Fungal Diversity in Various Environments, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Journal of Fungi (ISSN 2309-608X). This special issue belongs to the section "Fungal Evolution, Biodiversity and Systematics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 8706

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Guest Editor
Department of Biology and Chemistry, Changwon National University, Changwon, Republic of Korea
Interests: symbiosis; microbial diversity; microbial community; microbiome; ectomycorrhizal fungus; lichen
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In various environments, fungi are important members of ecosystems as symbionts, saprophytes, and pathogens. we can find fungi everywhere, but their diversity and role in the environments are largely unexplored. In this Special Issue of the Journal of Fungi, we invite contributions that expand our knowledge on the fungal diversity in various environments. The topics of special interest and focus are:

  • Novel species, taxonomy, and systematics;
  • Biodiversity, community composition, and distribution;
  • Ecology, symbiosis, and interaction with other organisms;
  • Bioactivity (e.g., antibiotic effect, plant-growth promotion, enzyme activity, etc) and secondary metabolites.

Thank you for your contributions.

Dr. Seung-Yoon Oh
Guest Editor

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 2415 KiB  
Article
Rambellisea gigliensis and Rambellisea halocynthiae, gen. et spp. nov. (Lulworthiaceae) from the Marine Tunicate Halocynthia papillosa
by Martina Braconcini, Susanna Gorrasi, Massimiliano Fenice, Paolo Barghini and Marcella Pasqualetti
J. Fungi 2024, 10(2), 127; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof10020127 - 3 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1452
Abstract
In this study, 15 Lulworthiales strains isolated from the marine tunicate Halocynthia papillosa collected in the central Tyrrhenian Sea were characterized using a polyphasic approach (morpho-physiological, molecular, and phylogenetic analyses). Based on multi-locus phylogenetic inference and morphological characters, a new genus, Rambellisea, [...] Read more.
In this study, 15 Lulworthiales strains isolated from the marine tunicate Halocynthia papillosa collected in the central Tyrrhenian Sea were characterized using a polyphasic approach (morpho-physiological, molecular, and phylogenetic analyses). Based on multi-locus phylogenetic inference and morphological characters, a new genus, Rambellisea, and two new species, R. halocynthiae and R. gigliensis (Lulworthiales), were proposed. Multi-locus phylogenetic analyses using the nuclear ribosomal regions of DNA (nrITS1-nr5.8S-nrITS2, nrLSU, and nrSSU) sequence data strongly supported the new taxa. Phylogenetic inference, estimated using Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference, clearly indicates that Rambellisea gen. nov. forms a distinct clade within the order Lulworthiales. Moreover, the two new species were separated into distinct subclades, solidly supported by the analyses. This is the first report of Lulworthiales species isolated from animals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Diversity in Various Environments, 2nd Edition)
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25 pages, 1778 KiB  
Article
Effect of Location, Disinfection, and Building Materials on the Presence and Richness of Culturable Mycobiota through Oligotrophic Drinking Water Systems
by Monika Novak Babič, Gregor Marolt, Jernej Imperl, Martin Breskvar, Sašo Džeroski and Nina Gunde-Cimerman
J. Fungi 2023, 9(11), 1086; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9111086 - 6 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1752
Abstract
Safe drinking water is a constant challenge due to global environmental changes and the rise of emerging pathogens—lately, these also include fungi. The fungal presence in water greatly varies between sampling locations. Little is known about fungi from water in combination with a [...] Read more.
Safe drinking water is a constant challenge due to global environmental changes and the rise of emerging pathogens—lately, these also include fungi. The fungal presence in water greatly varies between sampling locations. Little is known about fungi from water in combination with a selection of materials used in water distribution systems. Our research was focused on five water plants located in the Pannonian Plain, Slovenia. Sampled water originated from different natural water sources and was subjected to different cleaning methods before distribution. The average numbers of fungi from natural water, water after disinfection, water at the first sampling point in the water network, and water at the last sampling point were 260, 49, 64, and 97 CFU/L, respectively. Chlorination reduced the number of fungi by a factor of 5, but its effect decreased with the length of the water network. The occurrence of different fungi in water and on materials depended on the choice of material. The presence of the genera Aspergillus, Acremonium, Furcasterigmium, Gliomastix, and Sarocladium was mostly observed on cement, while Cadophora, Cladosporium, Cyphellophora, and Exophiala prevailed on metals. Plastic materials were more susceptible to colonization with basidiomycetous fungi. Opportunistically pathogenic fungi were isolated sporadically from materials and water and do not represent a significant health risk for water consumers. In addition to cultivation data, physico-chemical features of water were measured and later processed with machine learning methods, revealing the sampling location and water cleaning processes as the main factors affecting fungal presence and richness in water and materials in contact with water. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Diversity in Various Environments, 2nd Edition)
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15 pages, 17588 KiB  
Article
Molecular Systematics and Taxonomic Analyses of Three New Wood-Inhabiting Fungi of Hyphoderma (Hyphodermataceae, Basidiomycota)
by Yang Yang, Qianquan Jiang, Qi Li, Jiawei Yang, Li Cha, Lijun Cheng, Shunqiang Yang, Changlin Zhao and Hongmin Zhou
J. Fungi 2023, 9(11), 1044; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9111044 - 24 Oct 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1424
Abstract
