Tropical Mycology Research Articles

Repository of Fungal Endophytes at Vinstrom, Chennai:Waiting to be Harnessed

Our thirty years of research at Vivekananda Institute of Tropical Mycology (VINSTROM) on fungal endophytes of terrestrial and aquatic plants have yielded many interesting insights into this ecological group of fungi, a constituent of the plant microbiome. Having pioneered the study of fungal endophytes in India, we have established a culture collection of these fungi in VINSTROM. It now has about 1700 fungal endophyte isolates obtained from plants of different ecosystems in different parts of India. Endophytes produce an extraordinary array of bioactive compounds, novel industrial enzymes and enhance the fitness of the plants they colonize by elevating their tolerance to abiotic and biotic stressors. Considering such desirable traits of fungal endophytes, VINSTROM’s culture collection is a unique repository that needs to be explored for the technological use of endophytes.

English

Hot springs are aquatic environments with high temperatures. They harbor diverse groups of micro-organisms like fungi that have developed mechanisms to thrive at wide temperature ranges, according to their optimal growth requirements. Fungi are a large group of eukaryotic organisms with worldwide distribution, inhabiting a diverse range of extreme habitats from deserts to hyper saline environments. The fungal diversity of the hot spring along the shores of Lake Bogoria was investigated using a culture-dependent approach. Microbial mats and wet sediments were collected from three sampling points along the hot spring while water samples were gotten from the mouth of the hot spring on the shores of the lake. Physicochemical characteristics were recorded at the study sites. Samples from the hot spring were isolated on four different media at pH 10 and at a temperature of 30°C. A total of seventeen fungal isolates were identified using morphological, physiological and molecular characters. Furthermore, the isolates were screened for production of extracellular enzymes. All the fungal isolates variedly grew at pH ranging from 5 to 10, temperature range of 25 to 35°C and sodium chloride range of 5 to 30%. Based on experimental analysis, isolate B61 exhibited significant growth in the four parameters tested. Also all the seventeen isolates produced different extracellular enzymes such as amylases, lipases, proteases and esterases. Analysis of partial sequences using Blastn showed that about 11.7 and 29.1% of the isolates were affiliated with members belonging to the genera Penicillium and Aspergillus, respectively. A total of 12% of the isolates belonged to the genera Alternaria and Fusarium while another 41% of the isolates clustered closely with uncultured fungus. Fungal endophyte comprised 6%. Although the culture dependent method did not reveal the true diversity of the fungal community, the isolates recovered were a representation of thermotolerant, alkalitolerant and halotolerant microorganisms found in soda lake environments. The isolates have the potential to produce useful enzymes for biotechnological applications. Key words: Hot springs, tropical mycology, diversity, extremophiles.

Promoting teaching and research on African fungi by field schools on tropical mycology in Benin

In 2015, 2016, and 2017, three international field schools on tropical mycology were realized in Benin by the University of Parakou, Benin, in collaboration with the University of Frankfurt, Germany. A total of 69 participants from 14 countries of tropical Africa and three different countries of Europe included 61 student participants from Africa and Germany as well as eight African and international teachers. By demonstrations and collecting fungi in the field, light microscopic analysis of the specimens collected, literature analysis, checklist work, and seminars, knowledge on fungal diversity, systematics, morphology, and ecology was shared and generated. Through joint field and laboratory activities, participants were motivated to pursue studies in mycology in order to contribute not only to general knowledge on tropical fungi, but also promote sustainable management of fungi in forestry, agriculture, and the environment, as well as to use fungi for food, medicine, and other applications.

English

The fungus-cultivating termites (Macrotermitinae) form part of diverse termite fauna in Africa, but information on their fungal symbionts is inadequate and poorly understood. In this study, the fungal communities and structure between termite gut, mound and surrounding soil were determined using the 454 pyrosequencing-based analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene sequences. Genomic DNA was extracted and purified from the guts of three termites (Odontotermes sp., Macrotermes michaelseni and Microtermes sp.), mound and surrounding soil samples for high-throughput sequencing. A total of 15,256 sequences were obtained and individual samples contained between 4 and 133 operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Termite gut had the least fungal diversity, dominated by members of the Basidiomycota (> 98%). More than 98% of the gut sequences were of the genus Termitomyces, while < 2% were related to the genera Chaetomium, Fusarium, Eupenicillium, Cladosporium, Curreya and Phaeosphaeria with between 95 and 98% pair-wise sequence identities.  Members of Ascomycota (> 94%) were the most abundant in the mound and soil, but significantly differed (P value of 0.04; R value = 0.909) between the mound and soil environments. The results confirm that the genus Termitomyces exist in a tight association with their hosts and that Termitomyces species are scarcely present in the mound and soil. In addition, by altering soil properties; the fungus-cultivating termites modify the fungal community composition and structure in the mound and surrounding soil environments.   Key words: 454-pyrosequencing, microtermitinae, mutualism, tropical mycology.

