Ecology Of Myxomycetes Research Articles

Myxomycetes associated with the bark, cones and leaves of Australian cypress pines (Callitris spp.)

Context The diversity of myxomycetes associated with Australia’s most diverse native conifer genus, Callitris, has been incompletely studied.Aims In this study, we examine the diversity of myxomycetes associated with outer bark, fallen cones and dead litter (leaves/needles) of four Callitris species.Methods Substrate samples were collected from 13 localities in New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory. Samples were used to prepare moist-chamber cultures, and species of associated myxomycetes were identified.Key results Twenty-three species in 15 genera were recorded. Percentage occurrence of myxomycetes varied depending on substrate, being 87% (cones), 83% (bark) and 63% (litter). Bark yielded the most species (17), followed by litter (10) and cones (6). Only two species (Arcyria cinerea and S. fusca) were recorded from all three substrates. Substrate pH is often an important factor for the occurrence of myxomycetes, but the mean values recorded for cones (5.7), litter (5.8), and bark (5.9) showed little difference. This suggests that other undetermined factors contributed to the differences in species occurrence. In addition to the records generated in the present study, we provide a list of previous records of myxomycetes found in association with Callitris.Conclusions This study has highlighted, for the first time, the diversity of myxomycetes associated with members of the genus Callitris and has shown the importance of cypress pines as a substrate for myxomycetes.Implications This study leads to a better understanding of the biogeography, distribution and ecology of myxomycetes and their associated organisms.

Myxomycete ecology in urban areas: rapid assessment from two cities

Myxomycete ecology in urban areas: rapid assessment from two cities

Myxomycetes of Russia: a history of research and a checklist of species

The main objective of this paper is to provide an overview of the history and the level of research on biodiversity of myxomycetes in Russia. The first doubtless mention of myxomycetes in Russia dates back to the 18th century. Since then, numerous studies on myxomycete diversity in different regions of Russia have been published. Yu.K. Novozhilov summarized all accumulated data by publishing a list of 304 species in 2005. However, new data on species diversity, biogeography, and ecology of myxomycetes have been published in recent years. Recent research aims to fill this gap. This paper includes 321 sources, including studies published after 2005 and several works absent in previous reports. A full list of 455 myxomycete species found in Russia includes references to all literature sources. The analyzed database consists of more than 14 600 records in the "publication-region-species" format. Additionally, our research includes a detailed historical overview of the myxomycete studies in Russia. We hope that our information system, also available online at https://russia.myxomycetes.org/, will create a solid foundation for future studies of myxomycete biodiversity in Russia, particularly in the understudied regions.

Occurrence of leaf litter inhabiting myxomycetes from lowland forest patches of Northern and Central Vietnam

During the last years, much of the diversity studies of myxomycetes (plasmodial slime molds) have been concentrated mostly in the Southern region of Vietnam. Moreover, information on leaf litter inhabiting myxomycetes for the country is still in scarcity. Hence, this study aims to assess the occurrence and distribution of leaf litter inhabiting myxomycetes in different forest types in the subtropical northern and coastal tropical monsoon central part of the country. Samples of aerial and ground leaf litter that were used to prepare moist chamber cultures in the laboratory were collected in (1) Ba Vi National Park, Ha Noi, (2) Ho Nui Coc, Thai Nguyen, and (3) coastal forest patches in Da Nang. A total of 24 species belonging to 10 genera, wherein the majority of these myxomycete species appeared abundantly (11 species) is reported for this study. Based on species richness, Ha Noi harbored the highest number of myxomycete species. Leaf litter inhabiting myxomycete communities between aerial and ground substrates shared a high level of similarity based on their species composition and relative abundance. Highest level of similarity of leaf litter inhabiting myxomycete asssemblages is also reported between Ha Noi and Da Nang (CC = 0.78, PS = 0.56). This research study is the first step in understanding the complex myxomycete ecology of leaf inhabiting myxomycetes and would help filling now the large gap in one of the unexplored tropical areas of the world.