In this present study, three new wood-inhabiting fungal taxa, Hyphoderma niveomarginatum, H. sordidum and H. weishanense, are proposed. Hyphoderma niveomarginatum is characterized by the ceraceous basidiomata having a smooth, cracking hymenial surface and the presence of the moniliform cystidia and ellipsoid basidiospores [...] Read more.
In this present study, three new wood-inhabiting fungal taxa, Hyphoderma niveomarginatum, H. sordidum and H. weishanense, are proposed. Hyphoderma niveomarginatum is characterized by the ceraceous basidiomata having a smooth, cracking hymenial surface and the presence of the moniliform cystidia and ellipsoid basidiospores (7–9 × 3.5–5 µm). Hyphoderma sordidum is characterized by its resupinate basidiomata with a smooth hymenial surface with the fimbriate margin, the presence of the tubular cystidia and ellipsoid basidiospores (3–4.5 × 2–3 µm). Hyphoderma weishanense differs in its membranous basidiomata with a slightly buff to buff hymenial surface and the presence of broadly ellipsoid basidiospores (4.5–8.5 × 4–7 µm). Sequences of ITS+nLSU+mt-SSU+RPB1+RPB2 genes were used for the phylogenetic analyses using three methods. The ITS+nLSU+mt-SSU+RPB1+RPB2 analysis of the genus Hyphoderma indicated that the 3 new species of Hyphoderma were nested into genus Hyphoderma, in which H. niveomarginatum formed a single group and then grouped with H. membranaceum and H. sinense; H. sordidum was a sister to H. nudicephalum; and H. weishanense closely grouped with H. crystallinum. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Diversity in Various Environments, 2nd Edition)
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16 pages, 3915 KiB  
Article
Species Discrimination within the Metarhizium PARB Clade: Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer (rIGS)-Based Diagnostic PCR and Single Marker Taxonomy
by Christina Schuster, Yamilé Baró Robaina, Haifa Ben Gharsa, Saikal Bobushova, Romina Guadalupe Manfrino, Alejandra C. Gutierrez, Claudia C. Lopez Lastra, Tinatin Doolotkeldieva and Andreas Leclerque
J. Fungi 2023, 9(10), 996; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9100996 - 8 Oct 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1483
Abstract
(1) Background: The entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae sensu lato forms a species complex, comprising a tight cluster made up of four species, namely M. anisopliae sensu stricto, M. pinghaense, M. robertsii and M. brunneum. Unambiguous species delineation within this “PARB [...] Read more.
(1) Background: The entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae sensu lato forms a species complex, comprising a tight cluster made up of four species, namely M. anisopliae sensu stricto, M. pinghaense, M. robertsii and M. brunneum. Unambiguous species delineation within this “PARB clade” that enables both the taxonomic assignment of new isolates and the identification of potentially new species is highly solicited. (2) Methods: Species-discriminating primer pairs targeting the ribosomal intergenic spacer (rIGS) sequence were designed and a diagnostic PCR protocol established. A partial rIGS sequence, referred to as rIGS-ID800, was introduced as a molecular taxonomic marker for PARB species delineation. (3) Results: PARB species from a validation strain set not implied in primer design were clearly discriminated using the diagnostic PCR protocol developed. Using rIGS-ID800 as a single sequence taxonomic marker gave rise to a higher resolution and statistically better supported delineation of PARB clade species. (4) Conclusions: Reliable species discrimination within the Metarhizium PARB clade is possible through both sequencing-independent diagnostic PCR and sequencing-dependent single marker comparison, both based on the rIGS marker. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Diversity in Various Environments, 2nd Edition)
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16 pages, 4977 KiB  
Article
Oomycete Soil Diversity Associated with Betula and Alnus in Forests and Urban Settings in the Nordic–Baltic Region
by Taavi Riit, Michelle Cleary, Kalev Adamson, Mimmi Blomquist, Daiva Burokienė, Diana Marčiulynienė, Jonàs Oliva, Anna Poimala, Miguel Angel Redondo, Gunn Mari Strømeng, Venche Talgø, Leho Tedersoo, Iben Margrete Thomsen, Anne Uimari, Johanna Witzell and Rein Drenkhan
J. Fungi 2023, 9(9), 926; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9090926 - 14 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2093
Abstract
This study aimed to determine the differences and drivers of oomycete diversity and community composition in alder- and birch-dominated park and natural forest soils of the Fennoscandian and Baltic countries of Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden. For this, we sequenced libraries of [...] Read more.
This study aimed to determine the differences and drivers of oomycete diversity and community composition in alder- and birch-dominated park and natural forest soils of the Fennoscandian and Baltic countries of Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden. For this, we sequenced libraries of PCR products generated from the DNA of 111 soil samples collected across a climate gradient using oomycete-specific primers on a PacBio high-throughput sequencing platform. We found that oomycete communities are most affected by temperature seasonality, annual mean temperature, and mean temperature of the warmest quarter. Differences in composition were partly explained by the higher diversity of Saprolegniales in Sweden and Norway, as both total oomycete and Saprolegniales richness decreased significantly at higher longitudes, potentially indicating the preference of this group of oomycetes for a more temperate maritime climate. None of the evaluated climatic variables significantly affected the richness of Pythiales or Peronosporales. Interestingly, the relative abundance and richness of Pythiales was higher at urban sites compared to forest sites, whereas the opposite was true for Saprolegniales. Additionally, this is the first report of Phytophthora gallica and P. plurivora in Estonia. Our results indicate that the composition of oomycetes in soils is strongly influenced by climatic factors, and, therefore, changes in climate conditions associated with global warming may have the potential to significantly alter the distribution range of these microbes, which comprise many important pathogens of plants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Diversity in Various Environments, 2nd Edition)
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