A combined catalog of non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs) of fungal origin from soil and airborne samples of Uruguay

Abstract

Here is presented a commented catalog of non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs) of fungal origin, that arises from the articulation of research efforts in the disciplines of paleoecology and aerobiology. It includes the morphotypes recorded in projects carried out in the ‘campos’ region of Uruguay. The aim is to give a baseline resource for the identification of fungal NPPs, to encourage their inclusion in the forthcoming research in the Region. Surface soils were taken at 14 sites in the Department of Rocha, covering as much environmental variability as possible, while volumetric airborne samples were collected daily in the city of Montevideo, during 24 months. The soils were treated by standard palynological methods, considering all the microremains of known or suspected fungal origin. The airborne samples were observed fresh in the microscope. In topsoils, 157 different morphotypes were found, with 90 identified at some taxonomic level. Among the unknown types, 17 had been reported by other researchers and 50 were new reports. The most widespread types were Coniochaeta aff. ligniaria, Glomus sp., Sporormiella-type, Sordaria sp., and Cercophora-type, especially in grasslands and swamps, where most remains seem to come from coprophilous fungi. The morphotype assemblage found in soils under forested communities was different from that observed in open environments, with the prevalence of spores of anamorph stages of saprobic/parasitic fungi. In the air, 68 morphotypes were identified in a previous contribution, but pictures are shown for the first time here, together with descriptions. There were 24 types in common between topsoil and airborne samples, including spores of potential plant pathogens such as Nigrospora sp., Alternaria sp., and Stemphylium sp. and spores of coprophilous fungi, especially the Sporormiella-type. The most frequent types found in the air were conidia of plant pathogens, probably sourced in urban trees or periurban grasslands (Cladosporium sp., Alternaria sp., and Curvularia sp.). Since most NPPs have a wide or even cosmopolitan geographic distribution, the catalog presented here is of international interest.