Unexplored diversity of microscopic myxomycetes: evidence from environmental DNA

Background and aims – Recent studies showed the position of two slime mould species with microscopic sporocarps, Echinosteliopsis oligospora and Echinostelium bisporum, within the class Myxomycetes. These minute species are seldom seen in studies based on detection of sporocarps and can easily be confused with protosteloid amoebozoans.Methods – We searched all published ePCR data sets that targeted myxomycete 18S rDNA for the presence of environmental sequences similar to E. oligospora and Echinosteliales in traditional circumscription, and performed phylogenetic analyses that included short environmental sequences and full-length 18S rDNA sequences representing all the major groups of myxomycetes.Key results – We report 19 unique sequences which are closely related to E. bisporum or E. oligospora based on sequence similarity (73.1–95.2% similarity) and which form well-supported monophyletic clades with these species in phylogenetic analyses. They may represent new species that are not yet described. Our phylogeny based on full-length 18S rDNA sequences further confirms the position of E. bisporum and E. oligospora within myxomycetes and the paraphyly of the order Echinosteliales in its traditional circumscription.Conclusions – Our results show that ePCR-based studies can reveal myxomycete taxa that often escape detection by traditional approaches, including potentially new species, and thus provide valuable new data on diversity and ecology of myxomycetes. As such, strategies for studying myxomycetes biodiversity should be revised, focusing also on molecular detection techniques in addition to the sporocarp-based ones.

Community of dark-spored myxomycetes in ground litter and soil of taiga forest (Nizhne-Svirskiy Reserve, Russia) revealed by DNA metabarcoding

Abstract The diversity of dark-spored myxomycetes in forest ground litter and soil from four study plots across a fire chronosequence in Nizhne-Svirskiy Nature Reserve (northwest of Russia) was assessed by a DNA metabarcoding approach. The history of fire disturbances and the season of sampling influenced the composition of myxomycete assemblages. Several species showed substrate preferences different from what is known from fruiting body records. A high abundance of nivicolous species in the majority of the samples suggests that this ecological group constitutes a common element of soil microbial communities in lowland taiga forests. Four species are reported for the Leningrad region for the first time. Our results support the hypothesis that amoebae populations of myxomycetes may have much wider ecological niches than indicated by records of fructifications, and further environmental studies may provide valuable new insights on myxomycete ecology and distribution.

Diversity and Ecology of Myxomycetes from Kütahya and Konya (Turkey) with Four New Records

In this study, we examined myxomycetes that developed in moist chamber cultures of substrata material collected from Kütahya and Konya provinces in Turkey. We collected bark samples from living trees, plant litter from the ground, standing dead wood or stumps, and downed and decayed wood or bark and placed them in the moist chamber cultures. We identified 36 species belonging to 12 genera of myxomycetes. The species determined are listed, and four new records, Didymium balearicum Ing, Macbrideola oblonga Pando & Lado, Paradiacheopsis erythropodia (Ing) Nann–Bremek. and Perichaena pedata (Lister & G. Lister) G. Lister, are added to the mycoflora of Turkey.

Diversity and ecology of Myxomycetes in the Pampa Biome, Brazil

Diversity and ecology of Myxomycetes in the Pampa Biome, Brazil

Distribution and Ecology of Myxomycetes

Distribution and Ecology of Myxomycetes

New species of Diderma from Vietnam

During intensive studies of the taxonomy and ecology of myxomycetes in Cat Tien National Park (southern Vietnam), two species of Diderma (myxomycetes) were collected during surveys carried out in December 2010 and similar surveys carried out in November 2011 and 2012. These new species, D. cattiense and D. pseudotestaceum, are described and illustrated. D. cattiense resembles D. subasteroides in overall shape, colour and size of the sporocarps but has smaller spores and the ornamentation of spores and the capillitium are different. The main morphological differences between D. pseudotestaceum and D. testaceum lie in shape, colour of sporocarp, columella, spore size and ornamentation. A phylogeny based on the small ribosomal subunit (SSU) and elongation factor 1 alpha (EF1a) genes placed these new species in clades far apart from other species of Diderma.

