Spring Ascomycetous fungi (Ascomycota) of the Nature Tract "Kholodnyi Yar"

Information about spring ascomycetous fungi on the territory of the nature tract "Kholodnyi Yar" is presented. As the result of the study33 species of the ascomycetous fungi were identified, 19 of which are actually spring species and 14 – found in the spring. 15 species are registered for the nature tract "Kholodnyi Yar" for the first time. The largest number of species is represented by the family Morchellaceae (5 species), as well as by the families Pezizazeae (4 species) and Sclerotiniaceae (4 species). The ecological-trophic structure is dominated by species with a saprotrophic feeding strategy, which belong to xylotrophs, humus saprotrophs and herbophilic fungi. The group of xylotrophs was the predominant group of saprotrophic fungi in terms of the number of species (10 species). Humus saprotrophs numbered 9 species of the order Pezizales. In addition, representatives of the group of herbophilic (6 species), which use last year's remnants of herbaceous plants as a substrate, were quite common. Dumontinia tuberosa was the most common species among biotrophic species which parasitizes on the rhizomes of plants of the genus Anemone and forms fruiting bodies at the same time as the flowering period of the host plant. Symbiotrophs were represented by 3 species that are also capable of the saprotrophic feeding strategy inherent to humus saprophytes. A new location for Gyromitra slonevskii, Morchella crassipes and M. steppicola – species which were listed in the third edition of the Red Book of Ukraine – has been registered. Species included in the local red lists were alsoidentified, namely Gyromitra gigas and Verpa bohemica (Kyiv region), Helvella acetabulum (Kherson region). The finding of Phylloscypha phyllogena is the second in Ukraine and the first on the territory of the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe.