Pyrofomes Explained

Pyrofomes is a genus of fungi in the family Polyporaceae. The genus was circumscribed by Czech mycologists František Kotlaba and Zdenek Pouzar in 1964. The type species, Pyrofomes demidoffii, was once considered a widespread species with a distribution that included East Africa, Middle Asia, Europe, and North America. DNA evidence demonstrated that North American collections represented a lineage that was different than European collections. The North American sibling was reinstated as P. juniperinus in 2017.

Ecological roles of Pyrofomes

Pyrofomes, a type of brown rot fungi, plays a crucial role in forest ecosystems by decomposing persistent lignin, releasing trapped nutrients to fuel new plant growth (Assefa & Abate, 2020).^[1] Without the activity of lignin decomposers like Pyrofomes, an essential aspect of the nutrient cycle would be hindered, potentially reducing ecosystem productivity (Assefa et al., 2015).^[2]

Species

• Pyrofomes albomarginatus (Zipp. ex Lév.) Ryvarden (1972)
• Pyrofomes castanopsidis B.K.Cui & Y.C.Dai (2011) – China
• Pyrofomes demidoffii (Lév.) Kotl. & Pouzar (1964) – East Africa; Middle Asia; Europe
• Pyrofomes fulvoumbrinus (Bres.) A.David & Rajchenb. (1985)
• Pyrofomes juniperinus (H.Schrenk) Vlasák & Spirin (2017) – North America
• Pyrofomes lateritius (Cooke) Ryvarden (1972)
• Pyrofomes perlevis (Lloyd) Ryvarden (1972)
• Pyrofomes tricolor (Murrill) Ryvarden (1972)

Notes and References

1. Assefa . A. . Abate . D. . September 2020 . Evaluation of nutritional requirements of medicinal fungus, Pyrofomes demidoffii under submerged fermentation . 2024-03-16 . Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology . 28 . 10.1016/j.bcab.2020.101765 . en.
2. Assefa . A. . Abate . D. . Stenlid . J. . January 6, 2015 . Holdenrieder . O. . Characterization of Pyrofomes demidoffii from Ethiopian Afromontane forests . Forest Pathology . en . 45 . 4 . 263–273 . 10.1111/efp.12166 . 1437-4781 . WILEY.