Mycologia最新文献

Global warming increasingly challenges agricultural productivity due to rising salt and water scarcity stress. In response to these challenges, the present study investigates the potential of dark septate endophytes (DSEs) from Khawrihnim Village, Mizoram, India, to enhance the tolerance of upland rice (Oryza sativa). Two DSE species, Acrocalymma vagum and Alternaria chlamydospora, were identified and examined for their potential enhancement of plant resilience to salt and water scarcity stress. The result showed that both DSE species substantially impacted rice seed germination, biomass accumulation, and oxidative stress responses under salt and water scarcity conditions. Biomass content was augmented under elevated stress levels (-0.90 MPa), suggesting possible stress tolerance mechanisms. Increased superoxide dismutase activity and diminished malondialdehyde levels under stress conditions underscored the DSE's capacity to alleviate reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation in plants. Furthermore, seed and shoot germination rates were markedly enhanced by 60% using DSEs as biofertilizers, particularly evident in direct treatments. These findings highlight the efficacy of the DSEs Acrocalymma vagum and Alternaria chlamydospore as biofertilizers to enhance plant development and resilience in adverse environmental conditions. Their capacity to augment abiotic stress resilience and promote agricultural sustainability presents a significant opportunity for enhancing crop output, especially in areas susceptible to stress.

Ectomycorrhiza is a mutualistic symbiotic association formed between fungi and plants, which enhances the host plant's stress resistance and promotes plant growth. It plays an important role in forest ecosystems. A plethora of symbiotically active regulatory molecules are secreted throughout the continuum of ectomycorrhizal development, encompassing the period before physical contact between the fungi and their host plant roots to the maturation of the ectomycorrhizal symbiosis. However, our understanding of these substances is still limited. In recent years, as research in this field has deepened, several studies have documented that fungi release symbiotic regulatory substances, including fungal-derived plant hormones and small secreted proteins, which participate in the regulation of mycorrhizal formation. This article, from a fungal perspective, elaborates on the symbiotic regulatory substances secreted by ectomycorrhizal fungi into the surrounding environment or within the host plant. It further discusses the role of these substances in establishing symbiotic relationships with plants, aiming to offer novel insights for researchers in this field.

Large-scale manufacturing and disposal of fluorinated chemicals have led to global pollution by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that will require novel remediation techniques and investigation for their environmental fates. Fungi are dominant carbon nutrient recyclers in ecosystems, but their roles in responding to and degrading these persistent fluorocarbons remain largely untapped. Here, we investigated the fungal species' responses to perflouroalkyl carboxylic acid (PFCA) chemicals and their capacities in breaking down C-F bonds for defluorination (deF) by using the ion-selective electrode for quantifying free fluoride anions and the ¹⁹F nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) for monitoring PFAS removal in fungal cultures. Cytotoxicity assays showed that taxa within a unique class of fungi that cause "white rot" type of wood decay have developed an inherent defense mechanism for fluoride and fluorocarbon chemicals, setting off a basis for further investigating their deF phenotype. Although the current test did not evidence clear deF in legacy PFAS, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), it identified dehalogenated PFCA structures associated with an electron-attracting alkenyl group that provokes C-F cleavage. Our research, therefore, set a foundation for further unraveling the fungal deF mechanisms, and it also highlighted that future research should give sufficient attention to resident fungal communities in impacted environments due to their potential to recycle fluorinated compounds.

This study presents a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the genus Meripilus and its allied genera Henningsia and Physisporinus within the Meripilaceae family, in the broader context of the residual polyporoid clade. The three genera are morphologically similar and characterized by resupinate to pileate basidiomes that harden and often darken upon drying, a monomitic hyphal structure, simple-septate generative hyphae, and globose to ovoid basidiospores, with variable presence of cystidia. Species in Henningsia and Meripilus, in turn, present gloeopleurous hyphae in the context and large, multipileate basidiomes. Recent studies have indicated that Physisporinus, as currently defined, is not monophyletic, with Meripilus nested within it. Phylogenetic analysis based on four molecular markers confirmed the paraphyletic nature of Physisporinus, with Meripilus and Henningsia both nested within it. Morphological examinations of specimens collected in South America, along with revisions of type specimens, show that this segregation is not natural and causes nomenclatural problems. We propose to transfer all species currently placed in Physisporinus into Meripilus, thereby preventing the division of the genus into morphologically indistinguishable groups. As a result of this reclassification, we propose 35 new combinations in Meripilus and describe three new species from South America.

Leandria momordicae Rangel is the etiological agent of net spot, which is a very important disease of cucumber (Cucumis sativus), chayote (Sicyos edule), and in other Cucurbitaceae species. Although this pathogen was described more than a century ago infecting Momordica charantia, its taxonomic positioning has not yet been clarified. Moreover, a standard isolate of this fungus is not available in any reference mycological collection. In this context, the aims of the present work were (i) to clarify the taxonomic position of the fungus via morphological and phylogenetic analyses; (ii) to deposit a neotype of L. momordicae in a public mycological collection; (iii) to provide the first DNA sequences of the pathogen in GenBank. The morphometrical characteristics of distinct L. momordicae isolates were similar to those originally described. The phylogenetic analyses were carried out using information of five genomic regions. Using the BLASTn algorithm, it was observed that the L. momordicae-derived sequences displayed higher identity levels to fungal sequences of the order Pleosporales, which were subsequently included in the analyses. All sequences from the nine isolates of L. momordicae grouped within a single phylogenetic clade distinct from the other taxa in Pleosporales. Therefore, it is suggested the establishment of a new family of Pleosporales to include L. momordicae to which the name Leandriaceae is proposed. In addition, an ex-neotype and a neotype were illustrated and deposited in the Herbarium of the Federal University of Viçosa (VIC4754) and in the culture collection "Octávio Almeida Drummond" (COAD3403). The present study reinforces the view that many "hidden" fungal taxa are yet to be discovery under Neotropical conditions.

