The Eumycetozoan Project Image Gallery

Argentina: Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia (Image Gallery)
During the period of January 20 to February 12 of 2005, a group of researchers from several different countries carried out a biodiversity survey for mycetozoans in two regions of Argentina ( Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia ) where there were few previous records of myxomycetes and no known reports of either dictyostelids or protostelids. The group consisted of Steve Stephenson and Fred Spiegel (University of Arkansas), Carlos Lado ( Real Jardin Botánico in Madrid, Spain), Arturo Estrada-Torres (Tlaxcala University in Mexico), Jim Cavender (Ohio University), Jean-Marc Moncalvo (Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada), Eduardo Vadell (Buenos Aires University in Argentina) and Diana Wrigley de Basanta (from Madrid, Spain). The primary vegetation type investigated was Nothofagus forest, but surveys also were carried out in grasslands (“pampa”), alpine meadows, valdivian temperate rainforests, and coniferous forests dominated by Araucaria , Astrocedrus and Fitzroya . Altogether, at least some material was collected in five different provinces of Argentina and from six national parks ( Tierra del Fuego , Glaciares, Nahuel Huapi, Los Alerces, Lago Puelo and Lanin). The southernmost and northernmost collecting sites are located at approximately 55 ° and 39 ° S latitude, respectively. The total survey yielded at least 500 field collections of myxomycetes and numerous samples to be processed in the laboratory for all three groups of mycetozoans.

Ascension Island in the South Atlantic(Image Gallery)
Ascension Island (7° S, 14° W) is a small (total area of only 98 km 2 ), isolated island in the South Atlantic, located approximately 1,600  km from the coast of Africa. The island is a dependency of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena , which is situated 1,287 km to the southeast. Ascension Island is the tip of a 3,200 m high, 60 km wide shield volcano, and the oldest exposed rocks date to only about 1 million years ago. Steve Stephenson (University of Arkansas), Tom Smith (Southern Arkansas University) and David Lawrence (J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College , Virginia ) visited the island during early March 2007. The purpose of their visit was to obtain baseline data on the eumycetozoans (Stephenson) and terrestrial algae (Smith) present on the island as well to study the dendroecology of trees that have been planted at various localities ( Lawrence ). In addition to a number of field collections of myxomycetes, samples were obtained for laboratory isolation of myxomycetes, dictyostelids and protostelids.

Auckland Islands  (Image Gallery)
The Auckland Islands are located in the Southern Ocean some 350 miles south of mainland New Zealand. The main island in the group is Auckland Island, some 24 miles long and 3 to 25 miles wide. The two largest of the other islands are Adams Island to the south and Enderby Island located off the northeast tip of Auckland Island. All of the islands are of volcanic origin, and the southern and western coasts are characterized by high precipitous cliffs that make landing virtually impossible. In contrast, deep fjords that provide sheltered anchorages occur along the eastern coast. During the period of March 20 to April 2, Steve Stephenson (University of Arkansas), Gary Laursen (University of Alaska, Fairbanks), Peter Johnston (Landcare Research, New Zealand), Rich Leschen (Landcare Research, New Zealand) and Eric Edwards (Department of Conservation, New Zealand) collected fungi, mycetozoans and insects on the Auckland Islands. The visit to the island was made aboard the vessel Tiama, which departed from and then returned to Bluff, the southernmost port in mainland New Zealand. The Tiama is a 50-foot New Zealand registered expedition charter vessel constructed to operate in the Antarctic and Subantarctic. Henk Haazen, owner and skipper of the Tiama, and crewman Rob Morton handled the logistics of the expedition and participated in some aspects of the research carried out. Collecting was carried out at 14 different landing sites that encompassed all three of the main islands along with Ewing Island, one of the smaller islands in the Auckland Island group. These collecting sites included all of the major vegetation types found on the islands, but most specimens were obtained from the Metrosideros umbellata -dominated forests that occur at lower elevations along the eastern coast of the main Auckland Island. At least 125 specimens of myxomycetes that had fruited under natural conditions in the field were obtained at the various collecting sites, and samples of soil/humus, bark and litter were obtained for isolation of myxomycetes, dictyostelids and protostelids in the laboratory. The expedition to the Auckland Islands was supported by a grant from the National Geographic Society.

Chile (Image Gallery)
Carlos Lado from Spain and Arturo Estrada-Torres from Mexico spent the period of January 10 to January 31 carrying out a survey of mycetozoans in the northern portion of Chile. Field collections of myxomycetes and samples for the laboratory isolation of myxomycetes, dictyostelids and protostelids were obtained from a number of localities, including Lauca National Park, Pan de Azucar National Park, Tres Cruces National Park, Green Lake National Park and Llanos de Challe National Park. Some portions of northern Chile are extremely arid, but the survey yielded more than 150 field collections of myxomycetes.

