Submitted 6 January 2014, Accepted 16 January 2014, Published online 9 February 2014 *Corresponding Author: Kandikere R. Sridhar – e-mail – kandikere@gmail.com 144 Macrofungi on the coastal sand dunes of south-western India Ghate SD, Sridhar KR* and Karun NC Department of Biosciences, Mangalore University, Mangalagangotri, Mangalore 574 199, India Ghate SD, Sridhar KR, Karun NC 2014 – Macrofungi on the coastal sand dunes of south-western India. Mycosphere 5(1), 144–151, Doi 10.5943/mycosphere/5/1/6 Abstract This paper documents the distribution and diversity of macrofungi in coastal sand dunes characterized by less, moderate and severe disturbance regimes of the south-western India. Diversity was higher in moderately disturbed dunes compared to less or severely disturbed dunes. Among the 38 macrofungi recovered, ten, six, two and one species were edible, ectomycorrhizal, medicinal and considered to be of decorative value, respectively. Ten macrofungi were dominant (≥5 fruit bodies/625 m 2 ) on the coastal sand dunes. These were Amanita sp., Collybia dryophila var. extuberans, C. fusipes, Coprinus plicatilis, Dacryopinax spathularia, Lactarius sp., Lentinus squarrosulus, Marasmius kisangensis, Marasmius sp. 2 and Scleroderma citrinum). The coastal sand dunes are under severe anthropogenic pressure, especially urbanization, sand extraction, agricultural activities and seawall construction. The revegetated dunes are mainly represented by exotic tree species (e.g., Acacia and Casuarina), which are often harvested. Due to the removal of native vegetation and the ‘grow and harvest’ policy associated with exotic trees, the native flora, fauna and macrofungi of the coastal sand dunes are severely threatened. The results obtained in the present pilot study point out the need for long-term temporal and spatial investigation of the macrofungal resource of coastal sand dunes to gain a more comprehensive knowledge on their abundance, diversity, ecological significance, benefits and what must be done to implement strategies necessary for conservation. Key words  dunes  mushrooms  woodrot fungi  disturbance  conservation Introduction Coastal sand dunes (CSD) are the most dynamic and ecologically sensitive transition zones linking terrestrial and marine ecosystems. They are versatile habitats owing to several direct and indirect ecological services, especially the filtration of seawater, recycling of nutrients, prevention of floods and protection against storms (McLachlan & Brown 2006, Maun 2009). However, the CSD are the most threatened habitats throughout the world and have been transformed considerably due to urbanization, industrialization, deforestation and agricultural activities (Clark 1996, Schlacher et al. 2007, Malavasi et al. 2013). Being highly vulnerable for severe anthropogenic pressures, the ecological services of CSD are hampered mainly due to the loss of biodiversity (EEA Technical Report 2001-2006). Although the landscape restoration and management of CSD has become a daunting task, there is an urgent need to conserve and restore this ecosystem for biodiversity protection and long-term benefits. One of the major ways in which CSD stabilization can occur is to depend on the vegetation, especially the psammophytes, since they play vital role in building and stabilizing the dunes due to Mycosphere 5 (1): 144–151 (2014) ISSN 2077 7019 www.mycosphere.org Article Mycosphere Copyright © 2014 Online Edition Doi 10.5943/mycosphere/5/1/6