Fungal Fruiting Bodies Research Articles

First report of Cryptocline taxicola (Helotiales: Helotiaceae) causing needle cast disease on common yew in Algeria

AbstractThis short report describes the occurrence of Cryptocline taxicola (Allesch.) Petr. causing needle cast on Taxus baccata L. trees in natural stands in Algeria. Symptoms of fungal infection were observed on the trees' crowns. Closer inspection of collected needles showed the presence of dark brown fungal fruiting bodies on the upper and the lower sides of the needles. The visual symptoms and the microscopical study allowed the fungus to be identified as C. taxicola. This is the first report of this pathogen in Algeria. A detailed description of the fungus is given.

The unresolved ecological and evolutionary role of fungal fruit body coloration

Fruit body-forming fungi are hyperdiverse and of central importance for the functioning of ecosystems worldwide. They provide habitat and resources for other organisms and perform critical roles in carbon and nutrient cycling. Like in animals and plants, fungal coloration is expected to play a fundamental role in response to biotic and abiotic environments, thus providing invaluable information to predict fungal and associated diversity in the Anthropocene. Despite centuries of plant and animal coloration research, the role of fruit body colors in fungal ecology remains mostly obscure. Essential questions are unresolved, such as: How do fruit body colors function to cope with abiotic stress? Do fruit body colors function to attract dispersal vectors or prevent predation via camouflage or aposematism? What is the significance of fruit body colors for fungal fitness? What are the implications of climate change-induced fruit body color change on fungal and associated biodiversity? Here, I review existing knowledge and outline several research trajectories to better understand the ecological role of fruit body colors. Revealing climate-driven adaptations and interactions with other organisms will improve forecasts under climate change for fungal diversity and interrelated biodiversity and inform cross-taxonomic conservation strategies.

Additions to Diatrypaceae (Xylariales): Novel Taxa and New Host Associations.

Diatrypaceae members have a broad distribution and are commonly found on decaying wood. Despite taxonomic and morphological challenges within this group, there has been a growing interest in Diatrypaceae in recent years. The dead branches of several plant hosts with fungal fruiting bodies were collected from Doi Tung National Park, Chiang Rai, and the Narathiwat Provinces in Thailand. Their morphological characteristics, coupled with a molecular phylogeny of combined ITS and tub2 sequence data, were used to introduce two novel Allodiatrype species (A. dalbergiae and A. eleiodoxae) and one new Melanostictus species (M. chiangraiensis). Moreover, four new host records, Diatrypella heveae, D. major, Melanostictus thailandicus, and Paraeutypella citricola on Microcos paniculata, Nayariophyton zizyphifolium, Dalbergia cultrata, and M. paniculata, respectively, as well as a new geographical record of D. major are reported. This research provides detailed descriptions of macro- and microcharacteristics, coupled with a phylogenetic tree for the newly introduced species and host records. The morphological features of Allodiatrype and Melanostictus are listed in the synoptic table.

Phylogeny, ecology, and evolution of mycophagous Drosophilidae (Diptera)

Abstract A number of species and taxa of Drosophilidae (Diptera) are used as model clades in various fields of biology, but our knowledge on their ecology and co-evolution (e.g. how their populations are regulated and how they interact with host organisms, enemies, and competitors) is still limited. According to studies on their host use, their primary larval resources are fruits, flowers, plant leaves and stems, tree sap, and fungal fruiting bodies, and most species are specialized to one of these resources. Among these species, those exploiting fungal fruiting bodies (i.e. mycophagous species) have been relatively well studied for their ecology, because their resources are commonly found in the field, hence their interactions with enemies and competitors can be assessed rather easily. So far, a review article has been published on their ecology in 1990. Since then, remarkable advances have been achieved on their taxonomy, phylogeny, diversity, and interactions with parasites, parasitoids, and competitors. This article reviews literature mainly published since 1990 to provide a basis for the future study of their ecology and evolution.