Central Chile (Image Gallery)
Chile can be described as a biogeographical island, virtually cut off from other areas of South America by the Andes on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. The length of the country (more than 4,000 km, with an average width of only 180 km) results in both elevational and latitudinal zonation of the vegetation, and there are many endemic species of plants. During late March and early April 2006, surveys for mycetozoans were carried out in the central portion of the country (between latitudes 29º and 39º S) by Carlos Lado and Diana Wrigley de Basanta (both from Spain ) and Arturo Estrada-Torres ( Mexico ). This effort represented the second phase of a planned transect of the entire country, with the first phase (the northern third), already having been completed in January 2004. Areas where the native vegetation is well preserved, in six provinces (Regiones) of Chile , were included in the most recent survey s . Sampling was carried out in extremely arid spiny scrublands dominated by columnar cacti, sclerophyllous woodlands, southern beech forests, Araucaria forests and in areas dominated by the Chilean palm ( Jubea chilensis ) as well as areas on the upper slopes of several volcanoes, at almost 3000 m elevation, where only sparse alpine scrub was present. More than 500 field collections representing at least 100 species of myxomycetes (including some snowbank species) were obtained over a period of three weeks. This is a considerable number of species for such a short period collecting and provides evidence of a high level of diversity for these organisms. In addition to the field collections of myxomycetes, samples of bark, litter and soil/humus were obtained for subsequent laboratory isolation of all three groups of eumycetozoans—myxomycetes, dictyostelids and protostelids.

Western China (Image Gallery)
The Taklimakan desert of western China (Xinjiang Province) was surveyed for myxomycetes by Martin Schnittler during portions of the 2004 and 2005 field seasons. This is one of the great arid basins of Central Asia and is characterized by an annual precipitation of less than 50 mm. However, the Tarim River, the longest river in China and fed by streams originating in the surrounding mountains, supports gallery forests composed entirely of one tree, Populus euphratica . Since the tree depends upon ground water, myxomycetes inhabiting its bark or litter can develop only after one of the very rare rain events. The surrounding eastern ridges of the Tien Shan mountains are also very dry but have forests dominated by Picea schrenkiana on northern slopes; southern slopes are covered by steppe. In these forests, about 180 field collections of myxomycetes were obtained in the autumn of 2004. Due to the extremely arid climate and high fluctuations in temperature between day and night, more than 80% of all fructifications were found inside logs. There is no lasting winter snow cover, and a search in the spring of 2004 yielded no evidence of nivicolous (snowbank) myxomycetes. This survey was carried out as a secondary activity of a project directed towards the restoration of Euphrates poplar forests and funded by the Volkswagen partnership programme, and their support is gratefully acknowledged.

Cocos Island (Image Gallery)
During the period of April 23-30 of 2005, Carlos Rojas (University of Costa Rica) visited Cocos Island. This small (only about 24 sq. km of land area) island is located in Pacific Ocean (approximately 5° 31' N, 87° 21' W) about midway between mainland Costa Rica and the Galapagos Archipelago. It has been recognized as a World Heritage Site since 1988. The purpose of the trip was to search for field collections of myxomycetes and to obtain samples of various types of substrates for laboratory isolation of myxomycetes, dictyostelids and protostelids. Physarum melleum was found to be common on the island, and among the other myxomycetes collected was the rare Tubifera bombarda .

Costa Rica (Image Gallery)
Steve Stephenson and John Shadwick from the laboratory at the University of Arkansas spent the period of February 13 to February 20 of 2004 in Costa Rica and were aptly guided by Carlos Rojas of the University of Costa Rica at San Jose. Field collection and samples for the laboratory isolation of myxomycetes, dictyostelids and protostelids were obtained from several localities such as Cerro de la Muerta, Irazu National Park and the La Selva Biological Station. Visits were made to such diverse habitats as high elevation paramo, acidic wetland bogs, upland oak forests and lowland rain forests.

