Fungal Diversity in Europe

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 July 2022) | Viewed by 35004

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Since the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Rio de Janeiro (1992), fungi have become increasingly important in our daily lives. Although 30 years have passed since the first national and regional checklists and redlists were published, knowledge about fungi is still fragmented. In addition, there is a clear knowledge gap between Northern European and Mediterranean countries as well as North African countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. This Special Issue aims to produce data on the distribution and ecology of fungi and on conservation strategies in order to provide an up-to-date picture not only to researchers but also to ordinary citizens who are increasingly involved in safeguarding ecosystems and biodiversity.

Prof. Dr. Giuseppe Venturella
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Fungi is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • fungi
  • checklists
  • redlists
  • Europe
  • North Africa
  • ecology
  • conservation
  • citizen sciences
  • open sciences

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (13 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

22 pages, 3895 KiB  
Article
Principal Drivers of Fungal Communities Associated with Needles, Shoots, Roots and Adjacent Soil of Pinus sylvestris
by Diana Marčiulynienė, Adas Marčiulynas, Valeriia Mishcherikova, Jūratė Lynikienė, Artūras Gedminas, Iva Franic and Audrius Menkis
J. Fungi 2022, 8(10), 1112; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8101112 - 21 Oct 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2037
Abstract
The plant- and soil-associated microbial communities are critical to plant health and their resilience to stressors, such as drought, pathogens, and pest outbreaks. A better understanding of the structure of microbial communities and how they are affected by different environmental factors is needed [...] Read more.
The plant- and soil-associated microbial communities are critical to plant health and their resilience to stressors, such as drought, pathogens, and pest outbreaks. A better understanding of the structure of microbial communities and how they are affected by different environmental factors is needed to predict and manage ecosystem responses to climate change. In this study, we carried out a country-wide analysis of fungal communities associated with Pinus sylvestris growing under different environmental conditions. Needle, shoot, root, mineral, and organic soil samples were collected at 30 sites. By interconnecting the high-throughput sequencing data, environmental variables, and soil chemical properties, we were able to identify key factors that drive the diversity and composition of fungal communities associated with P. sylvestris. The fungal species richness and community composition were also found to be highly dependent on the site and the substrate they colonize. The results demonstrated that different functional tissues and the rhizosphere soil of P. sylvestris are associated with diverse fungal communities, which are driven by a combination of climatic (temperature and precipitation) and edaphic factors (soil pH), and stand characteristics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Diversity in Europe)
Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 2963 KiB  
Article
Diversity and Distribution of Macrofungi in Protected Mountain Forest Habitats in Serbia and Its Relation to Abiotic Factors
by Milana Rakić, Miroslav Marković, Zoran Galić, Vladislava Galović and Maja Karaman
J. Fungi 2022, 8(10), 1074; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8101074 - 13 Oct 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2245
Abstract
Fungal diversity is one of the most important indicators of overall forest biodiversity and its health. However, scarce information exists on the state of macrofungal communities of mountain forests in Serbia, making it one of the countries with the least-published mycological data in [...] Read more.
Fungal diversity is one of the most important indicators of overall forest biodiversity and its health. However, scarce information exists on the state of macrofungal communities of mountain forests in Serbia, making it one of the countries with the least-published mycological data in the Mediterranean and Balkan region of Europe. This paper presents the results of the first comprehensive, long-term study of macrofungal communities in some of the most important mountain forest ecosystems in Serbia (Tara, Kopaonik and Vidlič). In the course of three consecutive years, the sampling of five permanent experimental plots resulted in 245 species of macrofungi, classified into three functional groups (terricolous saprothrophs, lignicolous, and mycorrhizal fungi). Special attention was given to protected and indicator species, which point out the great value of studied forest habitats and the importance of their conservation. It was found that precipitation, habitat humidity, and temperature significantly influence the occurrence and distribution, primarily of mycorrhizal and lignicolous group of fungi. Thus, the continuation of long-term monitoring is crucial in order to more precisely determine which groups/species of macrofungi would, and to what extent they would, adapt to a rapidly changing climate. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Diversity in Europe)
Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 4304 KiB  
Article
Season, Vegetation Proximity and Building Age Shape the Indoor Fungal Communities’ Composition at City-Scale
by Hélène Niculita-Hirzel, Pascal Wild and Alexandre H. Hirzel
J. Fungi 2022, 8(10), 1045; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8101045 - 3 Oct 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1941
Abstract
Exposure to particular microbiome compositions in the built environment can affect human health and well-being. Identifying the drivers of these indoor microbial assemblages is key to controlling the microbiota of the built environment. In the present study, we used culture and metabarcoding of [...] Read more.
Exposure to particular microbiome compositions in the built environment can affect human health and well-being. Identifying the drivers of these indoor microbial assemblages is key to controlling the microbiota of the built environment. In the present study, we used culture and metabarcoding of the fungal Internal Transcribed Spacer ribosomal RNA region to assess whether small-scale variation in the built environment influences the diversity, composition and structure of indoor air fungal communities between a heating and an unheated season. Passive dust collectors were used to collect airborne fungi from 259 dwellings representative of three major building periods and five building environments in one city—Lausanne (Vaud, Switzerland)—over a heating and an unheated period. A homogenous population (one or two people with an average age of 75 years) inhabited the households. Geographic information systems were used to assess detailed site characteristics (altitude, proximity to forest, fields and parks, proximity to the lake, and density of buildings and roads) for each building. Our analysis indicated that season was the factor that explained most of the variation in colonies forming unit (CFU) concentration and indoor mycobiome composition, followed by the period of building construction. Fungal assemblages were more diverse during the heating season than during the unheated season. Buildings with effective insulation had distinct mycobiome compositions from those built before 1975 — regardless of whether they were constructed with pre-1945 technology and materials or 1945 — 1974 ones. The urban landscape—as a whole—was a significant predictor of cultivable Penicillium load—the closer the building was to the lake, the higher the Penicillium load—but not of fungal community composition. Nevertheless, the relative abundance of eleven fungal taxa detected by metabarcoding decreased significantly with the urbanization gradient. When urban landscape descriptors were analyzed separately, the explanatory power of proximity to vegetation in shaping fungal assemblages become significant, indicating that land cover type had an influence on fungal community structure that was obscured by the effects of building age and sampling season. In conclusion, indoor mycobiomes are strongly modulated by season, and their assemblages are shaped by the effectiveness of building insulation, but are weakly influenced by the urban landscape. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Diversity in Europe)
Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 2395 KiB  
Article
The Culturable Mycobiota of Sediments and Associated Microplastics: From a Harbor to a Marine Protected Area, a Comparative Study
by Matteo Florio Furno, Anna Poli, Davide Ferrero, Federica Tardelli, Chiara Manzini, Matteo Oliva, Carlo Pretti, Tommaso Campani, Silvia Casini, Maria Cristina Fossi, Giovanna Cristina Varese and Valeria Prigione
J. Fungi 2022, 8(9), 927; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8090927 - 31 Aug 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2155
Abstract
Fungi are an essential component of marine ecosystems, although little is known about their global distribution and underwater diversity, especially in sediments. Microplastics (MPs) are widespread contaminants worldwide and threaten the organisms present in the oceans. In this study, we investigated the fungal [...] Read more.
Fungi are an essential component of marine ecosystems, although little is known about their global distribution and underwater diversity, especially in sediments. Microplastics (MPs) are widespread contaminants worldwide and threaten the organisms present in the oceans. In this study, we investigated the fungal abundance and diversity in sediments, as well as the MPs, of three sites with different anthropogenic impacts in the Mediterranean Sea: the harbor of Livorno, the marine protected area “Secche della Meloria”; and an intermediate point, respectively. A total of 1526 isolates were cultured and identified using a polyphasic approach. For many of the fungal species this is the first record in a marine environment. A comparison with the mycobiota associated with the sediments and MPs underlined a “substrate specificity”, highlighting the complexity of MP-associated fungal assemblages, potentially leading to altered microbial activities and hence changes in ecosystem functions. A further driving force that acts on the fungal communities associated with sediments and MPs is sampling sites with different anthropogenic impacts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Diversity in Europe)
Show Figures

