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Journal of Fungi (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024Woodpeckers exhibit selectivity when choosing tree cavities for nest development in forest ecosystems, and fungi play a significant and important role in this ecological...
Woodpeckers exhibit selectivity when choosing tree cavities for nest development in forest ecosystems, and fungi play a significant and important role in this ecological process. Therefore, there is a complex and intricate relationship between the various behaviors of woodpeckers and the occurrence of fungal species. Research into the complex bond between fungi and woodpeckers was undertaken to provide more information about this remarkable ecological relationship. Through the process of line transect sampling, woodpecker traces were searched for, and mist nets were set up to capture them. A total of 21 woodpeckers belonging to four species were captured. High-throughput sequencing of the ITS region was performed on fungal-conserved samples to enable an in-depth analysis of the fungal communities linked to the woodpeckers' nests. Members of Ascomycota were the most abundant in the samples, accounting for 91.96% of the total, demonstrating the importance of this group in the forest ecosystem of this station. The statistical results indicate significant differences in the fungal diversity carried by woodpeckers among the different groups. Species of were found to be the most prevalent of all the detected fungal genera, accounting for 49.3%. The top 15 most abundant genera were , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and . The standard Bray-Curtis statistical technique was used in a hierarchical clustering analysis to compute inter-sample distances, allowing for the identification of patterns and correlations within the dataset. We discovered that in the grouped samples from woodpeckers, there were differences in the diversity of fungal communities carried by four woodpecker species, but the less dominant fungal species were still similar. The findings highlight the need to consider these diverse ecological linkages in woodpecker research and conservation efforts.
PubMed: 38921375
DOI: 10.3390/jof10060389 -
Frontiers in Microbiology 2024The thermophilic fungus is a saprobe that is commonly isolated from soil. Here, we identified a Gram-positive bacteria-selective antimicrobial secondary metabolite from...
The thermophilic fungus is a saprobe that is commonly isolated from soil. Here, we identified a Gram-positive bacteria-selective antimicrobial secondary metabolite from this fungal species, harzianic acid (HA). Using strain 168 combined with dynamic bacterial morphology imaging, we found that HA targeted the cell membrane. To further study the antimicrobial activity of HA, we isolated an HA-resistant strain, strain M9015, and discovered that the mutant had more translucent colonies than the wild type strain, showed cross resistance to rifampin, and harbored five mutations in the coding region of four distinct genes. Further analysis of these genes indicated that the mutation in might be responsible for the translucency of the colonies, and mutation in for resistance to both HA and rifampin. We conclude that HA is an antimicrobial agent against Gram-positive bacteria that targets the cell membrane.
PubMed: 38348189
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1332774 -
The Science of the Total Environment Mar 2024Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition and fertilization in boreal forests frequently reduces decomposition and soil respiration and enhances C storage in the topsoil....
Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition and fertilization in boreal forests frequently reduces decomposition and soil respiration and enhances C storage in the topsoil. This enhancement of the C sink can be as strong as the aboveground biomass response to N additions and has implications for the global C cycle, but the mechanisms remain elusive. We hypothesized that this effect would be associated with a shift in the microbial community and its activity, and particularly by fungal taxa reported to be capable of lignin degradation and organic N acquisition. We sampled the organic layer below the intact litter of a Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst) forest in northern Sweden after 20 years of annual N additions at low (12.5 kg N ha yr) and high (50 kg N ha yr) rates. We measured microbial biomass using phospholipid fatty-acid analysis (PLFA) and ergosterol measurements and used ITS metagenomics to profile the fungal community of soil and fine-roots. We probed the metabolic activity of the soil community by measuring the activity of extracellular enzymes and evaluated its relationships with the most N responsive soil fungal species. Nitrogen addition decreased the abundance of fungal PLFA markers and changed the fungal community in humus and fine-roots. Specifically, the humus community changed in part due to a shift from Oidiodendron pilicola, Cenococcum geophilum, and Cortinarius caperatus to Tylospora fibrillosa and Russula griseascens. These microbial community changes were associated with decreased activity of Mn-peroxidase and peptidase, and an increase in the activity of C acquiring enzymes. Our results show that the rapid accumulation of C in the humus layer frequently observed in areas with high N deposition is consistent with a shift in microbial metabolism, where decomposition associated with organic N acquisition is downregulated when inorganic N forms are readily available.
Topics: Nitrogen; Soil; Carbon; Forests; Microbiota; Soil Microbiology
PubMed: 38325494
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170741 -
Data in Brief Feb 2024Mining activities in the Zambian Copperbelt Province have led to the release of heavy metal-containing waste, causing contamination in nearby areas. Despite this...
Mining activities in the Zambian Copperbelt Province have led to the release of heavy metal-containing waste, causing contamination in nearby areas. Despite this environmental challenge, limited knowledge exists regarding the mycobiota in copper mine sites. This study investigates fungal community structure in copper(Cu) and cobalt (Co) contaminated soils around decommisioned dams in Kitwe. Metagenomic analysis of the ITSF1 gene amplicons was used for the purpose. The composition of soil fungal communities was characterized, and the findings revealed significant insights. At the phylum level, dominated the fungal profiles in the tailings (64.59%), followed by (21.30%), (4.53%), and (0.0275%). Several fungal genera, including , P, and , were more abundant in contaminated tailings soils, suggesting their potential in leaching, absorbing, and transforming heavy metals. In contrast, the reference soil at Mwekera National Forest exhibited different dominance patterns with four fungal phyla identified, with and dominating most samples. , known for forming arbuscular mycorrhizae with plants, were found in contaminated soils, while , which can serve ecological roles in various ecosystems, were also present. Notable fungal species such as , and demonstrated resilience to Cu and Co, the primary contaminants in the Copperbelt.
PubMed: 38186741
DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2023.109951 -
World Journal of Microbiology &... Dec 2023Chernevaya taiga of Western Siberia, Russia, is a unique ecosystem characterized by fertile soil, exceptionally large herbaceous plant sizes, and extraordinarily rapid...
Chernevaya taiga of Western Siberia, Russia, is a unique ecosystem characterized by fertile soil, exceptionally large herbaceous plant sizes, and extraordinarily rapid rates of plant residue degradation. We expected that growing crops on soil collected from Chernevaya taiga, which has never been used for agricultural purposes before, would result in a distinct rhizospheric fungal community. This community could potentially yield novel, potent biostimulators and biocontrol fungi for modern agriculture. To check this idea, we used high-throughput ITS sequencing to examine the microbial communities in the rhizosphere of spring wheat and radish grown in greenhouse experiments on Chernevaya and control soils. Additionally, representative fungal strains were isolated and assessed for their ability to promote growth in wheat seedlings. The study revealed that the most abundant phyla in the rhizospheric fungal community were Mortierellomycota, primarily consisting of Mortierella species, and Ascomycota. Mucor and Umbelopsis comprised the majority of Mucoromycota in the control soils. Fusarium and Oidiodendron, two potentially plant-pathogenic fungi, were only found in the rhizosphere of crops grown in the control soil. Conversely, Chernevaya soil contained a diverse range of potential biocontrol fungi for plants. Tested novel fungal isolates showed a stimulating effect on the development of wheat seedlings and positively affected their rate of biomass accumulation. The results of the study demonstrate that the soil of Chernevaya taiga do indeed contain fungi with prominent potential to stimulate agricultural plants growth.
Topics: Soil; Mycobiome; Rhizosphere; Crops, Agricultural; Taiga; Fungi; Microbiota; Ascomycota; Soil Microbiology; Plant Roots
PubMed: 38057541
DOI: 10.1007/s11274-023-03827-6 -
World Journal of Microbiology &... Oct 2023The continuous cropping obstacle is the main factor in leading to difficulty in American ginseng replanting. The dormant microbiota in the soil may be the cause of...