Talamanca Range in Costa Rica (Image Gallery)
Two national parks in the Talamanca Mountain Range in Costa Rica were visited by Carlos Rojas ( University of Arkansas ), Randall Valverde ( University of Costa Rica ) and Alicia Tuggle ( University of Arkansas ) during the first two weeks of January 2007. The specific localities visited included the Crestones, Valle de Los Conejos and Valle de Los Lagos areas of Chirripó National Park and the Death's Massif sector of Tapantí National Park . The first area is part of the La Amistad Biosphere Reserve since 1982 and is considered a World Heritage Site since 1983. This part of Costa Rica contains the northernmost true paramo vegetation in the Americas and consists of areas that were glaciated during the last ice age about 10,000 years ago. The purposes of the visit were to carry out field surveys for myxomycetes in the high-elevation open areas of Costa Rica and to install automatic temperature and atmospheric moisture meters that will generate in-situ microclimatic data for an ongoing study of tropical myxomycetes. In addition, it is anticipated that educational materials on myxomycetes and ecosystem conservation, for use by the Costa Rican National Park Service, will be generated in the near future.

Neotropical Mountains and Lowland Forests in Costa Rica (Image Gallery)
During the summer of 2007, Carlos Rojas (University of Arkansas) visited La Selva and Palo Verde, two of the biological stations of the Organization for Tropical Studies in Costa Rica for the purpose of studying lignicolous myxomycetes in different types of tropical forests. Alicia Tuggle and Brenda Flack from the University of Arkansas participated in field surveys during which more than 250 field collections were obtained. An additional trip over the mountains of the northern Neotropics was also carried out. During the latter trip, specimens of myxomycetes were collected and automatic temperature and atmospheric moisture data loggers were set up in experimental plots with the purpose of obtaining in situ data on these microenvironmental parameters for a period of at least one full year.

Dominican Republic (Image Gallery)
Brandon Green and John Shadwick, both from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, collected sample in Dominican Republic from June 12 to June 15 of 2004. Omar Perdomo of the Bureau of Protected Areas of the Dominican Republic acted as guide and served as an invaluable source of natural history information for the expedition. Field collections and samples for laboratory isolation of myxomycetes, dictyostelids and protostelids were obtained from cloud forests at Ebano Verde, high elevation rain forests in Armando Bermudez National Park and lowland costal rainforests in Hatises National Park.

Eastern Europe (Image Gallery)
During June and July of 2004, Yuri Novozhilov and his student Alena Kosheleva (both from Russia) carried out surveys for mycetozoans in the Orenburg Steppe Reservation, which is located along the border between Russia and Kazakhstan. The Orenburg Steppe Reservation preserves islands of steppe that are remnants of the vast grasslands that once extended from the deserts of present-day Kazakhstan to the foothills of the Ural Mountains. The climate of this region of Eastern Europe is harsh, dry and continental, with fierce Siberian winds in the winter and hot dry winds from the deserts of Central Asia during the summer. Annual precipitation is about 250–390 cm, with winter temperatures dropping below -40 C and snow covering the ground from the end November to the beginning of April. In summer, temperatures can exceed 40 C. The general study area includes both mountains and flat semi-desert landscapes. Although no large forests are present, a number of small forest islands dot the landscape. These forest islands are comprised primarily of birches ( Betula pendula ), aspens ( Populus tremula ) and alders ( Alnus glutinosa ) along with a variety of smaller trees and shrubs. The trees and other woody plants provide good microhabitats for corticolous myxomycetes as well as litter for those species typically associated with this microhabitat. Numerous samples of various types of plant debris were collected for laboratory isolations of both myxomycetes and protostelids.

Guatemala (Image Gallery)
Carlos Rojas (Costa Rica) obtained field collections of myxomycetes and samples for laboratory isolation of protostelids in northwestern Guatemala in mid-June of 2004. His visit was made in the context of an ongoing project, based in the Department of Microbiology in the School of Biological Chemistry at the University of San Carlos (USAC), that has the goal of identifying all the macrofungi consumed by the indigenous people of Guatemala. Collections and samples (bark, ground litter and aerial litter) came from an Abies guatemalensis forest, located above 3000 m in the Cuchumatanes Ridge, and a mixed secondary forest with Quercus and Pinus as the primary dominants.

La Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean (Image Gallery)
During the period of May 12 to 25 of 2006, Grazina Adamonité (Lithuania), Tetyana Krivomaz (Ukraine), Alain Michaud (France) and El-Hacène Séraoui (Switzerland) collected myxomycetes on La Réunion Island (21°00 S and 55°20 E) in the Indian Ocean. The island, which has a total area of 2512 km², is volcanic in origin and was formed approximately three million years ago. Two volcanoes, “Piton des Neiges” (which reaches an elevation of 3069 m) and “Piton de La Fournaise” (elevation 2631 m), dominate the major part of the island. The latter is an active volcano, with the last eruption occurring in 2005. Located just 200 km north of Tropic of Capricorn, La Réunion Island has a warm and humid tropical climate. Growing sugar cane is the single most important agricultural activity, but forests containing Crypyomeria , Tamarindus and Cyathea cover the largest part of the island. Myxomycetes were collected at different elevations, ranging from near sea level to the highest wooded slopes. Localities visited included Bebour, Bélouve, Cilaos, Le Grand Brûlé, La Fenêtre, Les Makes, L'Etang Salé les Bains, L'Etang Salé les Hauts and La Plaine des Chicots. Two hundred and four field collections representing at least 61 different species of myxomycetes were obtained. Among the species collected was a Diderma that appears to be new to science. In addition the field collections of myxomycetes, samples of litter and soil were obtained for laboratory isolation of all three groups of eumycetozoans.