The polyphagous insect Helicoverpa armigera is a devastating pest known to develop resistance to insecticides quickly. In the search for alternatives, the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae has been found to be an eco-friendly component of integrated pest management for lepidopteran insects all over the world. On tomatoes, this pest devours both the leaves and the fruits. The present investigation was carried out to identify effective M. anisopliae strains against H. armigera through ultramicroscopic investigations. The fungal strains sourced from soil and Spodoptera frugiperda cadavers were subjected to molecular and morphological characterization, confirming their identity as M. anisopliae. Of the 10 M. anisopliae strains, ICAR SBI Ma 08 and ICAR SBI Ma 01 ranked first and second in efficacy against H. armigera second and fourth instars, respectively. The order of efficacy of other strains against H. armigera was ICAR SBI Ma 69 > ICAR SBI Ma 44 > ICAR SBI Ma 07 > ICAR SBI Ma 05 > ICAR SBI Ma 172 > ICAR SBI Ma 03 > ICAR SBI Ma 46 > ICAR SBI Ma 04. Ultramicroscopic examinations found the growth of mycelia in the natural openings of the larva, such as the spiracles, thorax, legs, and setal alveoli, within 168 h. The tested strains demonstrated greater effectiveness against the second instar compared with the fourth instar, suggesting that the most potent strain, ICAR SBI Ma 08, can effectively manage the early instars.

Much progress documenting the diversity and relationships within the Hydnaceae has been made over the past decades. Nevertheless, the diversity of the family is far from completely known, especially in neotropical regions, which remain underexplored. Concentrated fieldwork to document the diversity and distribution of macrofungi in Costa Rica began in the late 1980s and continued through early 2000s. As most of the studies were morphology based, some species were identified only to genus level, provisionally named, or misidentified. This study provides morphological and molecular evidence of new species of Hydnaceae previously and newly collected in neotropical Quercus-dominated forests in Costa Rica. Molecular phylogenies support the proposal of five new species: a yellow chanterelle Ca. neotropicalis, three Craterellus species: Cr. griseohymeninus, sp. nov. Cr. minutibrunneus, sp. nov. and Cr. lamelligracilis, sp. nov. and a Hydnum repandum lookalike: Hydnum pallideflavum, sp. nov.

Advancements in fungal taxonomy have been significantly enhanced by multilocus phylogenetic analyses, which improve the precision of species identification. This study also employs such methods to investigate the genus Conocybe, resulting in the description of three novel species, viz. C. hasiluprensis and C. sultanii belonging to the section Pilosellae and C. ferruginae of section Conocybe, from southern Punjab, Pakistan. Field collections yielded specimens that were examined morphologically and genetically, using a multilocus phylogenetic analysis utilizing sequences from the ITS, 28S, and TEF1-α regions. A combined phylogenetic tree was constructed through maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods, revealing three novel taxa occupying their respective distinct branches. Further, morphological analysis complemented the genetic data, with each species displaying unique characteristics. This study not only adds to the fungal biodiversity of Pakistan but also provides a robust framework for future taxonomic and ecological research in the region. In addition, we provide a key to the known species of Conocybe in Pakistan.

Three new species of Artomyces from the Gaoligong Mountains and adjacent areas of southwestern China, namely, A. brunneoalbus, A. hirtipes, and A. pteruloides, are described based on morphological characteristics, molecular phylogenetic evidence, and ecological traits. Two other species described recently, A. niveus and A. yunnanensis, have also been identified in the same area. In addition, the occurrence of A. pyxidatus in southwestern China and North Macedonia was confirmed. Our study indicated that the species diversity of Artomyces is relatively high in East Asia. To date, seven species of Artomyces have been reported from the region, including the aforementioned species and A. microsporus. Given the diversity of forest ecosystems, from tropical to temperate areas in China, additional species of the genus could be revealed in the future.

The plant genus Eryngium (Apiaceae) includes various species used as condiments, ornamentals in gardens, or as elements in floral arrangements. In recent years, there has been a surge in interceptions from South America at U.S. ports of entry, leading to the subsequent destruction of these plants due to the presence of an unidentified species of Entyloma (Entylomatales, Exobasidiomycetes). The combination of morphology, host, and geographic origin did not align with any reported species on Eryngium. This study aimed to identify and characterize this unknown Entyloma sp. ascertain its phylogenetic relationship with other Entyloma species, and verify the identity of the host plant. Morphological and phylogenetic (nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer [ITS] regions) analyses were performed, in context with available sequences and species of Entyloma. Nuc rDNA ITS was also used to attempt the identification of the host. Findings reveal that the unidentified Entyloma sp. forms a distinct and well-supported clade separate from other species on Eryngium. Its closest relatives include En. carmeli, En. eryngii, En. eryngii-cretici, En. eryngii-plani, En. lagoeciae, and En. scandicis. Morphologically, it resembles En. argentinense, En. eryngii-alpini, En. eryngii-cretici, En. eryngii-maritimi, and En. eryngii-plani; however, a combination of host affiliation, geography, and morphology distinguishes the new Entyloma sp. from these five species. Therefore, the new species Entyloma meridionale is described herein. The host plant was confirmed as Eryngium planum. This research increases knowledge of Entyloma diversity and contributes to understanding the dynamics of pathogen movement and potential invasion into new territories.