GC–MS, molecular identification, proximate and mineral content composition of two wild mushrooms (Ganoderma lucidum, Pleurotus ostreatus) from Gilgit Baltistan Northern area of Pakistan

For a very long time, diverse civilizations all over the world have recognised that mushrooms, which are the fruiting bodies of fungi, have medicinal characteristics and used to treat different kinds of human diseases. As a result of intensive research, the bioactive components of mushrooms used in Asian traditional medicine have been determined. The present investigation was designed to assess the GC–MS and molecular characterization along with proximate and mineral content properties of Ganoderma lucidum and Pleurotus ostreatus wild mushrooms. For the molecular identification of ITS metagenomics is used. For the compound identification GC–MS is used. Standard procedures are used to determine the proximate and mineral composition. A maximum dry matter contents present in P. ostreatus (96.21±0.068 %) and G. lucidum has (95.13±0.72 %). High content of moisture present in G. lucidum (4.87 ± 0.057 %) as compared to P. ostreatus. A vital amount of crude fibre in present in G. lucidum. G. lucidum has high amount of crude protein (21.87± 0.044 %), while P. ostreatus has 13.66 ± 0.80. An appreciable amount of nutritionally vital carbohydrate is present in P. ostreatus (65.15±0.946) followed by G. lucidum (34.12 ± 0.451). Higher amount of energy value (315.37±2.173 %) present in P. ostreatus as compared to G. lucidum 195.07±1.631 %, furthermore, high nitrogen free extract (61.1 ± 0.946 %), and a high free fatty (2.44±0.064 %) are present in P. ostreatus. Iron (Fe), and Copper (Cu) were abundant in G. lucidum while Zn and Mn is in lower amount. The P. ostreatus contain maximum amount of Fe followed by Zn, Mn and Cu. The FT-IR spectra of G. lucidum shows alcohol, vinyl/phenyl ester, and alkane methylene and aldehyde groups. Conjugated ketone, aliphatic ether and phenols groups present in P. ostreatus. Seventy bioactive compounds were identified in G. lucidum and P. ostreatus through GC–MS. Theses compounds contain the biological activities like; antimicrobial, antioxidant, cytotoxicity, antitumor, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-androgenic. Blast sequence analysis of at NCBI shows 99 % similarities and successfully confirmed with Ganoderma lucidum (OQ117088) and Pleurotus ostreatus (OQ119156).

Response of decomposition dynamics of ectomycorrhizal fungal fruit bodies to N addition depends on decomposition stage in a coniferous forest

Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi profoundly regulate soil biogeochemical cycles and associated climate feedback through exudation and turnover. However, how ECM fungal fruit bodies decomposition dynamically responses to atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition remains unclear. Here, we conducted a 20-week ECM fungal fruit bodies decomposition experiment to monitor the temporal dynamics of its mass and compositions loss under three different N addition levels in an ECM-dominated forest. We simultaneously determined soil microbial properties to identify the potential microbial processes for ECM fungal fruit bodies decomposition dynamics in response to different N addition levels. Our results showed that N addition promoted the mass loss of fungal fruit bodies in the early decomposition stage, which was characterized by the increased release of labile compositions. In contrast, N addition mitigated the mass loss of fungal fruit bodies in the later decomposition stage, accompanied by the more retention of labile and resistant compositions. Moreover, the early positive effect of N addition on fungal fruit bodies decomposition was attributed to the increase of microbial abundance and hydrolytic activity, while the later negative effect was related to the suppression of fungal abundance and peroxidase activity. These results highlight that the response of decomposition dynamics of ECM fungal fruit bodies to N addition was closely related to decomposition stage. Collectively, our study provides new insights into the ECM fungal turnover and its ecological feedback under atmospheric N deposition.

Harvesting Mycelial Biomass of Selected Basidiomycetes for Chitosan Biopolymer Extraction.