Hawai'i (Image Gallery)
Fred Spiegel and Andy Swanson from the University of Arkansas laboratory were hosted by Don and Helen Hemmes on Hawai'i's Big Island at Hilo. During early January of 2004, Fred and Andy collected samples for laboratory isolation of myxomycetes, dictyostelids and protostelids. This was an extension of earlier collection efforts on Hawai'i which had focused more on protostelids (Spiegel) and dictyostelids (Swanson). It was the first time that an effort was made to collect substrates for moist chamber cultures of myxomycetes. Part of this collection effort was aimed at comparing the mycetozoans on relatively recent lava flows with those in an island of untouched vegetation, called a kipuka. Part of the effort was to collect more from habitats that had been missed on previous trips. As a result of this trip, there are collections from all five volcanos: Kohala Hills, Mauna Kea, Hualalai, Mauna Loa and Kilauea. Habitats investigated include rain forests, mesic forests, dry forests, subalpine woodlands, grasslands and alpine scrub. Collections also include those made from predominantly native habitats and those that have been heavily impacted by humans.

Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park (Image Gallery)
During the summer of 2005, a wide range of habitats in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island of Hawai'i were surveyed for slime molds. Some of the habitat types in the Park are unique. Ongoing volcanic activity has created new land mass continuously over millions of years, and this has resulted in a significant elevation gradient that ranges from sea level to more than 13,000 feet. A rain shadow that affects the Big Island results from moisture carried by the trade winds over the Pacific Ocean creating significant variation in rainfall within the Park. The age of the island, the continuous creation of new land mass and the variation in climate found within the park are significant factors contributing to the variety of ecosystems found within Volcanoes National Park . The Hawaiian Islands are also noted for the high levels of endemism in plants and animals because of their relative isolation any other land masses. The Hawaiian archipelago is 2000 miles from any other significant land mass. The sterile conditions created by volcanic activity have allowed the study of succession, biological evolution and speciation and biogeographical processes, using the park as a natural laboratory. Efforts were made to collect slime molds, including samples of dead plant material for laboratory isolation of these organisms, from an example of each major habitat type, including the harsh environments around sulfur gas vents and the vegetation from young, exposed lava fields.

Mountains of the northern Neotropics (Image Gallery)
Eight high-elevation localities in four countries across the northern part of the Neotropics were visited by Carlos Rojas ( University of Arkansas ) and Randall Valverde ( University of Costa Rica ) during the summer of 2006. The eight localities included two of the southernmost oak forests in the Americas , located at elevations between 2500 and 2700 m above the Valle del Aburrá near Medellín in the Antioquia region of Columbia . Localities visited in Costa Rica included examples of oak forest and paramo located at elevations above 3200 m in the Cerro Buenavista (Cerro de la Muerte) and Cerro Chirripo regions. Localities visited in Guatemala were situated in the highest portions of the Cuchumatanes Range near Huehuetenango and included areas of high-elevation grassland situated above 3300 m. In Mexico , two of the highest volcanoes (La Malinche and Cofre de Perote, located near the cities of Puebla and Tlaxcala respectively) were studied, with emphasis being placed on conifer-oak and grassland communities at elevations up to 4200 m (13,800 feet). These visits were possible as a result of collaborations with Esperanza Franco ( University of Antioquia , Colombia ), Osberth Morales ( University of San Carlos , Guatemala ) and Arturo Estrada-Torres ( University of Tlaxcala , Mexico ).

Northwestern India (Image Gallery)
Steve Stephenson, accompanied by his wife Barbara and assisted by Dr. Lal Singh of the Himalayan Research Group (based in Shimla, India), carried out the first surveys for snowbank-associated myxomycetes in the Himalayan Mountains of northwestern India during late May 2006. The study sites investigated were located near Rohtang Pass (elevation 13,050 feet) north of the city of Manali. More than 110 field collections were obtained, with Didymium dubium and several species of Lamproderma represented by the largest numbers of collections. Interestingly, several species of Diderma and Physarum, usually common in snowbank habitats, were conspicuously absent. In addition to the collections of snowbank-associated myxomycetes, litter samples for laboratory isolation of protostelids were collected from approximately a dozen study sites in the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.

