Total Fungal Species Research Articles

Large wildfires alter the potential capacity of fire-prone Mediterranean pine forests to provide wild edible mushrooms over the long term

Projected trends of intensified wildfires due to climate warming and fuel-load accumulation are expected to significantly alter fungal diversity, but we know little about how these changes will impact ecosystem services. We aimed to analyze how large wildfires alter the capacity of fire-prone Mediterranean ecosystems dominated by Pinus pinaster Ait. to deliver the provisioning ecosystem service of mushroom production throughout the post-fire succession. We assessed this at early (<10 years), medium (10-20 years), and late (>20 years) stages after fire, compared to an unburned forest. Our results evidenced that large wildfires significantly reduced the capacity of these forests to provide mushroom harvesting opportunities. This adverse effect was most pronounced in the first few years after wildfire but persisted even after 20 years of post-fire succession. The total fungal species richness, abundance, diversity, and productivity at the post-fire successional stages remained lower than in the unburned forest, failing to reach their pre-fire levels even after two decades. However, the presence of commercially valuable edible fungal species, along with their species richness and productivity, began to recover in the medium and late stages after fire. In the immediate aftermath of the fire, saprotrophic fungal species dominated, while mycorrhizal species became more prevalent during the medium and late stages of secondary succession. Additionally, the abundance and productivity of mycorrhizal species in the late succession stage approached those found in the unburned forest. Soil pH and biochemical variables (microbial biomass C and β-glucosidase enzymatic activity) were key drivers of changes in species composition along the successional stages. This knowledge is essential to guide management solutions aimed at reducing ecosystem service loss and increasing resilience to the new scenario of extreme large wildfire events at shorter fire-free intervals, especially in southern Europe.

Aquatic hyphomycete assemblages of Abies sachalinensis leaf litter immersed in a stream in Hokkaido, Japan

ABSTRACT Aquatic hyphomycetes are key decomposers of plant-litter in freshwater environments. Previous studies have shown that conifer needles are colonized less frequently by aquatic hyphomycetes than broad-leaf species. Sakhalin fir (Abies sachalinensis) is the most common coniferous tree species planted for timber production in Hokkaido, Japan. Herein, we investigated aquatic hyphomycete assemblages involving Sakhalin fir needle litter and compared them with those of broad-leaf tree species, including Japanese oak (Quercus crispula) and Japanese linden (Tilia japonica), during immersion in a stream. Seventy percent of the total fungal species observed in fir needles were also observed in broad-leaf litter. However, the structure of the aquatic hyphomycete assemblages differed between the fir and two broad-leaf species, especially in the middle to late stages of the immersion period. The increase in species number and conidia number in fir needles was slower than that in oak leaves in the early stages of the immersion period. However, they continued to increase rapidly relative to the broad-leaf tree litter during the middle stages of the immersion period. These results suggest that fir needle litter was not difficult for aquatic hyphomycetes to colonize in the middle to late stages of the immersion period.

Total and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities in the first 3 years after the collapse of the Fundão Dam: are we on the ecosystem recovery pathway?

After the collapse of Fundão Dam in Mariana‐MG, Brazil, the discharge of iron ore mining waste into the Doce River watershed negatively impacted the landscape. Monitoring the composition and species richness of soil microbiota may be useful bioindicators of ecosystem recovery. This study aimed to compare soil chemical properties, total fungal species, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in sites unaffected and affected by mining tailings in the first 3 years after the collapse of Fundão Dam. Soil and root samples were collected in dry and rainy seasons over 3 years in unaffected (adjacent forest and pasture) and affected areas (REC1, REC2, and PASTrec) by mine tailings. Changes in soil chemical properties over the sampling period were measured by routine chemical analyses. Total fungi in the soil was determined by high‐throughput sequencing. AMF community was evaluated using spore number, root colonization, and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. Affected sites had higher ranges of pH and lower soil organic matter than unaffected sites. Revegetation had a positive effect on soil fungal community. Increased similarity in AMF DGGE analysis was observed in the two sampling sites over time. A high similarity of total fungi and AMF was observed between REC and pasture areas, suggesting that revegetation strategy employed may be heading towards a pasture condition. Thus, post‐disturbance analysis of this study was important to evaluate of ecosystem recovery affected by the rupture of iron ore mining dam and demonstrated that the soil microbiota was a sensitive bioindicator in this long path of ecosystem recovery.

