Investigation of Physicochemical Indices and Microbial Communities in Termite Fungus-Combs.

Guiying Yang,Farhan Ahmad,Shiyou Liang,Meixia Guo,Qihuan Zhou,Hassan Ahmed Gaal,Jianchu Mo

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2020.581219

Abstract

Termitomyces species are wild edible mushrooms that possess high nutritional value and a wide range of medicinal properties. However, the cultivation of these mushrooms is very difficult because of their symbiotic association with termites. In this study, we aimed to examine the differences in physicochemical indices and microbial communities between combs with Termitomyces basidiomes (CF) and combs without Termitomyces basidiomes (CNF). High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), gas chromatography equipped with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID), some commercial kits, high-throughput sequencing of the 16s RNA, and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) were used. Humidity, pH, and elements, i.e., Al, Ba, Fe, Mn, Ni, S, Ca, and Mg were higher while amino acids particularly alanine, tyrosine, and isoleucine were lower in CF as compared to CNF. The average contents of fatty acids were not significantly different between the two comb categories. The bacterial genera Alistipes, Burkholderia, Sediminibacterium, and Thermus were dominant in all combs. Brevibacterium, Brevundimonas, and Sediminibacterium were significantly more abundant in CF. Basidiomycota and Ascomycota were also identified in combs. Termitomyces clypeatus, Termitomyces sp. Group3, and Termitomyces sp. were the most dominant species in combs. However, any single Termitomyces species was abundantly present in an individual comb.

Highlights

Termitomyces is a rare genus among wild edible mushrooms, most abundantly present intropical areas of Southeast Asia and Africa (Aanen et al, 2009; Siddiquee et al, 2015)
Mature combs produce basidiomes during rainy seasons. The evolution of this intricate relationship makes it extremely difficult to cultivate Termitomyces mushrooms artificially, their mycelium can grow on several nutritive media and substrates (Tibuhwa, 2012; Ono et al, 2016; da Costa et al, 2019b)
The average concentration of each element was different between combs with Termitomyces basidiomes (CF) and combs without Termitomyces basidiomes (CNF)

Summary

Introduction

Termitomyces is a rare genus among wild edible mushrooms, most abundantly present in (sub)tropical areas of Southeast Asia and Africa (Aanen et al, 2009; Siddiquee et al, 2015). Termitomyces appears only on the nests of fungus-growing termites (Macrotermitine) during rainy seasons. Individual termite colonies have been found to cultivate only single species of Termitomyces (Makonde et al, 2013). In this symbiotic association, old termite workers forage plant materials from the outside environment and store them inside the colony (Poulsen et al, 2014). Mature combs produce basidiomes during rainy seasons The evolution of this intricate relationship makes it extremely difficult to cultivate Termitomyces mushrooms artificially, their mycelium can grow on several nutritive media and substrates (Tibuhwa, 2012; Ono et al, 2016; da Costa et al, 2019b)

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Conclusion