Kazakhstan (Image Gallery)
During the period of July 29 to August 23 of 2004, Inna Zemlianskaya (Russia), Grazina Adamonyte (Lithuania) and Tetyana Krivomaz (Ukraine) collected specimens of myxomycetes and substrate samples for laboratory isolation of myxomycetes, dictyostelids and protostelids in western Kazakhstan. On a circular route of some 5500 km that extended from Uralsk through the Aktiube, Aralsk and Atyrau and then back to Uralsk, they crossed subzones of dry and desert steppe and northern and middle deserts. This is one of the dryest regions in the world with a strictly continental climate—hot dry summers and cold winters without snow. Summer temperatures can reach 42 to 46 C, and winter temperature sometimes drop as low as –30 C. In this region, the human population is very sparse, roads practically absent and communication with the outside world limited. Because of this, natural (virgin) vegetation has been well-preserved and most groups of the organisms remain very much understudied. The most diverse types of plant associations characteristic of the region were sampled, and a surprisingly high number of field collections of myxomycetes were obtained from azonal vegetation islets in the steppe zone.

Western Mongolia (Image Gallery)
During a four-week period in July and August of 2003, Martin Schnittler from Germany carried out an investigation of the myxomycetes associated with desert habitats in the Great Lakes region of western Mongolia. His visit to the region was supported in part by the Volkswagen Foundation and was carried out in the context of a joint partnership program between the Botanical Institute of the University of Greifswald ( Germany ) and the University of Khovd (Mongolia). Approximately 70 localities in the vicinity of Lake Khar-Us-Nuur and 20 localities in the Jargalant Mountains were surveyed. This portion of Central Asia is characterized by annual temperate extremes that range from -40 to +35 C and limited (only 100-150 mm per year) precipitation. However, data obtained from other desert regions of the world have indicated that the bark of the shrubs present often supports a rich microflora of corticolous myxomycetes. Numerous samples were collected and brought back to the laboratory for preparation of moist chamber cultures. Yuri Novozhilov ( Russia ) collaborated with Martin on the lab component of the project during a two-month stay in Germany funded by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research.

New Zealand (Image Gallery)
A large group of researchers (Fred Spiegel and Steve Stephenson), undergraduates from the University of Arkansas (Craig Chu and Natasha Jones) and amateur myxomycete enthusiasts (Barbara Stephenson and Randy Darrah) traveled to the South Island of New Zealand in March of 2004 to make field collections and to collect samples for isolation of eumycetozoans in the laboratory. Collections were made from most of the native habitats of the South Island.

Northern New Zealand (Image Gallery)
Field collections of myxomycetes and samples for the laboratory isolation of all three groups of mycetozoans were collected from the northern portion (essentially the region north of 35° S latitude) of the North Island of New Zealand during the second half of May 2005. The collecting was carried out by Steve Stephenson and his wife Barbara (University of Arkansas). The myxomycetes and dictyostelids of most of New Zealand are relatively well known, but prior to this survey effort only limited data on the myxomycetes and no data for either dictyostelids or protostelids were available for the very northern portion of North Island.

South Island , New Zealand (Image Gallery)
Steve Stephenson, accompanied by his wife Barbara, spent the period of May 11 to 28 of 2007 collecting specimens of myxomycetes and samples for laboratory isolation of all three groups of eumycetozoans (dictyostelids, protostelids and myxomycetes) at a number of localities on the South Island of New Zealand. The localities visited are located in regions (the northernmost and southernmost portions of the South Island ) of New Zealand underrepresented in previous expeditions to the country. In addition, some collecting was carried out in an area of bush (Mill Bay) located west of the city of Auckland on the North Island, where Stephenson was joined by Clive Shirley, a PBI project participant who lives in New Zealand.

North American Grasslands (Image Gallery)
Seven grassland sites representing short grass, mixed grass and tall grass types were sampled in the central United States from March 17 th to the 26 th , 2006. This expedition marked the beginning of Adam Rollins ' PhD project documenting the slime molds associated with North American grasslands. Carlos Rojas ( University of Arkansas ) and Adam's wife Jenni Rollins assisted with the collecting effort. The trip covered 3,960 miles across thirteen states over ten days. The primary study areas included; Konza LTER (Kansas), Sheyenne National Grasslands (North Dakota), Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota), Thunder Basin National Grasslands (Wyoming), Shortgrass Steppe LTER (Colorado), Sevilleta LTER (New Mexico), and the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge (Oklahoma). The group battled snow and rain storms, including a record tornado outbreak in Kansas ; however the trip was extremely productive.