Нові відомості щодо видової різноманітності та екології міксоміцетів Мезинського національного природного парку

Нові відомості щодо видової різноманітності та екології міксоміцетів Мезинського національного природного парку

Characterization of myxomycete communities in soil by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-based method

Myxomycetes are amoeboid organisms, and their life cycle includes a stage in which they produce fruiting bodies. Extensive field collections of their fruiting bodies have been conducted in various terrestrial ecosystems. However, little is known about the ecology of myxomycetes in their natural habitat, especially during their trophic stages. To study the presence and distribution of myxomycetes such as those belonging to Didymiaceae and Physaraceae in soil, we used a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based method. First, optimization of the reverse transcription (RT)-PCR conditions was performed with the RNA extracted from soil samples. A semi-nested RT-PCR approach was used to improve the specificity of detection. We used newly and previously designed primers in the first round of amplification, which was followed by a second round with the previously described primer pair for PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. Next, this method and nucleotide sequence analyses were applied to study several soil samples collected from five study sites. While no marked dynamic seasonal change was detected in the community composition of myxomycetes belonging to Didymiaceae and Physaraceae in the soil samples collected from the single site, their composition significantly differed between different sites. This is the first study that demonstrates the presence of myxomycetes in the soil and characterizes their community composition by RNA-based molecular analysis.

Distribution and ecology of myxomycetes in the high-elevation oak forests of Cerro Bellavista, Costa Rica

Myxomycetes associated with a high-elevation (>3000 m) oak forest in the Talamanca Range of Costa Rica were studied for 7 mo. Field collections were supplemented with collections obtained from moist chamber cultures prepared with samples of bark and ground litter of Quercus costaricensis. Various microenvironmental parameters including pH, substrate moisture and diameter, height above the ground and canopy openness were recorded for each field collection, whereas macroenvironmental data for temperature and precipitation were obtained from a meteorological station near the study area. Niche breadth and niche overlap indices were calculated to assess possible resource partitioning by myxomycetes. Thirty-seven species were recorded, including 11 new records for Costa Rica, eight for Central America and one for the neotropics. Both PCA and NMS multivariate analyses indicated that pH and height above the ground explained most of the observed variation, although substrate diameter also seemed to be an important factor. Precipitation showed an inverse correlation with the number of fruitings, confirming its importance as a macroenvironmental factor. Niche overlap values were not higher for closely related species and values for niche breadths were similar for most of the more common species, suggesting that most members of the assemblage of myxomycetes present in the study site are ecological generalists.

Distribution and ecology of myxomycetes in the high-elevation oak forests of Cerro Bellavista, Costa Rica

Myxomycetes associated with a high-elevation (>3000 m) oak forest in the Talamanca Range of Costa Rica were studied for 7 mo. Field collections were supplemented with collections obtained from moist chamber cultures prepared with samples of bark and ground litter of Quercus costaricensis. Various microenvironmental parameters including pH, substrate moisture and diameter, height above the ground and canopy openness were recorded for each field collection, whereas macroenvironmental data for temperature and precipitation were obtained from a meteorological station near the study area. Niche breadth and niche overlap indices were calculated to assess possible resource partitioning by myxomycetes. Thirty-seven species were recorded, including 11 new records for Costa Rica, eight for Central America and one for the neotropics. Both PCA and NMS multivariate analyses indicated that pH and height above the ground explained most of the observed variation, although substrate diameter also seemed to be an important factor. Precipitation showed an inverse correlation with the number of fruitings, confirming its importance as a macroenvironmental factor. Niche overlap values were not higher for closely related species and values for niche breadths were similar for most of the more common species, suggesting that most members of the assemblage of myxomycetes present in the study site are ecological generalists.

Floristics and ecology of Myxomycetes in China 1. A tentative list of known species

Four hundred and twelve species of Myxomycetes were reported. The list basically reflects the present knowledge of the species diversity and geographical distribution of Myxomycetes in China. In China, the species diversity of Myxomycetes in the north temperate regions is well known, but that in the tropical and subtropical regions is still inadequately known and will become a key research point in the future.

