#beta diversity

     I have always wondered how many mushroom species it would be possible to see in one day in Santa Cruz County. Since this fall has been so exceptionally fruitful for mushrooms, I decided to give it a go… How else to find out? 

     I chose this time of the year because the fall mushroom assemblage is rapidly transitioning into the winter assemblage, briefly bumping up easily-seen diversity during the period of overlap.  Since I didn’t have a full day to commit start to finish (Christmas parties, work, etc.), I had to spread out my efforts over four days. 5 hours were spent on the 18th, 2 hours cumulatively on the 19th and 20th, and 2 hours on the 21st (drive times included, without overlapping drive times removed). Totaled up, this roughly equals the amount of available daylight (plus maybe a little headlight hunting) that is usually available during this period of fall/winter overlap. I’m quite sure that all the mushrooms I encountered could have been found on either the 18th or the 21st. I ended up with 270 species (not all identified to species, but recognizable RTUs).

      I think this is clear evidence that 300 species could be seen by one person in a single day during a good year in Santa Cruz County. I think it’s even feasible to get well over this number, keeping in mind:

 1. Start with a prioritized list of expected species. I missed many common species.

2. Scout the week ahead of time to locate rarer taxa - I did no scouting.

3. Plan an efficient driving route. I made mine up as I went, and some driving time is double-counted in my 9 hours.

4. Learn to distinguish Mycena and other tough taxa by sight (at least with provisional names) - I put no real effort into distinguishing gray Mycenas and other difficult groups (Galerina, Leptonia), although I did so with Cortinarius.

5. Spend most of your time at a few high-productivity areas that are relatively close to one another but very different from one habitat-wise (minimizing drive time while maximizing species turnover between sites). Driving time was the single biggest detracting factor.

6. Go alone, and don’t photograph species for which a photo is not helpful in later distinction. I spent a lot of time photographing mushrooms and talking to my companions, which was very pleasant but didn’t serve this particular bizarre goal.

The areas I visited were: Ponderosa Lodge, Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park (near Graham Hill Road), Fall Creek Unit (near Empire Grade), UCSC (oaks northwest of the Arboretum), Big Basin State Park (visitor center area to Pine Mountain Trail and part of Skyline to the Sea), Pogonip, the San Lorenzo River corridor (including the Cemetery near Ocean Street Extension), and a few neighborhood spots including my yard.

 Below is the list of mushrooms I encountered:

Agaricus albolutescens (prime fruiting at Henry Cowell)

** Agaricus fuscofibrillosus (first time I have seen it in the county, urban cypress)

Agaricus hondensis

Agaricus micromegathus

Agaricus praeclaresquamosus (new name pending)

Agaricus subrutilescens

Agaricus xanthodermus

Agrocybe pediades

Agrocybe praecox (only saw it in my front yard!)

Alboleptonia sericella

Amanita augusta

Amanita baccata (sandhills around Henry Cowell Observation Deck)

Amanita constricta

Amanita gemmata

Amanita muscaria

Amanita novinupta 

Amanita pantherina group

Amanita phalloides

Amanita silvicola

Annulohypoxylon thouarsianum

Antrodia madronae

Antrodia sp. (a small, large-pored species on SCZ Mtn. manzanita)

Armillaria mellea

Armillaria solidipes

Astraeus hygrometricus

Atheniella adonis

Auriscalpium vulgare

Bjerkandera adusta (one large fruiting in Pogonip near the Koi Pond)

Bolbitius titubans

Calocera cornea

Cantharellus californicus

Caulorhiza umbonata

Chalciporus piperatoides

Cheimonophyllum candidissimus

Chlorophyllum brunneum (many under Eucalyptus along San Lorenzo River)

Chroogomphus ochraceus

Claudopus sp. (on sand at Ponderosa Lodge)

Clavaria “blunt tips”

Clavaria falcata

** Clavaria flavipes - very rare, perhaps 4th North American collection? Big Basin.

Clavaria vermicularis

Clavariadelphus occidentalis (small fruiting under Live Oak, Pogonip)

** Clavariadelphus cf. truncatus (rare for this area, Fall Creek)

Clavulinopsis laeticolor

Clitocybe sp.