The continuous cropping obstacle is the main factor in leading to difficulty in American ginseng replanting. The dormant microbiota in the soil may be the cause of American ginseng disease and eventually caused continuous cropping obstacles, but there are few studies on the dynamic changes of soil microenvironment after American ginseng planting. In this study, we tracked short-term variation in physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, and fungal communities over time-series in soils with continuous cropping obstacle under crop rotation and probiotic Bacillus treatments. Furthermore, we examined the relationships between the important fungal compositions and the soil properties. The results showed that sucrase, cellulase, urease and acid phosphatase activities were significantly increased, while catalase and dehydrogenase were decreased with treatments time. Rotation treatment significantly affected the diversity, dissimilarity degree and species distribution of soil fungal community with continuous cropping obstacle over a short-term. Moreover, beneficial fungal biomarkers such as Cladorrhinum, Oidiodendron, and Mariannaea were accumulated at 48 h under rotation treatments. Almost all fungal biomarkers were negatively correlated with hydrolases and positively correlated with oxidoreductases and acid phosphatase under crop rotation treatments. This study suggested that compared to probiotic Bacillus, crop rotation can significantly affect soil fungal community structure, especially the enrichment of specific potentially beneficial fungal species. Our findings provide a scientific basis for understanding the dynamic changes of fungal communities and soil properties with continuous cropping obstacle of American ginseng in initial stage of soil improvement.
Topics: Soil; Mycobiome; Bacillus; Panax; Acid Phosphatase; Biomarkers; Soil Microbiology
PubMed: 37874395
DOI: 10.1007/s11274-023-03807-w -
Mycorrhiza Nov 2023Core Ericaceae produce delicate hair roots with inflated rhizodermal cells that host plethora of fungal symbionts. These poorly known mycobionts include various...
Core Ericaceae produce delicate hair roots with inflated rhizodermal cells that host plethora of fungal symbionts. These poorly known mycobionts include various endophytes, parasites, saprobes, and the ericoid mycorrhizal (ErM) fungi (ErMF) that form the ErM symbiosis crucial for the fitness of their hosts. Using microscopy and high-throughput sequencing, we investigated their structural and molecular diversity in 14 different host × site combinations in Northern Bohemia (Central Europe) and Argentine Patagonia (South America). While we found typical ericoid mycorrhiza in all combinations, we did not detect ectomycorrhiza and arbuscular mycorrhiza. Superficial mantles of various thickness formed by non-clamped hyphae were observed in all combinations except Calluna vulgaris from N. Bohemia. Some samples contained frequent intercellular hyphae while others possessed previously unreported intracellular haustoria-like structures linked with intracellular hyphal coils. The 711 detected fungal OTU were dominated by Ascomycota (563) and Basidiomycota (119), followed by four other phyla. Ascomycetes comprised Helotiales (255), Pleosporales (53), Chaetothyriales (42), and other 19 orders, while basidiomycetes Sebacinales (42), Agaricales (28), Auriculariales (7), and other 14 orders. While many dominant OTU from both hemispheres lacked close relatives in reference databases, many were very similar to identical to unnamed sequences from around the world. On the other hand, several significant ericaceous mycobionts were absent in our dataset, incl. Cairneyella, Gamarada, Kurtia, Lachnum, and Leohumicola. Most of the detected OTU could not be reliably linked to a particular trophic mode, and only two could be reliably assigned to the archetypal ErMF Hyaloscypha hepaticicola. Probable ErMF comprised Hyaloscypha variabilis and Oidiodendron maius, both detected only in N. Bohemia. Possible ErMF comprised sebacinoid fungi and several unnamed members of Hyaloscypha s. str. While H. hepaticicola was dominant only in C. vulgaris, this model ErM host lacked O. maius and sebacinoid mycobionts. Hyaloscypha hepaticicola was absent in two and very rare in six combinations from Patagonia. Nine OTU represented dark septate endophytes from the Phialocephala fortinii s. lat.-Acephala applanata species complex, including the most abundant OTU (the only detected in all combinations). Statistical analyses revealed marked differences between N. Bohemia and Patagonia, but also within Patagonia, due to the unique community detected in a Valdivian temperate rainforest. Our results show that the ericaceous hair roots may host diverse mycobionts with mostly unknown functions and indicate that many novel ErMF lineages await discovery. Transhemispheric differences (thousands of km) in their communities may be evenly matched by local differences (scales of km, m, and less).
Topics: Mycorrhizae; Ericaceae; Plant Roots; Symbiosis; Basidiomycota; Endophytes
PubMed: 37792114
DOI: 10.1007/s00572-023-01125-5 -
Journal of Agricultural and Food... Oct 2023To prevent the exploitation of wild agarwood, the development of artificial agarwood through fungal inoculation is a promising method, but finding species that produce...
