An inventory of Discomycetes (Ascomycota, Fungi) in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Discomycetes represent one of the largest groups of fungi, but are also among the most poorly understood due to their small size, ephemeral nature, and lack of taxonomic understanding.  These organisms occur on herbaceous and woody plant material, where they are essential in nutrient cycling and the decomposition of organic matter, as well as forming endophytic associations with plants.  This inventory will be the fist known inventory on the diversity of discomycetes within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Preliminary collecting in the Park indicates a high diversity of discomycetes, with over 70% of collected species representing new Park records and a high probability of the existence of species new to science.  Products resulting from this inventory will include: 1) a species checklist, 2) a georeferenced database including distribution and host data, and 3) fresh material and cultures which will be used in creating species web pages and identification guides.