Soil fungal diversity of birch plantations on former agricultural land resembles naturally regenerated birch stands on agricultural and forest land

Short-rotation forestry on former agricultural soils is a novel silvicultural system for producing woody biomass and mitigating climate change through CO2 uptake. However, tree plantations are often criticized for their low biodiversity and are sometimes referred to as “green deserts”. We hypothesize that regarding biodiversity, the spontaneous natural regeneration of birch on former agricultural lands may be preferable to plantations. In this study, we compared soil fungal diversity and composition of fast-growing silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) plantations on former agricultural lands (n = 11) with naturally regenerated birch stands on former agricultural lands (n = 11) and native forest birch stands (n = 11) at the age of 21–28 years in hemiboreal Estonia. PacBio third-generation sequencing was carried out to analyse fungal species richness and composition in the soil samples. Sequencing of the fungal ITS region from 33 birch stand soil samples yielded 2830 fungal OTUs. We found that the total fungal species richness, per sample species richness, Shannon diversity index, and Pielou's evenness index did not differ significantly between the studied stand types. However, fungal community composition of both plantations and naturally regenerated stands on former agricultural lands differed significantly from the native forest stands, indicating that previous land use (agriculture vs. forest) had a stronger effect on fungal assemblages than the used regeneration method (planting vs. natural regeneration). The relative abundance of ectomycorrhizal and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi was higher, and the relative abundance of saprotrophic fungi was lower in plantations than in native birch dominated forest stands. Soil chemical properties were found to be weak explanatory variables for describing soil fungal richness and composition. We identified historical surrounding forest cover, stand age, stand distance from a native forest, and soil Mg content as the factors significantly affecting soil fungal communities. These results indicate that fast-growing birch plantations established on former agricultural soils or naturally regenerated stands on such soils in the Northern Europe region harbour soil fungal diversity levels similar to those of same-aged native birch forests.

Fungi in Microbial Culture Collections and Their Metabolites

This study presents the results of a comparative analysis of the fungal diversity in the world system of microbial culture collections on one side with a variety of known fungal producers on the other side. The main VKM databases used are FungalDC and Metabolites of Fungi and the central point of analysis is the fungal ability to synthesize promising metabolites for applied use. It indicates that the option of obtaining new promising strains from the collection funds is still underestimated by the scientific community. In particular, it is shown that no more than 3% of the total fungal species fund contained in culture collections are used practically. It is possible that their use will considerably expand the range of studied strains and lead to the acquisition of new scientifically significant data.

Compositional shifts in fungal community of chestnuts during storage and their correlation with fruit quality

Chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) is an economically important fruit in Asia, Europe and America. The quality of which is greatly affected by postharvest fungal contamination. In order to understand how the fungal community impacts on fruit decay, we compared the composition of fungal community at different fruit parts (shell and kernel), between different cultivars, and between storage at normal state or after vibration treatment. The results showed the decay incidences increased with longer storage period and depended on cultivar and vibration treatment. Using a high-throughput sequencing (HTS), identified fungi can be clustered into 1116 operational taxonomic units (OTUs), representing 402 genera belonging to 8 phyla in this study. Members of the phylum Ascomycota were dominant in all samples and accounted for 92.6% of the total fungal species. Interestingly, the abundance and diversity of fungal communities on chestnut were decreased during storage period. At the genus level, Talaromyces, Peniophora, Colletotrichum, Candida and Penicillium were highly detected in “Dahongpao” chestnut from Luotian county (LT) samples; Alternaria, Penicillium, Botryosphaeria, Fusarium and Cladosporium were significantly detected in “Yanshanzaofeng (3113)” chestnut from Qianxi county (QX) samples. Linear discriminant effect size (LEfSe) and FUNGuild analysis demonstrated that beneficially saprotrophic fungi including Penicillium, Candida, Debaryomyces and various Saccharomyces appeared at the beginning of storage. At the later stage, pathogenic fungi became dominant, which containing Fusarium, Botryosphaeria, Colletotrichum, Neofusicoccum, Phialophora and Diaporthe. Furthermore, Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and heatmap analysis revealed that fruit decay incidence, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and yeast and mold count (YMC) had significant positive correlation with the pathogen community, whereas activities of peroxidase (POD), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), and starch content were highly positive correlated with beneficial fungal community. These data could serve as biomarkers for better monitoring decay occurrence and developing an effective measurement to control postharvest chestnuts.