To prevent the exploitation of wild agarwood, the development of artificial agarwood through fungal inoculation is a promising method, but finding species that produce efficient high-quality agarwood remains difficult. In this study, a fungal inducer was prepared using wild agarwood containing fungi and high-throughput sequencing was performed to determine its species makeup. Subsequently, it was used to inoculate (Lour.) Spreng. The induced agarwood (IA), wild agarwood (WA), and nonresinous whitewood (WW) were analyzed for the extract content. In addition, liquid and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to determine the chemical composition of the samples. The results were used to evaluate the quality of the IA. Linnem. ex W.Gams, (Barron), and (W. Gams) Quandt, Kepler, and Spatafora were the fungal inducers that were discovered to produce agarwood. The extracts from the IA and WA contained 64 and 69 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromones, respectively, while there were none in the WW. Furthermore, 20 (relative content 36.19%) and 27 (relative content 54.92%) sesquiterpenes were identified in the essential oils of the IA and WA, respectively, and none were identified in the WW. The fungal inducer that was prepared from the WA effectively improves the quality of the agarwood, which is extremely similar to that of the WA.
Topics: Chromones; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Oils, Volatile; Thymelaeaceae; Fungi; Wood
PubMed: 37750837
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.3c04322 -
Journal of Fungi (Basel, Switzerland) Jul 2023G.L. Barron is a recognized fungal species capable of forming ericoid mycorrhiza with various positive effects on host plants; therefore, newly found and previously...
G.L. Barron is a recognized fungal species capable of forming ericoid mycorrhiza with various positive effects on host plants; therefore, newly found and previously uncharacterized strains may be valuable for heather plants' controlled mycorrhization. Characteristics of the F3860 strain were studied, i.e., mycelium growth on various nutrient media and the ability to secrete auxins and enzymes. F3860 grew rapidly on malt extract agar and potato dextrose agar. It was also able to grow on nutrient media suitable for heather plant cultivation. The presence of the flavonoids rutin and quercetin increased the mycelium growth rate compared to the control, starting from the 8th to the 13th days of cultivation. The ability to secrete auxins was confirmed with bioassay and thin-layer chromatography, and their content, as well as phytase activity, was estimated spectrophotometrically. Both in nutrient media with tryptophan and without it, F3860 secreted about 6 μg IAA/mL growth medium. F3860 possessed extracellular phytase, protease, and phenol oxidase activities. The investigation indicates F3860's promise for heather seedling inoculation as an approach to increase their fitness.
PubMed: 37504716
DOI: 10.3390/jof9070728 -
Frontiers in Microbiology 2023Corm rot is the most important disease of saffron, for which fungi from several genus such as spp. spp. and spp., have been previously reported to be the pathogens....
Corm rot is the most important disease of saffron, for which fungi from several genus such as spp. spp. and spp., have been previously reported to be the pathogens. In this research, we used a combination of amplicon sequencing and traditional isolation methods to identify the causal agents, main infection source. The diversity of microbial communities in diseased saffron corms and soil decreased significantly compared with healthy corms and soil. The contents of and in healthy and diseased corms were similarly high, indicating that them were not directly related to the occurrence of corm rot. But the relative abundance of , and were significantly higher in the diseased corms than healthy ones. The abundance of increased, while the abundance of , and the endophytic beneficial bacteria decreased, which may relate to the occurrence of the disease. The co-occurrence network diagram showed that the correlation between fungal and bacterial communities was mainly positive. Plant pathogens were relatively abundant in the diseased soil, according to functional gene prediction. At the same time, we also collected 100 diseased corms from the fields in Jiande, where is known as the "hometown of saffron." All isolated pathogenic strains were identified as through morphological observation and phylogenetic tree analysis of ITS, and . To better clarify the biological characteristics of . , we cultured the isolates at different temperatures and pH values. The optimum temperature for mycelial growth and sporulation was 25°C, pH 6,carbon sources sorbitol and nitrogen sources, peptone. In short, our results suggests that was the pathogen causing corm rot in Jiande and corms other than soils are the main primary infection source. These new understanding of saffron corm rot will provide the theoretical basis for its better and efficiently management.
PubMed: 37362925
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1188376