Figure 1

24 pages, 5810 KiB  
Article
Unravelling the French National Fungal Database: Geography, Temporality, Taxonomy and Ecology of the Recorded Diversity
by Montan Gautier, Pierre-Arthur Moreau, Béatrice Boury and Franck Richard
J. Fungi 2022, 8(9), 926; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8090926 - 31 Aug 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1855
Abstract
Large datasets are highly valuable resources to investigate multi-scale patterns of organisms, and lay foundations for citizen science-based conservation strategies. Here, we used 1,043,262 records from 1708 to 2021 to explore the geography, taxonomy, ecology and distribution patterns of 11,556 fungal taxa in [...] Read more.
Large datasets are highly valuable resources to investigate multi-scale patterns of organisms, and lay foundations for citizen science-based conservation strategies. Here, we used 1,043,262 records from 1708 to 2021 to explore the geography, taxonomy, ecology and distribution patterns of 11,556 fungal taxa in metropolitan France. Our analysis reveals a four-phase pattern of temporal recording, with a main contribution of post-1977 observations in relation with the structuration of associative mycology. The dataset shows an uneven geography of fungal recording. Four clusters of high-intensity sampling scattered across France contrast with poorly documented areas, including the Mediterranean. Basidiomycota and Agaricales highly dominate the dataset, accounting for 88.8 and 50.4% of records, respectively. The dataset is composed of many rare taxa, with 61.2% of them showing fewer than 100 records, and 20.5% recorded only once. The analysis of metadata brings to light a preponderance of the mycorrhizal guild (44.6%), followed by litter saprotrophs (31.6%) and wood saprotrophs (18.1%). Highly documented forests (76.3% of records) contrast with poorly investigated artificial (6.43%) and open habitats (10.1%). This work provides the first comprehensive overview of fungal diversity in France and identifies the Mediterranean area and open habitats as priorities to integrate into a global strategy for fungal conservation in France. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Diversity in Europe)
Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 2762 KiB  
Article
Differential Activity of the Extracellular Phenoloxidases in Different Strains of the Phytopathogenic Fungus, Microdochium nivale
by Elena Vetchinkina, Azat Meshcherov and Vladimir Gorshkov
J. Fungi 2022, 8(9), 918; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8090918 - 29 Aug 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1495
Abstract
To cause plant diseases, phytopathogenic fungi use numerous extracellular enzymes, among which, the phenoloxidases (POs) seem underestimated for the pathogens of non-woody plants. Our study aimed to (1) compare extracellular PO activities (lignin peroxidase, Mn peroxidase, laccase, and tyrosinase) in differentially virulent strains [...] Read more.
To cause plant diseases, phytopathogenic fungi use numerous extracellular enzymes, among which, the phenoloxidases (POs) seem underestimated for the pathogens of non-woody plants. Our study aimed to (1) compare extracellular PO activities (lignin peroxidase, Mn peroxidase, laccase, and tyrosinase) in differentially virulent strains (inhabiting winter rye in a single field) of the phytopathogenic species, Microdochium nivale; (2) check whether these activities are responsive to host plant metabolites; and (3) search for correlations between the activities, lignin-decomposing capacity, and virulence. All strains displayed all four enzymatic activities, but their levels and dynamics depended on the particular strain. The activities displayed the hallmarks of co-regulation and responsiveness to the host plant extract. No relationships between the virulence of strains and levels of their extracellular PO activities or lignin-degrading capacity were revealed. We consider that different strains may rely on different POs for plant colonization, and that different POs contribute to the “uniqueness” of the enzymatic cocktails that are delivered into host plant tissues by different virulent strains of M. nivale. Our study supports the hypothesis of the differential behavior of closely related M. nivale strains, and discusses an important role of POs in the interactions of phytopathogens with herbaceous plants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Diversity in Europe)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