Clitocybe "shallow gills"

Clitocybe californiensis

Clitocybe fragrans

Clitocybe nebularis

Clitocybe nuda

Clitocybe odora

Clitocybe trulliformis

Clitocybula sp.

Clitopilus nitellinus

Coniophora olivacea

Coprinellus flocculosus

Coprinellus Section Micacei

Coprinopsis (fuzzy white on horse dung)

Coprinus comatus (one fruiting near Koi Pond, Pogonip)

Cortinarius (Section Anomali)

Cortinarius (subgenus Dermocybe)

Cortinarius (subgenus Myxacium)

Cortinarius (subgenus Telamonia) tawny

Cortinarius (subgenus Telamonia) 1

Cortinarius aff. obtusus

Cortinarius aff. laniger

Cortinarius cisqhale

Cortinarius clandestinus

Cortinarius glaucopus

Cortinarius infractus

Cortinarius lilacinocolossus

Cortinarius ohlone

Cortinarius percomis

Cortinarius ponderosus

Cortinarius section Anomali

Cortinarius subgenus Myxacium (bluish-lilac)

Cortinarius subgenus Phlegmacium (dull)

Cortinarius subgenus Phlegmacium (colorful)

Cortinarius subgenus Telamonia purple cap

Cortinarius subgenus Telamonia silvery

Cortinarius trivialis

Cortinarius viridirubescens

Cortinarius xanthodryophilus

Craterellus cornucopioides

Crepidotus mollis

Cuphophyllus fornicatus

Cuphophyllus graveolens

Cuphophyllus lawrencei

Dacrymyces palmatus

Dacrymyces stillatus

Dendrothele candida

Entoloma 1

Entoloma 2

Entoloma 3

Entoloma 4

Entoloma bloxami

Entoloma “conoradicatum”

Entoloma ferruginans

Entoloma subgenus Leptonia 1

Entoloma subgenus Leptonia 2

Entoloma subgenus Nolanea

Entoloma subsaundersi

Fomitopsis cajanderi

** Fomitopsis officinalis (large fruiting on Douglas-fir, Felton-Empire)

Fomitopsis pinicola

Galerina sp.

Galerina marginata

Ganoderma applanatum

Geastrum saccatum

Gliophorus minutulus

Gliophorus psittacinus

Gloeoporus dichrous

Gomphidius oregonensis

Gymnopilus sapineus

Gymnopilus (small bright conifer wood)

Gymnopus (large, madrone bark)

Gymnopus subpruinosus

Gymnopus villosipes

Hebeloma crustuliniforme

Helotiales (yellow disco swarm)

Helvella dryophila

Hemimycena 1

Hemimycena 2

Heterotextus alpinus

Hohenbuehelia grisea

Hydnum (rufescens type?)

Hygrocybe acutoconica

Hygrocybe aurantiosplendens

Hygrocybe coccinea

Hygrocybe singeri

Hygrophorus eburneus

Hygrophorus roseibrunneus

Hypholoma fasciculare

Hypocrea (yellow, on polypore)

Hypomyces microspermus group

Inocybe 1

Inocybe 2

Inocybe geophylla

Inocybe lilacina

Inocybe sororia

Jahnoporus hirtus

Laccaria amethysteo-occidentalis

Laccaria fraterna

Laccaria proxima

Lactarius "montanus"

Lactarius alnicola

Lactarius californiensis

Lactarius deliciosus

Lactarius megacarpus

Lactarius pallidiolivaceus

Lactarius rubidus

Lactarius rubrilacteus

Lactarius rufulus

Lactarius substriatus

Lactarius subvillosus

Lactarius xanthogalactus

Laetiporus gilbertsonii

Lenzites betulina

Leotia lubrica (one fruitbody, Big Basin)

Lepiota 1

Lepiota atrodisca

Lepiota castanea

Lepiota castaneidisca

Lepiota magnispora

Lepiota spheniscispora (late-ish, Pogonip)

Leptonia decolorans

Leptonia formosa

Leptoporus sp.

