Mushroom-forming fungi (Agaricomycetes) have the greatest morphological diversity and complexity of any group of fungi. They have radiated into most niches and fulfil diverse roles in the ecosystem, ...including wood decomposers, pathogens or mycorrhizal mutualists. Despite the importance of mushroom-forming fungi, large-scale patterns of their evolutionary history are poorly known, in part due to the lack of a comprehensive and dated molecular phylogeny. Here, using multigene and genome-based data, we assemble a 5,284-species phylogenetic tree and infer ages and broad patterns of speciation/extinction and morphological innovation in mushroom-forming fungi. Agaricomycetes started a rapid class-wide radiation in the Jurassic, coinciding with the spread of (sub)tropical coniferous forests and a warming climate. A possible mass extinction, several clade-specific adaptive radiations and morphological diversification of fruiting bodies followed during the Cretaceous and the Paleogene, convergently giving rise to the classic toadstool morphology, with a cap, stalk and gills (pileate-stipitate morphology). This morphology is associated with increased rates of lineage diversification, suggesting it represents a key innovation in the evolution of mushroom-forming fungi. The increase in mushroom diversity started during the Mesozoic-Cenozoic radiation event, an era of humid climate when terrestrial communities dominated by gymnosperms and reptiles were also expanding.
Species delimitation is one of the most fundamental processes in biology. Biodiversity undertakings, for instance, require explicit species concepts and criteria for species delimitation in order to ...be relevant and translatable. However, a perfect species concept does not exist for Fungi. Here, we review the species concepts commonly used in Basidiomycota, the second largest phylum of Fungi that contains some of the best known species of mushrooms, rusts, smuts, and jelly fungi. In general, best practice is to delimitate species, publish new taxa, and conduct taxonomic revisions based on as many independent lines of evidence as possible, that is, by applying a so-called unifying (or integrative) conceptual framework. However, the types of data used vary considerably from group to group. For this reason we discuss the different classes of Basidiomycota, and for each provide: (i) a general introduction with difficulties faced in species recognition, (ii) species concepts and methods for species delimitation, and (iii) community recommendations and conclusions.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
In 2016 and 2017, surveys of Phytophthora diversity were performed in 25 natural and semi-natural forest stands and 16 rivers in temperate and subtropical montane and tropical lowland regions of ...Vietnam. Using baiting assays from soil samples and rivers and direct isolations from naturally fallen leaves, 13 described species, five informally designated taxa and 21 previously unknown taxa of Phytophthora were isolated from 58 of the 91 soil samples (63.7%) taken from the rhizosphere of 52 of the 64 woody plant species sampled (81.3%) in 20 forest stands (83.7%), and from all rivers: P. capensis, P. citricola VII, VIII, IX, X and XI, P. sp. botryosa-like 2, P. sp. meadii-like 1 and 2, P. sp. tropicalis-like 2 and P. sp. multivesiculata-like 1 from Phytophthora major phylogenetic Clade 2; P. castaneae and P. heveae from Clade 5; P. chlamydospora, P. gregata, P. sp. bitahaiensis-like and P. sp. sylvatica-like 1, 2 and 3 from Clade 6; P. cinnamomi (Pc), P. parvispora, P. attenuata, P. sp. attenuata-like 1, 2 and 3 and P. ×heterohybrida from Clade 7; P. drechsleri, P. pseudocryptogea, P. ramorum (Pr) and P. sp. kelmania from Clade 8, P. macrochlamydospora, P. sp. ×insolita-like, P. sp. ×kunnunara-like, P. sp. ×virginiana-like s.l. and three new taxa, P. sp. quininea-like, P. sp. ×Grenada 3-like and P. sp. ×Peru 4-like, from Clade 9; and P. sp. gallica-like 1 and 2 from Clade 10. The A1 and A2 mating types of both Pc and Pr co-occurred. The A2 mating type of Pc was associated with severe dieback of montane forests in northern Vietnam. Most other Phytophthora species, including Pr, were not associated with obvious disease symptoms. It is concluded that (1) Vietnam is within the center of origin of most Phytophthora taxa found including Pc and Pr, and (2) Phytophthora clades 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are native to Indochina.