34 pages, 12799 KiB  
Article
Polyphasic Systematics of the Fungicolous Genus Cladobotryum Based on Morphological, Molecular and Metabolomics Data
by Nikola Milic, Anastasia C. Christinaki, Dimitra Benaki, Aimilia A. Stavrou, Nikolaos Tsafantakis, Nikolas Fokialakis, Vassili N. Kouvelis and Zacharoula Gonou-Zagou
J. Fungi 2022, 8(8), 877; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8080877 - 20 Aug 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2812
Abstract
(1) Background: Species of the anamorphic genus Cladobotryum, are known for their fungicolous lifestyle, making them important mycopathogens in fungiculture. Many morphological, ecological, and molecular phylogenetic studies of the genus have been done to date, but taxonomic uncertainties and challenges still remain. [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Species of the anamorphic genus Cladobotryum, are known for their fungicolous lifestyle, making them important mycopathogens in fungiculture. Many morphological, ecological, and molecular phylogenetic studies of the genus have been done to date, but taxonomic uncertainties and challenges still remain. Fungal secondary metabolites, being vastly diverse, are utilised as an extra tool in fungal systematics. Despite being studied for their potentially bioactive compounds, Cladobotryum species are insufficiently investigated regarding metabolomics. (2) Methods: The aim of this study is the identification of Greek strains of Cladobotryum by integrating morphological data, ITS-based phylogeny, and 1H NMR-based metabolomics into a polyphasic approach. (3) Results: Twenty-three strains, isolated from sporophores of macromycetes inhabiting diverse Greek ecosystems, were morphologically identified as Cladobotryum apiculatum, C. fungicola, C. mycophilum, C. varium, C. verticillatum, and Hypomyces rosellus (anamorph C. dendroides), whereas seven strains, which produced red-pigmented metabolites, presented an ambiguous taxonomic position at the species level. Molecular phylogenetics and metabolomics corroborated the morphological findings. (4) Conclusions: Thorough morphological study, ITS region-based phylogeny, and NMR-based metabolomics contribute complementarily to resolving the genus Cladobotryum systematics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Diversity in Europe)
Show Figures

Figure 1

25 pages, 16080 KiB  
Article
Occurrence, Diversity and Anti-Fungal Resistance of Fungi in Sand of an Urban Beach in Slovenia—Environmental Monitoring with Possible Health Risk Implications
by Monika Novak Babič, Nina Gunde-Cimerman, Martin Breskvar, Sašo Džeroski and João Brandão
J. Fungi 2022, 8(8), 860; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8080860 - 16 Aug 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3143
Abstract
Beach safety regulation is based on faecal indicators in water, leaving out sand and fungi, whose presence in both matrices has often been reported. To study the abundance, diversity and possible fluctuations of mycobiota, fungi from sand and seawater were isolated from the [...] Read more.
Beach safety regulation is based on faecal indicators in water, leaving out sand and fungi, whose presence in both matrices has often been reported. To study the abundance, diversity and possible fluctuations of mycobiota, fungi from sand and seawater were isolated from the Portorož beach (Slovenia) during a 1-year period. Sand analyses yielded 64 species of 43 genera, whereas seawater samples yielded 29 species of 18 genera. Environmental and taxonomical data of fungal communities were analysed using machine learning approaches. Changes in the air and water temperature, sunshine hours, humidity and precipitation, air pressure and wind speed appeared to affect mycobiota. The core genera Aphanoascus, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Bisifusarium, Penicillium, Talaromyces, and Rhizopus were found to compose a stable community within sand, although their presence and abundance fluctuated along with weather changes. Aspergillus spp. were the most abundant and thus tested against nine antimycotics using Sensititre Yeast One kit. Aspergillus niger and A. welwitschiae isolates were found to be resistant to amphotericin B. Additionally, four possible human pollution indicators were isolated during the bathing season, including Meyerozyma, which can be used in beach microbial regulation. Our findings provide the foundations for additional research on sand and seawater mycobiota and show the potential effect of global warming and extreme weather events on fungi in sand and sea. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Diversity in Europe)
Show Figures

