Funghi alpini delle zone alpine superiori e inferiori

Description

INTRODUCTION

The study of alpine mycota has always been perceived as one of the most seductive, motivating branches of mycology. The peculiarity of the fungi growing in these unusual sites, the strict relationship that most of them establish with these unique habitats and the spell of the search (requiring hikes sometimes exhaust-ing, but in most cases very rewarding despite the effort it often takes to reach the intended destination) are the main reasons behind the alpine mycology specialists’ urge to go beyond the traditional boundaries of montane and subalpine forests and pastures.

In the past, some mycologists of world renown devoted themselves to the specific study of the fungal flora of the alpine environment. Foremost among them the Swiss “pioneer” Jules Favre, who studied over 200 species of macrofungi collected in a relatively limited territory within the Grisons Swiss National Park and adjacent valleys. In France, with Emile Boudier and Roger Heim this kind of research took a highly specialist turn and their example was followed by a fairly large group of mycologists, still receiving an international acclaim, who teamed up with true specialists in Arctic-alpine mycology, coming especially from Switzerland, Scandinavia, North America and Japan. Among the most distinguished authorities are to be included Robert Kühner, Dénise Lamoure, Marcel Bon, Egon Horak, Beatrice Senn-Irlet, Gro Gulden and Joseph Ammirati. Regarding our country, I am not aware of mycologists of some renown who dedicated themselves to this sector of mycology in the past, with the exception of Beniamino Peyronel from Piedmont (who, however, specialized in the mycorrhizal association between basidiomycetes and dwarf alpine plants) and Piera Scaramella, who investigated the ecology of alpine fungi in the Little Saint Bernard area of Valle d’Aosta. The number of botanists and phytosociolgists who also in Italy have tackled nival and subnival herbs and flowers is larger, but while for them the seasonal foraying period is relatively long, for mycologists unfortunately things are otherwise. In fact, at high elevations the period favourable to the fungal growth, which covers the alpine summer, is extremely short and confined roughly to the summer months, but even in such a limited time-span, the right moments are very few and, all in all, they seldom amount to more than 20-30 days.