Ecology of myxomycetes of a winter-cold desert in western Kazakhstan

The moist chamber culture technique was used to study the ecology of myxomycetes from a winter-cold desert of the Mangyschlak Peninsula (western Kazakhstan). A rather species-poor community of 27 myxomycete taxa, two protostelids and some undifferentiated myxobacteria was found. The rank-abundance plot is described best by a log series or a geometric model. The species that developed formed a successional sequence that correlated well with morphological features of the fructifications. Using canonical correspondence analysis, environmental parameters recorded within substrate sampling were related to species abundances. Substratum type and pH accounted for most of the variance in species distribution. Using five environmental parameters and development time as resource states, niche breadths were calculated for the 18 most common species in the study. Bark-inhabiting species were found to be more specialized than those inhabiting litter. Members of the first group tend to develop rapidly, have small, usually stalked sporocarps without a peridium and possess protoplasmodia or minute aphanoplasmodia. Members of the second group tend to have a phaneroplasmodium and develop more slowly into larger, usually sessile fructifications with often well-developed peridia. A plot of niche overlap vs Cole index of association for the most common species revealed frequent associations among species with small sporocarps and proto-or aphanoplasmodia. In contrast, litter-inhabiting species with phaneroplasmodia seem to avoid each other. Myxomycetes in the investigated winter-cold desert behaved as rather opportunistic k-strategists, quickly using all temporally and spatially changing microhabitats.

Distribution and ecology of myxomycetes in high‐latitude regions of the Northern Hemisphere

AbstractAimThe objective of this study was to analyse the data represented by 1976 specimens of myxomycetes collected in high‐latitude regions of the Northern Hemisphere to obtain information on the biogeographical relationships and patterns of occurrence of these organisms. The question of what factors limit myxomycete distribution in high‐latitude and cold‐dominated regions was also addressed.LocationSpecimens of myxomycetes considered herein were collected from twelve study areas in Iceland, northern Russia and Alaska, and Greenland. The vast majority of specimens were collected during the period of 1989–98.MethodsNine hundred and thirty‐three specimens were recorded as field collections. In addition, 1043 specimens originated from moist chamber cultures prepared with 1453 substratum samples collected in the various study areas. From a database recording the type of substratum (wood, bark of living trees, litter or dung) for each specimen, patterns of substratum occurrence for particular species of myxomycetes in high‐latitude regions were determined.ResultsFrom the 150 species recorded for the twelve study areas, thirty‐three were found to be widely distributed (recorded from at least five study areas), and only forty‐one had a frequency of occurrence higher than 1% either in moist chambers or as field collections. These data were examined in an effort to identify possible factors limiting the distribution of myxomycetes in high‐latitude regions.Main conclusionsUpon first inspection, the arctic and subArctic myxomycete biota seems to be a depauperate version of that of temperate and boreal regions. However, a few species elsewhere recorded as rare but found to be fairly common in this study indicate that a certain degree of distinctiveness exists in Arctic and subArctic myxomycetes.

Nivicole myxomycetes of the Khibine Mountains (Kola Peninsula)

Data on species inventory and ecology of myxomycetes, especially snow‐line species. are presented from the Khibine, a small mountain area situated in the central Kola peninsula (Russia, 67°38'N, 33°37'E). Fourty species of myxomycetes belonging to 18 genera are recorded. Among them 12 species can be regarded as nivicole. For these taxonomic descriptions are given, their abundance is estimated, microhabitat preferences are described and commented on. Diacheopsis effusa, Lumproderma cf. fuscatum and Lepidoderma aggregatum are new for Fennoscandia. Due to their geographical position, the Khibine mountains are more comparable with the Scandinavian mountains than with the mountain areas in the Russian Arctic which are influenced by a more continental climate. Therefore, the present paper leads together with previous reports of other authors to the conclusion, that nivicole myxomycetes can be expected in all suitable places throughout the Scandinavian mountains.

Distribution and Ecology of Myxomycetes in Temperate Forests. II. Patterns of Occurrence on Bark Surface of Living Trees, Leaf Litter, and Dung

Distribution and Ecology of Myxomycetes in Temperate Forests. II. Patterns of Occurrence on Bark Surface of Living Trees, Leaf Litter, and Dung

Distribution and Ecology of Myxomycetes in Temperate Forests. II. Patterns of Occurrence on Bark Surface of Living Trees, Leaf Litter, and Dung

The moist chamber culture technique was used to study myxomycete communities associated with bark surface of living trees, leaf litter, and dung in upland forests of southwestern Virginia. Patterns...