A mushroom found in Belovezhskaya Pushcha is not found anywhere else in Europe
In Belovezhskaya Pushcha, scientists have discovered the largest known population in the world of the rare mushroom Osteina rhodophila. To date, this species has been recorded only here in Europe. The nearest known locations of its growth are in two isolated localities in the Forest Volga region of Russia, the press service of the National Park "Belovezhskaya Pushcha" reported .
Researchers of the national park have already managed to find 14 locations where the mushroom consistently forms fruiting bodies. Such a high concentration is considered a result of the special protection regime of Belovezhskaya Pushcha.
Osteina rhodophila has a very narrow specialization. It develops exclusively on old, dead fruiting bodies of another rare mushroom – the rosy polypore (Fomitopsis rosea), which is listed in the Red Book. That is why the name rhodophila translates as "one who loves pink". The fruiting bodies of Osteina themselves also acquire a characteristic delicate pink color during growth. The spore-bearing layer of the mushroom is tubular, with deep pores of an irregular labyrinthine shape.
In the forest ecosystem, Osteina performs the role of a so-called second-order decomposer. First, the rosy polypore decomposes dead spruce wood. After its fruiting bodies die, they become a substrate for Osteina rhodophila. The mushroom continues to decompose the remnants of organic material, thereby facilitating the return of nutrients to the natural cycle.
Very specific conditions are necessary for the existence of this species: large dead spruce trees in the late stages of decomposition, already colonized by the rosy polypore, as well as a stable microclimate. Therefore, any economic activity — including sanitary felling or the removal of fallen and dead trees — can destroy the entire ecological chain necessary for its existence.
The discovery of 14 stable growth sites of Osteina rhodophila immediately became another testament for scientists that the protected status of Belovezhskaya Pushcha allows for the preservation of complex natural processes and unique ecosystems of the primeval forest.
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