Fungi: Friend or Foe? A Mycobiome Evaluation in Children With Autism and Gastrointestinal Symptoms.

Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms often affect children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and GI symptoms have been associated with an abnormal fecal microbiome. There is limited evidence of Candida species being more prevalent in children with ASD. We enrolled 20 children with ASD and GI symptoms (ASD + GI), 10 children with ASD but no GI symptoms (ASD - GI), and 20 from typically developing (TD) children in this pilot study. Fecal mycobiome taxa were analyzed by Internal Transcribed Spacer sequencing. GI symptoms (GI Severity Index [GSI]), behavioral symptoms (Social Responsiveness Scale -2 [SRS-2]), inflammation and fungal immunity (fecal calprotectin and serum dectin-1 [ELISA]) were evaluated. We observed no changes in the abundance of total fungal species (alpha diversity) between groups. Samples with identifiable Candida spp. were present in 4 of 19 (21%) ASD + GI, in 5 of 9 (56%) ASD - GI, and in 4 of 16 (25%) TD children (overall P = 0.18). The presence of Candida spp. did not correlate with behavioral or GI symptoms (P = 0.38, P = 0.5, respectively). Fecal calprotectin was normal in all but one child. Finally, there was no significance in serum dectin-1 levels, suggesting no increased fungal immunity in children with ASD. Our data suggest that fungi are present at normal levels in the stool of children with ASD and are not associated with gut inflammation.

Temporal variation of fungal diversity in a mosaic landscape in Germany.

This study aims at characterizing the diversity and temporal changes of species richness and composition of fungi in an ecotone of a forest border and a meadow in the Taunus mountain range in Germany. All macroscopically visible, epigeous fungi and vascular plants were sampled monthly over three years, together with climatic variables like humidity and temperature that influence fungal diversity and composition as shown by previous studies. In this mosaic landscape, a total of 855 fungal species were collected and identified based on morphological features, the majority of which belonged to Ascomycota (51 %) and Basidiomycota (45 %). Records of fungal species and plant species (218) for this area yielded a fungus to plant species ratio of 4:1, with a plant species accumulation curve that reached saturation. The three years of monitoring, however, were not sufficient to reveal the total fungal species richness and estimation factors showed that a fungus to plant species ratio of 6:1 may be reached by further sampling efforts. The effect of climatic conditions on fungal species richness differed depending on the taxonomic and ecological group, with temporal patterns of occurrence of Basidiomycota and mycorrhizal fungi being strongly associated with temperature and humidity, whereas the other fungal groups were only weakly related to abiotic conditions. In conclusion, long-term, monthly surveys over several years yield a higher diversity of macroscopically visible fungi than standard samplings of fungi in autumn. The association of environmental variables with the occurrence of specific fungal guilds may help to improve estimators of fungal richness in temperate regions.

