Address: tedelacruz@mnl.ust.edu.ph
Submitted: May 24, 2012
Revised: November 2, 2012
Accepted: November 30, 2012
ARTICLE
Occurrence and distribution of myxomycetes (plasmodial slimemolds) in three provinces of Luzon Island, Philippines
by Rudolf V. Kuhn1, Anton Oliver M. Javier1, Coleen P. Rodillas1,Christian M. Parra1, Liwayway Hiyas M. Corpuz1, Llewelyn S. Moron2,and Thomas Edison E. dela Cruz1,2*1 Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science and
2 Fungal Biodiversity and Systematics Group,Research Center for the Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Santo Tomas, España 1015 Manila, Philippines
Myxomycetes (slime molds) are ideal modelorganisms for population dynamics studies interrestrial forest habitats. This researchassessed the occurrence and distribution ofmyxomycetes in selected highland areas ofthree provinces in Luzon Island, Philippines. Myxomycetespresent in the moist chambers of aerial and ground leaf litter,twigs, and dead barks of living trees were recorded and used toassess their abundance and diversity for each of the study sites.The obtained results showed that 51% of prepared moistchambers yielded myxomycetes. Identification of the collectedmyxomycetes resulted in 25 species belonging to 7 generaincluding Arcyria, Comatricha, Diderma, Didymium,Perichaena, Physarum, and Stemonitis. Physarum decipiens isreported as a new record for the Philippines. Four speciesincluding Arcyria cinerea, Comatricha nigra, Physarum album,and Stemonitis fusca were the most abundant. Many specieswere reported as rare. Our research showed similarities in thedistribution of myxomycete assemblages in the study areas withcloser proximities.