Genotypic diversity, plant selectivity and community composition of sooty mould symptom forming fungi in a Mata Atlântica relict rainforest (DFG RA 731/15-1) The collaboration between Fabienne Flessa and Gerhard Rambold has provided valuable insights into the study of epiphytic fungal communities across various ecosystems, with a particular focus on the Brazilian Mata Atlântica. In a comparative study involving samples from the Atlantic Rainforest and Central Europe, they analyzed the composition and diversity of sooty mould communities. The samples from the Mata Atlântica showed significantly higher species richness and included numerous previously undescribed taxa. The study also revealed region-specific fungal assemblages, emphasizing the importance of local environmental conditions in shaping epiphytic microhabitats.
This research was complemented by earlier studies focusing on Central European sites. For example, Flessa and Rambold investigated fungal communities on Rhododendron ferrugineum in alpine regions, identifying a dominance of Capnocheirides rhododendri. The results highlighted a high degree of host specificity among phyllosphere fungi.
In another study, they examined how the annual leaf fall of deciduous trees in Central Europe influences the development of pigmented epiphytic fungi. Their findings indicated that the limited lifespan of leaves constrains the formation of stable fungal communities, affecting overall diversity.
Taken together, these studies provide a comprehensive picture of how climatic, geographic, and host-specific factors shape the structure of epiphytic fungal communities — with the Mata Atlântica emerging as a hotspot of exceptional mycological diversity.
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Diversity of epifoliar pigmented fungi on Rhododendron (Z_Myk_2010-05) Flessa and Rambold showed that sooty mold fungi on Rhododendron ferrugineum differ between young and old leaves, likely due to glandular secretions. Their study highlights the role of plant physiology in shaping surface fungal communities.
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Studien zur Vergesellschaftung epifoliarer pigmentierter Pilze mit Schwerpunkt in Oberfranken (Z_Myk_2006-02) The study by Flessa and Rambold compared the communities of dark pigmented epifoliar fungi on deciduous trees around Bayreuth with those on evergreen plants. The results showed no host preference among the fungal taxa, but the community composition differed significantly between annual and perennial leaves, suggesting that the fungal community on deciduous leaves represents an early stage of the same community on evergreen plants.
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