2007) and they represent one of the most biodiverse groups of organisms on earth (Hawksworth 1991, 2001). However, our knowledge of their diversity and ecological function in Neotropical lowland forests is limited. The ecological interaction of macrofungi with other organisms in these forests is poorly understood due to
the largely unexplored, but likely huge, fungal diversity, as well as the cryptic and ephemeral nature of many fungal species. Incomplete information on the biodiversity of macrofungi from such ecosystems is only available from scattered sources (Lodge and Cantrell 1995; buy Berzosertib Lodge 1997; Jiménez-Valverde and Hortal 2003; Piepenbring 2007; Schmit and selleck chemical Mueller 2007; Swapna et al. 2008). A major part of the global but unknown fungal biodiversity is assumed to occur in tropical regions, where the diversity of fungi may be higher
than in temperate regions, because of more favorable environmental conditions throughout the year, a higher diversity of vascular plants that create niches and microhabitats for fungi, and the presence
of many ecotones (Hawksworth 2001; Kark 2007). The diversity of macrofungi in tropical forests as assessed by Lodge et al. (1995) showed that the highest diversity in the Neotropics occurred in the Amazon basin with aphyllophoralean, pyrenomycetous, xylariaceous and hyphomycetous Urease fungi being most species rich. The Amazonian rainforest is arguably the most species-rich terrestrial ecosystem in the world (Hoorn et al. 2010). Biodiversity PF-6463922 studies in North West Amazon forests have focused mainly on plants, especially tree species (Gentry 1988a; Duivenvoorden 1996; Pitman et al. 2001; Condit et al. 2002) and revealed that these forests hold a very high number of plant species (Gentry 1988a; Valencia et al. 1994; Rudas and Prieto 1998; Ter Steege et al. 2003; Duque 2004; Hoorn et al. 2010). Despite this extensive plant and animal biodiversity, the region is not yet recognized as a biodiversity hotspot (Myers et al. 2000) (http://www.biodiversityhotspots.org/xp/Hotspots/hotspots_by_region/Pages/default.aspx December 2009).