An outlook on the diversity of polypores shared between Iran and the Mediterranean area

Polypore fungi are an important group of wood-inhabiting basidiomycetes that have significant roles in biomass recycling in forests and woodland ecosystems. Figures on the polypore diversity in Iran have been partly made available through few checklists, but there have been no comparative studies on the pattern of geographic distribution of the species. The prevalence of the Mediterranean bioclimate in Iran, and scattered Mediterranean vegetation in the country have been well-documented. Here, intensive analyses were made for the first time to compare the composition of the polypore species in Iran and the Mediterranean area, based on field records and well-curated explicit checklists. Our analyses reveal a high resemblance of the polypore composition of Iran to the Mediterranean area. It is shown that the majority of the polypore species in Iran (87%) are shared with the Mediterranean region. Noteworthily, there are several rare to very rare, as well as extra European taxa among the shared species in Iran. Moreover, it is shown that about 5% of the Iranian polypore species seem to be ‘true Mediterranean’, with their major world distribution being in the Mediterranean region. Remarkable shared species are discussed and illustrated. The results of this study would be important in conservation management of the vulnerable forests ecosystems in Iran, especially in the Hyrcanian forests where most of the rare to very rare species arise.