This study investigates the mycelial biomass production and chitosan extraction potential of various Basidiomycota strains, including Heterobasidion annosum, Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Pleurotus ostreatus, Trametes versicolor, and Lentinus lepideus. Both submerged fermentation (SF) and solid-state fermentation (SSF) methods were employed. The chitosan yield in basidiocarps of Pleurotus ostreatus, Agaricus bisporus, and Ganoderma applanatum was also evaluated as a reference material. The chitosan extracted from fungal cells was characterized using elemental analyses and FTIR spectroscopy. Among the cultivated strains, P. chrysosporium exhibited the highest mycelial biomass concentration in SF (1.03 g 100 mL-1) after 14 days, while T. versicolor achieved the highest biomass concentration in SSF (3.65 g 100 mL-1). The highest chitosan yield was obtained from the mycelium of P. chrysosporium (0.38%) and T. versicolor (0.37%) in shaken SF. Additionally, commercially cultivated A. bisporus demonstrated the highest chitosan yield in fungal fruiting bodies (1.7%). The extracted chitosan holds potential as a functional biopolymer additive for eco-friendly materials, serving as an alternative to synthetic wet and dry strength agents in packaging materials.

Environmental responses of fruiting fungal communities are phylogenetically structured

Through their ephemeral reproductive structures (fruiting bodies), ectomycorrhizal forest soil fungi provide a resource for a plethora of organisms. Thus, resolving what biotic and abiotic factors determine the occurrence and abundance of fruiting bodies is fundamental for understanding the dynamics of forest trophic networks. While the influence of abiotic factors such as moisture and temperature on fungal fruiting are relatively well established, little is known about how these processes interact with the evolutionary history of fungal species to determine when, where, and in which abundance fungal fruiting bodies will emerge. A specific knowledge gap relates to whether species' responses to their environment are phylogenetically structured. Here, we ask whether related fungal taxa respond similarly to climatic factors and forest habitat characteristics, and whether such correlated responses will affect the assembly of fungal fruiting communities. To resolve these questions, we fitted joint species distribution models combining data on the species composition and abundance of fungal fruiting bodies, environmental variation, and phylogenetic relationships among fungal taxa. Our results show that both site‐level forest characteristics (dominant tree species and forest age) and climatic factors related to phenology (effective heat sum) greatly influence the occurrence and abundance of fruiting bodies. More importantly, while different fungal species responded unequally to their shared environment, there was a strong phylogenetic signal in their responses, so that related fungal species tended to fruit under similar environmental conditions. Thus, not only are fruiting bodies short‐lived and patchily distributed, but the availability of similar resources will be further aggregated in time and space. These strong constraints on resource availability for fungus‐associated taxa highlight the potential of fungus‐based networks as a model system for studies on the ecology and evolution of resource–consumer relations in ephemeral systems of high spatiotemporal patchiness.

Phylogeny, Taxonomy and Evolutionary Trade-Offs in Reproductive Traits of Gomphoid Fungi (Gomphaceae, Gomphales).

Although functional ecology is a well-established field, our understanding of the evolutionary and ecological significance of the reproductive traits in macrofungi is still limited. Here, we reconstructed a phylogeny tree of gomphoid fungi in the narrower sense, including the species of the genera Gomphus and Turbinellus and used it to uncover the evolution of reproductive traits. Our analyses indicated that fungal fruit bodies and spores did not enlarge at a steady rate over time. Early gomphoid fungi essentially maintained their fruit body size, spore size and spore shape through the Mesozoic. In the Cenozoic, gomphoid fungi acquired significantly larger and more spherical spores by simultaneously expanding in length and width, with the fruit body size first decreasing and then enlarging. We argue that these trade-offs were driven by the effect of biological extinction and the dramatic climate changes of the Cenozoic. Gomphoid fungi initially increased in spore size and fruit body number as extinction survivors filled vacant niches. Both fruit bodies and spores eventually became larger as ecosystems saturated and competition intensified. One new species of Gomphus and nine new species of Turbinellus are described.