Figure 1

49 pages, 1250 KiB  
Article
The Checklist of Sicilian Macrofungi: Second Edition
by Valeria Ferraro, Giuseppe Venturella, Fortunato Cirlincione, Giulia Mirabile, Maria Letizia Gargano and Pasqualina Colasuonno
J. Fungi 2022, 8(6), 566; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8060566 - 25 May 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2540
Abstract
Approximately 30 years after the publication of the first Sicilian checklist of macrofungi, a new updated version is presented here. The census of macromycetes was carried out through periodic observations in different agricultural and forest ecosystems, in urban areas, in public and private [...] Read more.
Approximately 30 years after the publication of the first Sicilian checklist of macrofungi, a new updated version is presented here. The census of macromycetes was carried out through periodic observations in different agricultural and forest ecosystems, in urban areas, in public and private gardens, and in botanical gardens. The 1919 infraspecific taxa included in 508 genera belonging to 152 families were collected in the Sicilian territory. Ectomycorrhizal fungi are the most represented ecological category, followed by saprotrophs on wood, saprotrophs on litter, and terricolous saprotrophs. The interest in this rich group of organisms is evidenced by the nutritional and therapeutic value of a high percentage of species. The actions linked to the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and The Network for the Study of Mycological Diversity will further increase the number of macrofungi for Sicily in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Diversity in Europe)
Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 1645 KiB  
Article
Filling the Gap in Southern Europe—Diversity of Cryphonectria parasitica and Associated Mycovirus (Cryphonectria hypovirus 1) in Montenegro
by Lucija Nuskern, Milena Stojanović, Marija Milanović-Litre, Tena Šibenik, Marin Ježić, Igor Poljak and Mirna Ćurković-Perica
J. Fungi 2022, 8(6), 552; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8060552 - 24 May 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2499
Abstract
Cryphonectria parasitica is an invasive fungal pathogen that causes blight disease on chestnut trees. Its destructive effect can be controlled with naturally occurring mycovirus Cryphonectria hypovirus 1 (CHV1). To date, the spread of C. parasitica and CHV1 in Europe is fairly well documented, [...] Read more.
Cryphonectria parasitica is an invasive fungal pathogen that causes blight disease on chestnut trees. Its destructive effect can be controlled with naturally occurring mycovirus Cryphonectria hypovirus 1 (CHV1). To date, the spread of C. parasitica and CHV1 in Europe is fairly well documented, but there are still several unexplored regions. Thus, we sampled blight cankers from four sweet chestnut populations in Bay of Kotor and Lake Skadar regions in Montenegro. We determined vegetative compatibility (vc) type and mating-type diversity using molecular vic and MAT1 genotyping, as well as confirming the presence of CHV1 by RT-PCR. We identified 11 vc types, with EU-12 being the dominant one represented by 58.2% of all fungal isolates. The Shannon diversity index ranged from 0.93 to 1.47. Both mating types of C. parasitica were found in all four populations. The prevalence of CHV1 ranged from 15% to 40%. All CHV1 isolates belonged to Italian subtype I of CHV1 and were closely related, with relatively recent common ancestors. Our results indicate a longer presence of C. parasitica and CHV1 in Montenegro than previously thought. Natural biocontrol with CHV1 seems to be well established. However, it has the potential for deterioration; thus, close monitoring is required. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Diversity in Europe)
Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 4406 KiB  
Article
Phylogeny of Crepidotus applanatus Look-Alikes Reveals a Convergent Morphology Evolution and a New Species C. pini
by Soňa Jančovičová, Katarína Adamčíková, Miroslav Caboň and Slavomír Adamčík
J. Fungi 2022, 8(5), 489; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8050489 - 7 May 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2740
Abstract
Crepidotus applanatus is known as a common wood inhabiting fungus widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere. There have been contrasting opinions about the delimitation and taxonomic treatment of the similar species C. malachius. Our phylogeny did not support the close relationship of [...] Read more.
Crepidotus applanatus is known as a common wood inhabiting fungus widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere. There have been contrasting opinions about the delimitation and taxonomic treatment of the similar species C. malachius. Our phylogeny did not support the close relationship of these two morphologically similar species and the grouping of collections labelled by both names within each phylogenetic species reflects unreliable species delimitations in the traditional literatures. Both species inhabit the wood of deciduous trees, and our morphological analysis identified the size of basidiospores as a significant difference between them. The collections from Pinus sylvestris are recognised as a new species, C. pini sp. nov., and its morphological identification requires a combination of both basidiospore and cheilocystidia characters. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Diversity in Europe)
Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 1147 KiB  
Article
Distinction of Alternaria Sect. Pseudoalternaria Strains among Other Alternaria Fungi from Cereals
by Philipp B. Gannibal, Aleksandra S. Orina, Galina P. Kononenko and Aleksey A. Burkin
J. Fungi 2022, 8(5), 423; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8050423 - 20 Apr 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2583
Abstract
Species of the genus Alternaria are ubiquitous and frequently isolated from various plants, including crops. There are two phylogenetically and morphologically close Alternaria sections: the relatively well-known Infectoriae and the rarely mentioned Pseudoalternaria. Currently, the latter includes at least seven species that [...] Read more.
Species of the genus Alternaria are ubiquitous and frequently isolated from various plants, including crops. There are two phylogenetically and morphologically close Alternaria sections: the relatively well-known Infectoriae and the rarely mentioned Pseudoalternaria. Currently, the latter includes at least seven species that are less studied and sometimes misidentified. To perform precise identification, two primers (APsF and APsR) were designed and a sect. Pseudoalternaria-specific PCR method was developed. Thirty-five Russian A. infectoria-like strains were then examined. Five strains were found to be the members of the sect. Pseudoalternaria. Additionally, specificity of the previously developed primer set (Ain3F and Ain4R) was checked. It was found to be highly specific for sect. Infectoriae and did not amplify sect. Pseudoalternaria DNA. Identification of strains of the sect. Pseudoalternaria was supported and refined by phylogenetic reconstruction based on analysis of two loci, the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene (gpd), and the plasma membrane ATPase gene (ATP). These fungi belonged to Alternaria kordkuyana and A. rosae, which were the first detection of those taxa for the Eastern Europe. Alternaria kordkuyana was isolated from cereal seeds and eleuthero leaves. Alternaria rosae was obtained from oat seed. All strains of sect. Pseudoalternaria were not able to produce alternariol mycotoxin, as well as the majority of A. sect. Infectoriae strains. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Diversity in Europe)
Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 5560 KiB  
Article
Multilocus Phylogeography of the Tuber mesentericum Complex Unearths Three Highly Divergent Cryptic Species
by Marco Leonardi, Daniele Salvi, Mirco Iotti, Gian Luigi Rana, Aurelia Paz-Conde and Giovanni Pacioni
J. Fungi 2021, 7(12), 1090; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof7121090 - 17 Dec 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3339
Abstract
Tuber mesentericum is an edible European black truffle, apparently easy to recognize, but showing a high degree of genetic variability. In this study, we performed an integrative taxonomic assessment of the T. mesentericum complex, combining a multilocus phylogeographic approach with morphological analyses, and [...] Read more.
Tuber mesentericum is an edible European black truffle, apparently easy to recognize, but showing a high degree of genetic variability. In this study, we performed an integrative taxonomic assessment of the T. mesentericum complex, combining a multilocus phylogeographic approach with morphological analyses, and including authentic specimens of Vittadini, and Berkeley and Broome. We performed maximum likelihood phylogenetic analyses, based on single and concatenated gene datasets (ITS rDNA, β-tubulin, elongation factor 1-α), and including all available sequences from previous studies. Phylogenetic analyses consistently recovered three reciprocally monophyletic and well-supported clades: clade I, with a wide range across Europe; clade II, specimens collected mainly in the Iberian, Italian, and Balkan peninsulas; and clade III, specimens collected almost exclusively in central Italy. Genetic distance between clades ranged from 10.4% to 13.1% at the ITS region. We also designed new primer pairs specific for each phylogenetic lineage. Morphology of spores, asci, and peridium were investigated on specimens representing the three lineages. Macro- and micromorphological analyses of ascomata revealed only a few, but not diagnostic, differences between the three phylogenetic lineages, thus, confirming that they are morphologically cryptic. By studying authentic specimens of Vittadini, and Berkeley and Broome, it was possible to identify the three clades as T. mesentericum, Tuber bituminatum, and Tuber suave sp. nov., and to designate an epitype for T. mesentericum s.s. and a lectotype for T. bituminatum. Future investigations on volatile organic compound (VOC) composition are needed to define the aroma repertoires in this species complex. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Diversity in Europe)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop