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Inventoring the fungi of Panama

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Abstract

Records of fungi in Panama scattered in literature are presented in a preliminary annotated checklist which is published in Panama. It includes 1807 species and subspecific taxa in 646 genera. The data allow to trace more than 100 years of history of mycology in Panama, presented here for the first time. The species richness is analyzed numerically with respect to the systematic position of the species and their ecology. Considering the numbers of records for different regions of Panama, a comparison with numbers of species published for some other neotropical countries, as well as recent experience collecting fungi in Panama, the incompleteness of the checklist is evident. Values of relative species richness of different systematic groups in Panama compared to values of the same groups as known worldwide, show that our knowledge is fragmentary in Panama especially for Agaricales, Uredinales, and some groups of microfungi. We are still in the pioneer phase of mycological investigation in Panama.

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Acknowledgements

For the elaboration of the checklist, numerous colleagues and students collaborated at the University of Frankfurt, at the Universidad Autónoma de Chiriquí (UNACHI), at the Universidad de Panamá, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (see acknowledgements in Piepenbring 2006). For the present publication, I received help in Panama by J. Torres and O. Cáceres (UNACHI) as well as G. Gilbert, S. Heckadon-Moreno, and M. Correa (STRI and University of Panama). R. Kirschner, G. Kost, G. Hagedorn, G. Gilbert, W. Gams, and C. Obrebo are thanked for interesting discussions, publications, and communication of unpublished results. M. Stadler is thanked for a critical look at the Panamanian Xylariales. R. Kirschner helped to improve the text of the manuscript and to identify fungi. Helpful suggestions and information by D. Hawksworth are gratefully acknowledged.

This investigation has been carried out in the context of the University Partnership between the UNACHI, in David, Chiriquí, Panamá, and the J.W. Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). It forms part of a research project supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG).

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  1. Mycology, J.W. Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Siesmayerstr. 71-73, Frankfurt am Main, 60054, Germany

    Meike Piepenbring

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  1. Meike Piepenbring
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Correspondence to Meike Piepenbring.

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Piepenbring, M. Inventoring the fungi of Panama. Biodivers Conserv 16, 73–84 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-006-9051-8

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