Tree species richness increases spatial variation but not overall wood decomposition

Empirical evidence for the positive relationship between tree species richness and wood decomposition is weak, despite the greater numbers of decomposers in diverse stands. Tree species identity affects decomposition rates strongly by altering soil communities and micro-environments. It is therefore likely that tree species richness influences spatial variation rather than the mean rate of decomposition. We used a neighbourhood approach to test this hypothesis by quantifying decomposition rates and decomposer activities within deadwood, whilst measuring the surrounding micro-environments.Using the BEF-China experimental platform, we placed three fine branches from seven tree species across richness gradients for one and two years. As expected, plot species richness increased the spatial variation of wood decomposition of three species but decreased the mean rate of wood decomposition of two species. Neighbourhood trees altered wood decomposition in two ways. First, increasing amounts of leaf tannins reduced termite activities and the number of fungal fruitbodies. Second, higher species richness increased tree volumes and thus cooled the understory, which reduced the occurrence and feeding intensity of ectothermic termites. Neighbourhood species richness showed positive effects on decomposer activities (i.e. termite occurrence, fruitbody number and mycelium cover) after two years, probably by weakening resource limitation of deadwood biomass and increasing the stages of decay. Neighbourhood metrics had comparable (after 1 year) and even stronger effects (after 2 years) on decomposer activities than wood traits. Our study reveals that tree species richness promotes spatial variation in wood decomposition rates by enhancing environmental heterogeneity. Our results explain how young regenerating species-rich forests, where termites are the dominant decomposers, can maintain deadwood stocks and decomposer activities over relatively longer time spans.

Diversity of Mycogenic Oxide and Chalcogenide Nanoparticles: A Review.

Oxide and chalcogenide nanoparticles have great potential for use in biomedicine, engineering, agriculture, environmental protection, and other research fields. The myco-synthesis of nanoparticles with fungal cultures, their metabolites, culture liquids, and mycelial and fruit body extracts is simple, cheap and environmentally friendly. The characteristics of nanoparticles, including their size, shape, homogeneity, stability, physical properties and biological activity, can be tuned by changing the myco-synthesis conditions. This review summarizes the data on the diversity of oxide and chalcogenide nanoparticles produced by various fungal species under different experimental conditions.

Quantification of invertebrates on fungal fruit bodies by the use of time‐lapse cameras

Abstract Fungi and invertebrates comprise a major part of biodiversity in dead wood ecosystems and invertebrates depend on fungi to utilise the dead wood resource. Many invertebrates also visit the long‐lived fruit bodies of wood‐decay fungi to feed on spores, the hymenium or other invertebrates. However, as traditional sampling methods are labour‐intensive, we know little of these interactions. In this study, we use time‐lapse cameras to monitor invertebrates visiting the hymenium of a common wood‐decay fungus, Fomitopsis pinicola, and explain their activity in terms of temporal variation, temperature and presence of Gyrophaena boleti, a highly abundant fungivorous beetle living primarily in fruit bodies of F. pinicola. The most common invertebrates on F. pinicola fruit bodies were Coleoptera, Araneae, Diptera, Gastropoda and Chilopoda. The invertebrate activity exhibited strong temporal variation with higher abundance during night and, for Coleoptera, earlier in the season. We discuss how this might correlate with the sporulation period of F. pinicola. The presence of G. boleti had a positive impact on the predatory Lordithon lunulatus and Ipidia binotata, and a negative impact on the fungivorous Thymalus limbatus and Peltis ferruginea. Chilopoda and L. lunulatus were ephemeral visitors, while the fungivorous Coleoptera and Araneae stayed the longest. We estimated the invertebrates' visitation frequency and duration, which would be time‐consuming to obtain with traditional methods. We offer improvements to our method and urge future research on invertebrate–fungus interactions to quantify invertebrate visits to fungal fruit bodies.

Trametes hirsuta as an Attractive Biocatalyst for the Preparative Scale Biotransformation of Isosafrole into Piperonal.

Piperonal is a compound of key industrial importance due to its attractive olfactory and biological properties. It has been shown that among the fifty-six various fungal strains tested, the ability to cleave the toxic isosafrole into piperonal through alkene cleavage is mainly found in strains of the genus Trametes. Further studies involving strains isolated directly from different environments (decaying wood, fungal fruiting bodies, and healthy plant tissues) allowed the selection of two Trametes strains, T. hirsuta Th2_2 and T. hirsuta d28, as the most effective biocatalysts for the oxidation of isosafrole. The preparative scale of biotransformation with these strains provided 124 mg (conv. 82%, isolated yield 62%) and 101 mg (conv. 69%, isolated yield 50.5%) of piperonal, respectively. Due to the toxic impact of isosafrole on cells, preparative scale processes with Trametes strains have not yet been successfully performed and described in the literature.