Lollipopaia minuta from Thailand, a new genus and species of the Diaporthales (Ascomycetes, Fungi) based on morphological and molecular data

In this paper, we describe the new genus and species Lollipopaia minuta from a tropical rain forest in Thailand. The ascomata were long beaked and seated on a pseudoparenchymatous stroma that was erumpent through the bark of a decaying branch. Mature ascomata were readily formed under laboratory conditions. Lollipopaia minuta had ascomatal walls forming a textura intricata in surface view and deliquescent paraphyses. The asci floated freely at maturity and had a nonstaining apical ring. These characters are found in the Diaporthales. However, the habit of the stroma combined with the filiform ascospores distinguished L. minuta from all known genera of the Diaporthales. Thus, a close relationship to taxa outside the Diaporthales was considered. Lollipopaia minuta was similar to Ophioceras or Pseudohalonectria in shape of the ascomata, asci, and ascospores. However, phylogenetic analyses based on small subunit ribosomal DNA sequences confirmed the placement of L. minuta within the Diaporthales with 100% bootstrap support. A closest relative within the Diaporthales was not determined.Key words: Magnaporthaceae, microfungi, taxonomy, tropical mycology.

Tropical Mycology

Tropical Mycology

Aspects of Tropical Mycology.

Aspects of Tropical Mycology.

Reviews.

Book reviewed in this article: Plant Molecular Biology. Molecular Genetic Analysis of Plant Development and Metabolism. Ed. by Gloria Coruzzi & Pere Puigdomégnech Vacuum Methods in Electron Microscopy. By W. C. Bigelow. Practical Methods in Electron Microscopy. Vol 15. Series Editor: Audrey M. Glauert. The Fungi. By Michael J. Carlile & Sarah C. Watkinson. Aspects of Tropical Mycology. Symposium of the British Mycological Society held at the University of Liverpool, April 1992. Edited by S. Isaac, J. C. Frankland, R. Watling & A. J. S. Whalley. Belalong, A Tropical Rainforest. By The Earl Of Cranbrook & David S. Edwards. Ecology and Management of Invasive Riverside Plants. Ed. by L. C. De Waal, L. E. Child, P. M. Wade & J. H. Brock.

Aspects of tropical mycology: symposium of the British Mycological Society held at the University of Liverpool, April 1992

Aspects of tropical mycology: symposium of the British Mycological Society held at the University of Liverpool, April 1992

Book reviews

Books review in this article: Aspects of Tropical Mycology. eds S. Isaac, J. C. Frankland, R. Watling & A. J. S. Whalley Plant Health and the European Single Market, ed. D. L. Ebbels

REVIEWS

Book review in this article Botanical Latin. By W. T. Stearn. Laboratory Manual of Tropical Mycology and Elementary Bacteriology. By A. Thompson and Gloria Lim. Agriculture in the Tropics. By C. C. Webster and P. N. Wilson. Bananas. By N. W. Simmonds. Rice. By D. H. Grist. Tea. By T. Eden. Lowson's Botany. By E. W. Simon, K. J. Dormer and J. N. Hartshorne. Annual Review of Plant Physiology, Vol. 16. Ed. by L. Machlis and W. K. Briggs. Ultrastructural Plant Cytology. By A. Frey‐Wyssling and K. Mühlethaler. Drawings of British Platits. Part XXII, Scrophulariaceae (1). By Stella Ross Molecules and Cells.By D. A. Coult. The Principles of Modern Biology. Ed. by D. A. Coult. The Growth of Cereals and Grasses. Ed. by F. L. Milthorpe and J. D. Ivins. Origins of Metidelism. By R. C. Olby. Fungal Genetics. By J. R. S. Fincham and P. R. Day. Botanical Monographs, Vol. 4, ed. by W. O. James. Genetik der Pilze. by K. Esser and R. Kuenen. Microbial and Molecular Genetics. By J. R. S. Fincham. Modern Biology Series, ed. by J. E. Webb. Index Kewensis Plantarum Phanerogamarum, Supplementum XIII. Compiled at the Herbarium of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, under the direction of Sir George Taylor. A Flora of Northeastern Minnesota. By Olga Lakela. Stephen Hales, D.D., F.R.S. An Eighteenth Century Biography. By A. E. Clark‐Kennedy.

Laboratory Manual of Tropical Mycology and Elementary Bacteriology.Aldworth Thompson , Gloria Lim

Previous articleNext article No AccessNew Biological BooksLaboratory Manual of Tropical Mycology and Elementary Bacteriology. Aldworth Thompson , Gloria Lim Constantine J. AlexopoulosConstantine J. Alexopoulos Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Quarterly Review of Biology Volume 41, Number 3Sep., 1966 Published in association with Stony Brook University Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/405125 Views: 1Total views on this site PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

Handbook of Tropical Dermatology and Medical Mycology

Handbook of Tropical Dermatology and Medical Mycology

Handbook of Tropical Dermatology and Medical Mycology

Handbook of Tropical Dermatology and Medical Mycology

Handbook of Tropical Dermatology and Medical Mycology

Handbook of Tropical Dermatology and Medical Mycology

Handbook of Tropical Dermatology and Medical Mycology

Handbook of Tropical Dermatology and Medical Mycology

Handbook of Tropical Dermatology and Medical Mycology. Vol. 1

Handbook of Tropical Dermatology and Medical Mycology. Vol. 1

Tropical Plant Pathology and Mycology

Tropical Plant Pathology and Mycology

Do Mycetoma Pedis no Brazil

This is a monograph of some three hundred pages on mycetoma of the foot as it occurs in Brazil. It commences with a chronological study of cases, dating from the first observations in 1861, followed by chapters on Etiology, Clinical Observations, Cultivation and Classification of the fungi, Treatment, and Prophylaxis. A good bibliography is appended. There are thirty-one figures and several colored plates. The work should be of value to those interested in tropical medicine or mycology. Unfortunately the language is Portuguese which limits its usefulness in this country. However, there are voluminous footnotes in English, French and German.