Leratiomyces ceres

Leratiomyces percevallii

Leucopaxillus albissimus

Leucopaxillus gentianeus

Lichenomphalia umbellifera

Lycoperdon molle (oak, UCSC)

Lycoperdon perlatum

Lycoperdon umbrinum

Lyophyllum decastes

Lyophyllum semitale group (fairly abundant, Big Basin)

Marasmius calhouniae

Marasmius plicatulus

Marasmius quercophilus

Micromphale arbuticola

Mucronella flava

Mucronella fusiformis

Mucronella small white clustered

Mycena 1

Mycena acicula

Mycena aurantiomarginata

Mycena californiensis

Mycena epipterygia (uncommon here, one fruitbody, Big Basin)

Mycena galericulata

Mycena maculata

Mycena oregonensis

Mycena pura

Mycena purpureofusca

Nidula candida

Omphalotus olivascens

Onnia (triquetra?, one fruitbody, pine, Henry Cowell)

Paralepista flaccida

Paxillus "oak undescribed"

Peziza sp.

Phaeoclavulina myceliosa

Phaeolus schweinitzii

** Phallus hadriani (thanks to Linda Rosewood! San Lorenzo corridor)

Phanerochaete sanguinea

Phellinus (oak)

Phellinus arctostaphyli

Phlebia radiata

Phlebia tremellosa

Phloeomana speirea

Pisolithus sp.

Pleurotus ostreatus

Pluteus cervinus group

Porodaedalea pini

** Postia caesia (uncommon here, Empire Grade, on Douglas fir)

Psathyrella candolleana

Psathyrella piluliformis

Psathyrella uliginicola

Psatyhyrella sp.

Pseudobaeospora deckeri (Big Basin)

Pseudobaeospora stevensii (Big Basin)

Pseudohydnum gelatinosum (abundant, Big Basin)

"Purple Fuzz"

Ramaria sp.

** Ramaria apiculata - uncommon here (Big Basin)

Ramaria formosa

Ramaria peach yellow

Ramaria “red”- (uncommon here, Fall Creek)

** Ramaria violaceibrunnea (uncommon here, Fall Creek & Big Basin)

** Rhodocollybia oregonensis - (rare here, Big Basin, first county record?)

Rhodocybe "brown"

Rhodocybe caelata

Rhodocybe nuciolens (two fruitbodies, redwoods at Pogonip)

Rhodophana nitellina

Roridomyces roridus (one fruitbody, Big Basin)

Russula 1

Russula 2

Russula brevipes

Russula cerolens

Russula cremoricolor

Russula cyanoxantha

Russula densifolia

Russula (greenish-brown-capped oak-associated cyanoxantha-type)

Russula murillii

Russula xerampelina

Schizophyllum commune

Simocybe centunculus

Sowerbyella rhenana (one fruiting, Ponderosa Lodge)

Stereum hirsutum

Stictis radiata

Suillellus amygdalinus (a few lateish fruitbodies at Pogonip)

Suillus caerulescens

Suillus fuscotomentosus

Suillus lakei

Trametes versicolor

Tremella aurantia

Tremellodendropsis tuberosa

Trichaptum abietinum

Trichoglossum hirsutum

** Tricholoma aurantia - (quite rare here, Fall Creek)

Tricholoma dryophilum

Tricholoma griseoviolaceum

Tricholoma pessundatum (a few fruitbodies with planted pine, Ocean Street cemetery)

Tricholoma saponaceum (both yellow form with pine and gray-white form with tanoak)

Tricholoma terreum

Tyromyces chioneus

Volvopluteus gloiocephalus

Xerocomellus truncatus

Xerocomellus zelleri

Xerocomus subtomentosus