Macrofungal diversity patterns in central European forests affirm the key importance of old-growth forests

Diversity of forest macrofungal communities is strongly influenced by various management approaches. These effects have so far only been studied in certain types of forest stands and with limited sampling effort. Here we studied the fruit bodies of all macrofungal trophic groups on 80 permanent plots (2500 m2 each) in forest stands differing in tree species composition and management practice. Unmanaged forests were shown to be the species-richest at the plot scale and also when the total fungal species richness of the studied forest types was compared. Diversity patterns varied between functional groups – unmanaged forests stand out in richness of wood-inhabiting fungi, while ectomycorrhizal species were more diverse in managed stands. Terrestrial saprotrophic species were similarly highly diverse in both managed and unmanaged mixed forest stands. The highest number of indicator species, predominantly wood-inhabiting fungi, was associated with unmanaged stands. We discuss a list of the most faithful indicator species along with their substratum preferences.

Mycoflora associated with Paanch Phoron and its management by common salt

Abstract not availableBangladesh J. Sci. Res. 28(1): 79-83, June-2015

Tree diversity and the role of non-host neighbour tree species in reducing fungal pathogen infestation.

The degree to which plant pathogen infestation occurs in a host plant is expected to be strongly influenced by the level of species diversity among neighbouring host and non-host plant species. Since pathogen infestation can negatively affect host plant performance, it can mediate the effects of local biodiversity on ecosystem functioning.We tested the effects of tree diversity and the proportion of neighbouring host and non-host species with respect to the foliar fungal pathogens of Tilia cordata and Quercus petraea in the Kreinitz tree diversity experiment in Germany. We hypothesized that fungal pathogen richness increases while infestation decreases with increasing local tree diversity. In addition, we tested whether fungal pathogen richness and infestation are dependent on the proportion of host plant species present or on the proportion of particular non-host neighbouring tree species.Leaves of the two target species were sampled across three consecutive years with visible foliar fungal pathogens on the leaf surface being identified macro- and microscopically. Effects of diversity among neighbouring trees were analysed: (i) for total fungal species richness and fungal infestation on host trees and (ii) for infestation by individual fungal species.We detected four and five fungal species on T. cordata and Q. petraea, respectively. High local tree diversity reduced (i) total fungal species richness and infestation of T. cordata and fungal infestation of Q. petraea and (ii) infestation by three host-specialized fungal pathogen species. These effects were brought about by local tree diversity and were independent of host species proportion. In general, host species proportion had almost no effect on fungal species richness and infestation. Strong effects associated with the proportion of particular non-host neighbouring tree species on fungal species richness and infestation were, however, recorded.Synthesis. For the first time, we experimentally demonstrated that for two common forestry tree species, foliar fungal pathogen richness and infestation depend on local biodiversity. Thus, local tree diversity can have positive impacts on ecosystem functioning in managed forests by decreasing the level of fungal pathogen infestation.

3,000 species and no end – species richness and community pattern of woodland macrofungi in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany

In addition to newly generated and continuously growing datasets in mycological research, existing compilations are of high value to assess the fungi of a whole region. In the present study, a private database with ca. 65,000 entries of macromycetous fruit body observations in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany, was analysed. Observed species richness of tree-associated mycorrhizal and saprobic fungi exceeded 3,000 taxa. The total fungal species richness could not be determined with confidence but will possibly exceed 4,000. Distinct species turnover with respect to host trees was observed. However, the rate of community overlap clearly differed between mycorrhizal and saprobic fungi and deciduous and coniferous trees. By separating the data into abundant core species and rare satellite taxa potential indicator species are presented, whose preservation will be beneficial to many other fungi and the entire ecosystems they live in.

Influence of buffered propionic acid on the development of micro‐organisms in hay

We tested the benefit of using buffered propionic acid (BPA) as a means of preventing farmer's lung disease (FLD). BPA, a new formulation of propionic acid, a hay preservative with no deleterious effect on farm machinery or cattle, reduces the development of micro-organisms in hay. Twenty pairs of round bales were analysed for concentration of micro-organisms measured in the winter following hay treatment. Each pair included one untreated bale and one bale treated with BPA during haymaking. Our results showed the following decreases in concentration in treated bales: total fungal species, 40% (P < 0.05); Eurotium amstelodami (the main species found), 65% (P < 0.01); and thermophilic actinomycetes, 60% (not significant), respectively. We conclude that BPA could be used to prevent FLD.