A study case of two myxomycete surveys in a fir forest of central Mexico

Field collections and laboratory isolation in moist chamber cultures are two complementary techniques widely used to record sporocarps of myxomycetes. The species recorded using either method tend to be different due to the distinct ecological pressures taking place in natural and artificial systems. The present study summarized the results of two myxomycete surveys, carried out in different decades and by different research teams, in the Abies forests of Cofre de Perote National Park. In both studies the two sampling techniques were used, and recorded data showed the complementarity of the methods and the importance of including both of them to minimize non-planned variability. In one survey, most of the results were obtained in moist chamber cultures whereas field collections represented most of the data in the other survey. When the general dataset was pooled together, 75 species of myxomycetes were recorded. As expected, the survey where most of the results were associated with moist chamber data showed a higher proportion of species of the genera Didymium, Perichaena and Physarum; whereas the survey where field collections represented most of the results showed a higher proportion of species within the genera Arcyria, Cribraria and Trichia. No structural differences were found in the data between the two surveys. This study demonstrates the complementary nature of the two recording techniques on myxomycete sporocarps and it shows very prominently the advantages of collaboration and communication among research teams to generate local lists of species. Having two different teams working in the same area at different times also minimized taxonomic skewness and increased the representativity of the obtained data.