SEASONAL DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE OF SOIL FUNGI FROM FOREST SOILS OF WET EVERGREEN FOREST OF TAMIL NADU

Twenty four soil samples were collected from wet evergreen forest of Tamil Nadu, Southern India; the fungi from these soil samples were isolated in both seasons. About – different species belongs to various groups viz. Ascomycotina and Deuteromycotina were identified with the help of relevant literatures. Out of these five speciesbelongs to Zygomycetes, one species of Ascomycetes, one species of Coelomycetes remaining were Hyphomycetes. Twenty one species of Penicillium and 10 of Aspergillus were also recorded from both collections. None of the basidiomycetes could be isolated from these soils in spite of our best efforts. The diversity indices offorest soil fungi over the two seasons were 2.57, 2.49 (Shannon-Weinner), 0.87, 0.84 (Simpson index) and 10.51, 11.1 (Fishers’s alpha) respectively. The results are discussed in detail.