Population Dynamics of the Black Tinder Fungus Beetle Bolitophagus reticulatus

The aim of the study was to describe seasonal changes in numbers and settlement of basidiocarps of tinder fungus [Fomes fomentarius (L. ex Fr.) Kick] by the coleopteran Bolitophagus reticulatus L. in relation to the weight and the stage of decomposition of a basidiocarp in different types of forest habitats. Tinder fungi, which contained the coleopterans, were collected from four sample plots located in the Tuchola Forest and the Myœlêcinek area located within the administrative borders of the town of Bydgoszcz. Out of 763 collected tinder fungus basidiocarps, the coleopteran B. reticulatus inhabited 322, from which 2643 imagines and 685 larvae were obtained. In each of the studied habitats noticeable concentrations of coleopterans in dead basidiocarps of tinder fungus were observed. Differences in settlement of living and dead fruiting bodies proved statistically significant. Irrespective of the sample plot where the fungi were collected, the number and settlement of tinder fungus basidiocarps by B. reticulatus changed within a year, reaching highest values in winter. The influence of the season on values describing settlement of basidiocarps by B. reticulatus was confirmed statistically. No statistically significant influence of the forest habitat type and the weight of basidiocarps on settlement of tinder fungus by B. reticulatus were revealed.