Vibrations and mushrooms: Do environmental vibrations promote fungal growth and fruit body formation?

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Data (Kobayashi et al., 2023) are available on Figshare at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.21677513. Appendix S1. Appendix S2. Appendix S3. Appendix S4. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.

Paramyrothecium nigrum, causing leaf blight disease on watermelon in Iran

<i>Paramyrothecium nigrum</i>, causing leaf blight disease on watermelon in Iran

Diddensiella parasantjacobensis f.a., sp. nov., a yeast species from forest habitats.

Six conspecific yeast strains, representing an undescribed species, were isolated from rotten wood collected in different locations in Hungary and Germany and an additional one from fungal fruiting body in Taiwan. The seven strains share identical nucleotide sequences in the D1/D2 domain of the nuclear large subunit (LSU) rRNA gene. The Hungarian and Taiwanese isolates share identical internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences as well, while the two German isolates differ from them merely by three substitutions and four indels in this region. The investigated strains are very closely related to Diddensiella santjacobensis. Along their LSU D1/D2 domain they differ only by one substitution from the type strain of D. santjacobensis. However, in the ITS region of Hungarian and Taiwanese strains we detected 3.5 % divergence (nine substitutions and nine indels) between the undescribed species and D. santjacobensis, while the German strains differed by 13 substitutions and nine indels from D. santjacobensis. This ITS sequence divergence has raised the possibility that the strains investigated in this study may represent a different species from D. santjacobensis. This hypothesis was supported by comparisons of partial translation elongation factor 1-α (EF-1α) and cytochrome oxidase II (COX II) gene sequences. While no difference and 1-2 substitutions among the partial EF-1α and COX II gene sequences of the strains of the undescribed species, respectively, were detected; the undescribed species differ by about 4 % (36 substitutions) and 10 % (50-51 substitutions) from D. santjacobensis in these regions. Parsimony network analysis of the partial COX II gene sequences also separated the investigated strains from the type strain of D. santjacobensis. In this paper we propose Diddensiella parasantjacobensis f.a., sp. nov. (holotype: NCAIM Y.02121; isotypes: CBS 17819, DSM 114156) to accommodate the above-noted strains.

Scanning Electron Microscopy of Antennae and Mouthparts of Mezira yunnana Hsiao (Hemiptera: Aradidae): Specialized Microstructures Reflecting Adaptation to Mycetophagy.

Many species of the family Aradidae (also known as flat bugs) feed on fungal mycelia and fruiting bodies. In order to better understand the morphological adaptation to this unique feeding habit, we examined the microstructure of antennae and mouthparts of an aradid species, Mezira yunnana Hsiao, using scanning electron microscope, and documented the fungal feeding process under laboratory conditions. The antennal sensilla include three subtypes of sensilla trichodea, three subtypes of sensilla basiconica, two subtypes of sensilla chaetica, sensilla campaniformia, and sensilla styloconica. The apex of the second segment of flagellum has a large number of various sensilla forming a sensilla cluster. The labial tip is distally constricted, which is rarely observed in other Pentatomomorpha species. The labial sensilla include three subtypes of sensilla trichodea, three subtypes of sensilla basiconica, and a sensilla campaniformia. The tip of the labium has only three pairs of sensilla basiconica III and small comb-shaped cuticular processes. The external surface of the mandibular apex has 8-10 ridge-like central teeth. A series of key morphological structures associated with mycetophagous feeding habit were identified, which will facilitate future studies on adaptive evolution of species in Pentatomomorpha as well as in other heteropteran lineages.

