BIODIVERSITY OF THE EXISTING MUSHROOMS UNDER THE PROTECTED LANDSCAPE AREA OF MT.MATUTUM,POLOMOLOK,SOUTH COTABATO

Mount Matutum is a protected landscape area and one of the key biodiversity areas of the country that sprawled in the municipalities of South Cotabato and these are Polomolok, Tamapakan,Tupi and Malungon, Sarangani. Paradoxically, there are a lot yet few studies were conducted here due to its innate abundance of biodiversity and symbiotic activities. Despite its protected status and being one of the biodiversity hotspots in the region, there has been no study conducted to assess its mushroom diversity. This study was conducted to provide information about the biodiversity of the mushroom at Mt. Matutum, in 800-1,199 meter above sea level. A total of eleven mushrooms were evaluated, six (6) were identified and five were not. Among the eleven mushrooms found, the common habitat is in decaying wood, one is in live tree; with regards to their growth growth habit, two of them are solitary, 7 are gregarious, and 2 are caespitose: all of the mushrooms observed are absent in stipe except one. The mushrooms that have been assessed and identified were Ganoderma sp., Inonotus sp.,Heterobasidion sp.,Auricularia sp.,and both Laetiporus sp. The specimens ABS01,ABS02,ABS04,ABS07 and ABS08 are profoundly recommended for further study and to undergo molecular profiling or DNA barcoding in order to successfully identify them.It is concluded that within the measured parameter there is high variability of mushrooms Therefore, a profound recommendation to conduct more research studies about Mt. Matutum,particularly, biodiversity studies of microbiota to understand ecosystem functioning which can lead to decision-making process for conservation of the area.