The occurrence of yeasts in the forest soils

One hundred and eighty one yeast strains were isolated from 180 soil samples collected in three types of forest. The samples were taken during one year. The yeast species found were similar in spite of distinct forest types. Cryptococcus laurentii, Cystofilobasidium capitatum, Leucosporidium scottii, Rhodotorula aurantiaca, and Trichosporon cutaneum were the predominant species in both deciduous and coniferous forests. The number of yeasts ranged from 1.5 x 10(3) to 1.1 x 10(4) CFU/g soil. We found that yeasts occurred unevenly in soils during the year. The lowest number of yeasts was ascertained in December and the highest one in May.