Grasslands of the Western United States(Image Gallery)
During the period of July 13-18 of 2007, Adam Rollins visited a number of grassland study sites in the western United States to collect samples for isolation of myxomycetes and dictyostelids. Adam is carrying out a study of the distribution and ecology of these two groups of eumycetozoans in grassland ecosystems for his Ph.D. On this expedition, he was assisted by Alicia Tuggle—a HERMES undergraduate fellow from the Honors College—and his son Bryon (from West Fork Middle School). Study sites visited, which included examples of short-grass, mixed-grass and tall-grass types of grasslands, were the Konza LTER site (Kansas), Sheyenne National Grasslands (North Dakota), Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota), Badlands National Park (South Dakota), Thunder Basin National Grassland (Wyoming), the Shortgrass Steppe LTER site (Colorado), and the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge (Oklahoma). The group encountered temperatures as high as 110° F on their journey of more than 3,300 miles through twelve states.

Oman (Image Gallery)
This country is situated on the s outheastern portion of the Arabian Peninsula and includes three very different vegetation zones. The northern mountains reach elevations up to 3000 m around the capital city of Muscat and support Olea / Juniperus woodlands that are comparable to those found in parts of the Mediterranean region. The inner part of the country belongs to the so-called "Empty Quarter" (Rhub Al-Khali) and is a sandstone desert. The Dhofar region in the southernmost part of Oman (near the border with Yemen) is the only wooded region of the Arabian Peninsula, where the so-called Anogeissus woodlands, with a high proportion of plants endemic to the region, are found. This region benefits from the last outreach of the African monsoon winds, which cause a short but intense rainy season, and the flora has many African elements. In the context of a student field trip organised by the University of Greifswald, Martin Schnittler (Germany) and John Shadwick (Arkansas) surveyed the region for myxomycetes during February of 2005. Well over 270 samples to be cultured for both myxomycetes and protostelids were collected.

Peru (Image Gallery)
Andy Swanson and Sherri Neff, from the University of Arkansas Laboratory, spent early November of 2004 collecting samples for eumycetozoans from the Tambopata Candamo Reserved Zone (TCRZ) of southeastern Peru. Situated in a transitional zone between the Andes Mountains and the Amazon Basin, this region has been reported to have the highest biodiversity of anywhere on Earth. Samples were collected from areas of primary rainforest situated on both upper and lower floodplain soils.

Peruvian Andes(Image Gallery)
As part of an ongoing project being carried out in the lowland rainforests of southeastern Peru, Carlos Rojas (University of Arkansas) and Daniella Biffi (Universidad Ricardo Palma, Peru) visited the southern section of the Peruvian Andes, near the historical city of Cusco. Samples of substrates for isolation of myxomycetes in the laboratory were obtained in Saqsaywaman and Machu Picchu. Both of these localities are within the primary area of activity of the Inca (sometimes spelled Inka) civilization that once existed in South America. The first locality encompasses an area of tropical alpine shrublands locally known as puna, whereas the second locality is characterized by a subtropical, very humid low montane forest, one of the so-called “cloud forest” ecosystems.

Madagascar(Image Gallery)
Madagascar, with a total area of 587,041 km2, is the fourth largest island in the world. Because of the early separation of the island from the continent of Africa, it has been geographically isolated for more than 165 million years. Many of the animals and plants found in Madagascar exist nowhere else on earth. As such, it is a particularly interesting biodiversity hotspot. An expedition to determine the eumycetozoans associated with various types of plant communities on the island was carried out during a three week period in May of 2009. Expedition participants were Carlos Lado and Diana Wrigley de Basanta from Spain, Arturo Estrada-Torres from Mexico and Martin Schnittler from Germany. Ten different vegetation types, including primary tropical moist forest, mesic forest and dry forest, were surveyed. Collecting involved travelling more than 2200 km over mainly unmade roads that were sometimes flooded and often required diverging in various directions into the bush in search of flatter passable stretches. Altogether, the study areas visited during the course of the expedition yielded over 500 field collections of myxomycetes, representing at least 84 species from 20 genera. These data suggest that the portions of Madagascar surveyed are very rich in myxomycete species and at least comparable to other tropical regions of the world that have been studied in a similar manner. In addition, more than 400 samples of dead plant material were collected from the various study areas for subsequent laboratory culture of all three types of eumycetozoans. These samples have already produced several species of dictyostelids that are new to science. The expedition participants gratefully acknowledge the assistance provided by Benjamin Andriamihaja and his team at MICET in Antananarivo, the Malagasy student (Estelle Razanatsoa) who accompanied them on the expedition, and their brilliant driver Nari, who allowed the group to reach potential study areas.