Logging has legacy effects on the structure of soil fungal communities several decades after cessation in Western Cascade forest stands

IntroductionLogging impacts millions of hectares of forests globally every year, and not only affects tree cover, but also disrupts below-ground soil communities that are essential for forest ecosystems. Soil fungi are particularly vulnerable to such disturbances due to their reliance upon plant hosts as their source of carbon. Fluctuations within the major guilds of fungi important for forest function can have ramifications for plant communities and biogeochemical processes. We addressed questions about soil fungal communities in temperate forest stands with varying logging histories: (1) Do assembly patterns of soil fungal communities and functional guilds reflect historical differences in logging legacies? (2) Does sequencing of below-ground communities of fungi resemble the composition of surveys of fungal fruiting bodies? (3) How do fungal communities in the litter layer differ from those in the soil and do these assembly patterns change with logging history?MethodsOur study took place in the H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest in western Oregon, USA. We sampled soil and litter (Oi—Oe) in three sites with different logging histories: one clear cut in 1974, one selectively logged and thinned three times between 1974 and 2001, and one unlogged. We sequenced soil fungi separately for mineral soil samples and litter samples. Additionally, we compiled fruiting-body studies from 1972 through the present to compare with our eDNA samples.ResultsWe found that four decades after logging had ceased there were detectable signatures within the soil fungal communities that distinguished logged from unlogged sites, indicating a legacy that affects many generations of fungi (PERMANOVA; p &amp;lt; 0.001 for both soil and litter fungi). There were also significant differences between litter and mineral soil communities (PERMANOVA; p &amp;lt; 0.001) with higher relative abundances of pathogens within the litter layer and a greater proportion of mycorrhizal fungi in the soil.DiscussionThese results highlight the importance of including forest litter in studies, as entire guilds of fungi can be underestimated when considering a single fraction. Together, these results have repercussions for the regeneration of forests following logging, as the composition of fungal guilds important to plant functions do not fully recover even after decades of cessation.

The Potential of Yellow Gum (Eucalyptus leucoxylon F. Muell.) as an Urban Street Tree: An Assessment of Species Performance in the City of Greater Melbourne, Australia

"Background: In contrast to trees from northern hemisphere genera, there has been little research into the selection and vegetative propagation of Australian native tree species for use as street trees. Eucalyptus leucoxylon F. Muell. is one of a few eucalypts occurring in south-eastern Australia with bright coloured fl owers and is highly regarded as an ornamental tree that fl owers readily. It is propagated from seed, but progeny typically show seedling variability and diversity. Eucalyptus leucoxylon was identifi ed as the most widely planted eucalypt in the streets of the city of greater Melbourne, Australia. Methods: This research assessed 300 E. leucoxylon street trees growing across the city of greater Melbourne for their performance against arboricultural criteria relating to canopy structure and density, straightness of the trunk, health (assessed on canopy, trunk, and branch condition, production of exudates, and presence of fungal fruiting bodies), fl ower colour, and root systems. Results: The results showed that E. leucoxylon was a suitable street tree species with most specimens showing good habit, vigour, and health. Discussion: The trees had traits such as live crown ratio, height, fl ower colour, and capacity to cope with pruning that are considered appropriate for a street tree. Their dense canopies and high live crown ratios provide shade that can reduce the urban heat island (UHI) effect. Conclusion: This suggests the species has the potential to be a successful street tree not only in Australia, but in other parts of the world where it has been grown successfully in forestry plantations.

The effects of carbon and nitrogen sources on the growth of Isaria tenuipes(Peck.) Samson (DL0099) from LamDong,Vietnam

saria tenuipes(Peck.) Samson is a mushroom with high medicinal value. This study evaluated the effects of carbon and nitrogen sources on the mycelium growth and fruiting body formation of I. tenuipes(Peck.) Samson (DL0099) from LamDong, Vietnam in in-vitro. The results have determined that glucose with a concentration of 20~40 g/L was suitable for the growth of DL0099. Organic nitrogen sources (peptone, malt extract, and yeast extract) were suitable for the growth of I.tenuipes(DL0099), in which peptone 10 g/L was the most suitable for the mycelium density and colony diameter. The formation of fungal fruiting bodies was best in the medium supplemented with malt extract 10 g/L. The results will be beneficial to mushroom growers in biomass production and fruit body formation of the Vietnam native I. tenuipes(Peck.) Samson