Friesia X, 4-5

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driftwood and marine fungi when coastal contact has been established
for a shorter and longer time. This is natural since marine fungi are
normally studied in a marine and not in a terrestrial environment.
The majority of reports on marine fungi cover collections carried
out at ebb on intertidal wood, i. e. on driftwood or permanent timber
constructions such as harbour installations and fishing stakes which
due to the tidal movement are alternately exposed and submerged
(BARGHOORN & LINDER 1944, JONES 1962). Ecological observations
of marine fungi on coasts have been carried out by KOHLMEYER (1966)
who investigated the fungal spores in skum on the east coast of
North America, by SCHAUMANN (1969) on the occurrence of fungi on
harbour timber at Helgoland, and by KOHLMEYER (1969) on fungi in
mangrove forests. Apart from that of KOHLMEYER (1968), no compre­
hensive description of marine fungi from sea coasts is available from
Seandinavia.
The most striking feature at the Grønhøj locality is perhaps the
abundant occurrence with respect both to the number of species and
to the number of individuals. This circumstance could be due to the
fact that some environmental factors, although present singly and in
other combinations elsewhere, are only rarely found in a combination
as favourable as that at the Grønhøj locality. The busy North Sea
and Skagerak account for the abundance of driftwood, although
laterals of the Gulf Stream might well carry debris from the Atlantic
and other distant waters to the Grønhøj beach. When washed up to
the base of the dune, the driftwood will remain moist due to capillary
action as the result of the fine grained sand and the high ground
water level. The produetion of fruit bo dies also demands time; this
requirement is fulfilled partly by the fact that the storms during
which the sea reaches up to zone 3 are chiefly confined to the winter
months, partly because the tidal movements are extremely small (the
maximum difference between ebb and flood tides is 25 cm). This
latter condition is particularly unusual for a marine coast.
The species found at the locality eannot be expected to be unique
since the marine fungi have a wide distribution and can be regarded
as cosmopolitan. HUGHES & CHAMUT (1971) have compiled a list of
marine lignicolous fungi from the southern hemisphere and among
others it contains the foUowing species which are also noted from
the Grønhøj locality: Amylocarpus encephalouies, Ceriosporopsis
halim«, Corollospora cristatar) , C. trijurcata, Halosphaeria appendiculata)
H. mediosetiqera, Helicoma maritimicm, Nia vibrisea, Piricauda
*) See Corollospora comata p. 218.