Madre de Dios River Basin of Peru(Image Gallery)
The Madre de Dios River , located in southeastern Peru , is the largest watershed in the region and part of the vast Amazon River watershed. This region of South America is characterized by a very high level of biodiversity and portions are currently being protected in several national parks and protected areas that include the Amazon Conservation Association (ACA) concession in the Los Amigos River region. Carlos Rojas ( University of Arkansas ) and Daniella Biffi (Universidad Ricardo Palma) visited the area and collected field collection of myxomycetes as well as material for laboratory isolation of myxomycetes and dictyostelids. Among the field collections, Arcyria cinerea, Ceratiomyxa morchella and C. sphaerosperma were noteworthy in that they were commonly found growing on wet decayed substrates. All the substrates and collections were obtained from a series of study sites that represent a gradient of forest succession. This experimental scheme used was based on ecological and geomorphological maps provided by Nigel Pitman of the ACA GIS facility.

South Africa(Image Gallery)
In October 2006, Jim Cavender (Ohio University), Katherine Winsett (University of Arkansas) and Nicole Cavender (The Wilds, Ohio) carried out surveys for mycetozoans in South Africa. Prior to this expedition, there was only a single publication reporting species of myxomycetes for the country and no known records of either dictyostelids and protostelids. The surveys encompassed four (Western Cape, Gauteng, Limpopo and Kwa Zulu-Natal) of the nine provinces in the country. South Africa is the only country to have an entire floral kingdom within its borders. The fynbos was surveyed for slime molds, and samples of dead plant material were collected from plants belonging to the Proteaceae and Ericaceae, two important families in this floral kingdom, for laboratory isolation of myxomycetes and protostelids. Other collecting sites were located in remnant indigenous forests at both high (up to 4200 ft) and low (near sea level) elevations, including forests with yellowwood (Podocarpus), the South African national tree. One bushveld site, an arid land type dominated by Acacia, was surveyed for herbivore dung, samples of which were to be cultured for myxomycetes. The main herbivores present included impala, blue wildebeest, zebra, eland, buffalo and duiker. Field collections of myxomycetes were limited to a few forest sites, although approximately 80 specimens were recovered. Stemonitis sp, Arcyria cinerea and Hemitrichia calyculata were the most common species recorded. Invaluable logistical support for site location and travel was provided by Karin Jacobs of the University of Stellenbosch and Jolanda Roux from the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI).

Mushroom Research Center, Northern Thailand (Image Gallery)
The Mushroom Research Centre is located near Pa Pae in the Chiang Mai District of northern Thailand (19° 07' N, 98° 44' E). The goal of the Centre is to promote the study of fungal diversity throughout northern Thailand and other countries of Southeast Asia by training students at the graduate level. Students register for their higher degrees at various universities in Thailand , with whom the Centre has close collaborations. The students then live and work at the Centre, which also has facilities for workshops and will host a workshop on mycetozoans at some point in the future. Tran Thi My Hanh, one of the students working at the Centre, has been carrying out an intensive study of the distribution and ecology of myxomycetes in tropical forests of northern Thailand . Field collections of myxomycetes are being supplemented by specimens obtained from moist chamber cultures. The study sites being used range in elevation from approximately 550 m at Mae Taeng to more than 1700 m in Doi Inthanon National Park and include both native forests and agricultural areas.

Northern Thailand(Image Gallery)
Dr. Steve Stephenson, Adam Rollins and Carlos Rojas ( University of Arkansas ) visited northern Thailand during January of 2008. The primary purpose of the visit was for Stephenson to discuss possible future collaborative research projects involving the University of Arkansas and scientists at Chiang Mai University in Chiang Mai, Mae Fah Luang University in Chiang Rai, and the Mushroom Research Centre near Chiang Mai. In addition, the visit provided an opportunity for Rollins and Rojas to interact with graduate students in Thailand . While at the Mushroom Research Centre, the three visitors from the University of Arkansas presented a training session on myxomycetes to a group of students and scientists from seven different countries ( China , Indonesia , Laos , Myanmar , the Philippines , Thailand and Vietnam ) in SE Asia . During and immediately following the training session, trips were made to several localities in northern Thailand for the purpose of collecting specimens of myxomycetes along with samples for laboratory isolation of all three groups of slime molds.

Tierra del Fuego , the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula (Image Gallery)
During late December of 2004 and early January of 2005, Ina Timling (University of Alaska–Fairbanks) participated in an expedition that first took her to the extreme southern end of Argentina (the city of Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego), then to the South Shetland Islands (Aitcho Island, Livingston Island and Cuverville Island) and finally to the Almirante Brown region of the Antarctic Peninsula. In Tierra del Fuego, samples of dead plant material for laboratory isolation of all three groups of mycetozoans were obtained from an alpine area (‘De Glaciar') west of Ushuaia. Similar sets of samples were collected from both the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula .

Southeastern Australia (Image Gallery)
Field collections of myxomycetes along with substrate samples for the isolation of myxomycetes, dictyostelids and protostelids were obtained at a number of localities throughout Victoria and the southern portion of New South Wales during the period of March 21 to March 31 of 2004. Collecting localities included Mount Buffalo National Park, Kinglake National Park, Lake Eildon National Park, Kosciuszko National Park and Wilsons Promontory National Park. Two Australians, Margaret Brims and her husband Alex, assisted Steve Stephenson with the myxomycete component of the survey. Their participation was supported by a grant from Australian Geographic. Steve was accompanied by his wife Barbara.

Mountains of Southeastern Australia (Image Gallery)
Steve Stephenson and John Shadwick spent the period of Oct. 12 to Oct. 29 of 2004 searching for snowbank-associated myxomycetes in the mountains of southeastern Australia. They spent most of their visit in the high-elevation region around Mt. Kosciuszko (maximum elevation of 2228 m) in southern New South Wales, but trips also were made to Mt. Buller and Mt. Hotham in northern Victoria. Snowbank myxomycetes were found to be quite common at some study sites, and about 300 specimens were collected. These specimens appear to include a number of species not previously known to occur in Australia. In addition to their collecting efforts for myxomycetes, several series of samples were obtained for isolation of protostelids.

Western Australia (Image Gallery)
Substrate samples for the isolation of all three groups of mycetozoans were collected in Western Australia during the period of April 1 to April 8 of 2004. The region within which samples were obtained extended from Avon River National Park just north of the city of Perth to Kalbarri National Park located nearly 600 km north of Perth. Because of the exceedingly dry conditions, only a few specimens of myxomycetes that had fruited under natural conditions in the field were encountered. Steve Stephenson was accompanied by his wife Barbara along with two Australians, Margaret and Alex Brims.

Ukraine (Image Gallery)
During the period of May 12 to 18 of 2005, Tetyana Krivomaz ( Ukraine ), Marianne Meyer ( France ) and Alain Michaud ( France ) carried out a survey for nivicolous (snowbank-associated) myxomycetes in the Ukrainian Carpathians. The Carpathian Mountains encompass parts of the Ukraine, Slovakia, Poland and Romania. The Ukrainian portion of the Carpathians is located at the southwestern edge of the country (approximately 48-50° N and 23-28° W). Potential study areas were selected on the basis of having a favorable snow cover, and those within which nivicolous myxomycetes were found occurred at elevations between 1025 and 1400 m. The entire survey yielded 125 field collections representing at least 25 taxa, including one possibly new to science. In addition to the collections of nivicolous myxomycetes, samples of ground litter, aerial litter and soil/humus for laboratory isolation of dictyostelids and protostelids were collected in the various study areas.

Western United States (Image Gallery)
Rod Nelson and his wife Lynda (both from the University of Arkansas–Ft. Smith) visited predominantly old-growth forests at a number of localities in the western United States during July and early August of 2005. Their trip covered almost 7600 miles and included stops in Rocky Mountain National Park , Medicine Bow National Forest , Wasatch National Forest , the Wind River Canopy Crane Facility, Olympic National Park and Redwoods National and State Parks. Rod and Lynda carried out field surveys and also worked to train and assist park personnel at some of the places they visited. More than 280 specimens of myxomycetes, including nivicolous species from three snowbank localities, as well as nearly 300 samples for preparation of moist chamber cultures and laboratory isolation of protostelids and dictyostelids were obtained. Rod spent a sabbatical at the University of Arkansas–Fayetteville, working with Steve Stephenson and Fred Spiegel.

Saguaro National Park(Image Gallery)
Steve Stephenson and Adam Rollins ( University of Arkansas ) visited Saguaro National Park in southern Arizona during the latter part of March 2007. The purpose of the visit, which was funded in part by the National Park Service, was to obtain baseline data on the slime molds associated with plant communities in the portion of the Sonoran Desert protected within the boundaries of the Park. The Sonoran Desert , one of the hottest and driest regions of North America , supports a variety of plants adapted to these conditions. Among these is the saguaro cactus from which the name of the Park is derived. In addition to a number of field collections of myxomycetes obtained from decaying portions of prickly pear cacti, the two researchers obtained a large series of samples of various types of plant debris for laboratory isolation of myxomycetes and protostelids.

Home