is arguably one of the most damaging genera of plant pathogens. This pathogen is well suited to transmission via the international plant trade, and globalization has been promoting its spread since ...the 19th century. Early detection is essential for reducing its economic and ecological impact. Here, a shotgun proteomics approach was utilized for
analysis. The collection of 37
isolates representing 12 different species was screened for species-specific peptide patterns. Next,
proteins were detected in planta, employing model plants
and
. Although the evolutionarily conserved sequences represented more than 10% of the host proteome and limited the pathogen detection, the comparison between qPCR and protein data highlighted more than 300 protein markers, which correlated positively with the amount of
DNA. Finally, the analysis of
response in barley revealed significant alterations in plant metabolism. These changes included enzymes of cell wall metabolism, ROS production, and proteins involved in trafficking. The observed root-specific attenuation in stress-response mechanisms, including the biosynthesis of jasmonates, ethylene and polyamines, and an accumulation of serotonin, provided the first insight into molecular mechanisms behind this particular biotic interaction.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Waterways are ideal pathways for
Phytophthora
dispersal and potential introduction to terrestrial ecosystems. While many
Phytophthora
species from phylogenetic clades 6, 9 and 10 are predominant ...oomycetes in watercourses due to their adaptation to a lifestyle as saprotrophs and opportunistic pathogens of riparian plants, species from clades 2, 7 and 8 are predominantly soil- or airborne using aquatic habitats as temporal niches for spreading and invading terrestrial sites along the watercourses. In contrast to forest ecosystems, knowledge of
Phytophthora
diversity in watercourses in Central Europe is limited. Between 2014 and 2019 extensive surveys of streams and rivers were undertaken across Austria, in South Moravia, Czech Republic and Žilina province, Slovakia to unveil the diversity and distribution of
Phytophthora
and related oomycetes. In addition, in Austria riparian forests of black alder (
Alnus glutinosa
) and grey alder (
A. incana
) in lowlands and in the Alps were examined. A variety of
Phytophthora
species from clades 2, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 were isolated, with clade 6 species showing the widest distribution and abundance. Furthermore, interspecific clade 6 hybrids and other oomycetes such as
Halophytophthora fluviatilis
and undescribed
Nothophytophthora
spp. were also obtained. In riparian alders, symptoms of
Phytophthora
infections were associated with species from the
P.
×
alni
complex and
P. plurivora
.
Phytophthora plurivora
was most common in alder stands whereas
P. uniformis
was the oomycete species occurring at the highest altitude in alpine riparian areas.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Abstract
Fungi represent a group of soil microorganisms fulfilling important ecological functions. Although several studies have shown that yeasts represent a significant proportion of fungal ...communities, our current knowledge is based mainly on cultivation experiments. In this study, we used amplicon sequencing of environmental DNA to describe the composition of yeast communities in European temperate forest and to identify the potential biotic and abiotic drivers of community assembly. Based on the analysis of ITS2 PCR amplicons, yeasts represented a substantial proportion of fungal communities ranging from 0.4 to 14.3% of fungal sequences in soil and 0.2 to 9.9% in litter. The species richness at individual sites was 28 ± 9 in soil and 31 ± 11 in litter. The basidiomycetous yeasts dominated over ascomycetous ones. In litter, yeast communities differed significantly among beech-, oak- and spruce-dominated stands. Drivers of community assembly are probably more complex in soils and comprise the effects of environmental conditions and vegetation.
We used amplicon sequencing of environmental DNA to describe the composition of yeast communities in European temperate forest soil and to identify the potential biotic and abiotic drivers of community assembly.
Forest management practices often severely affect forest ecosystem functioning. Tree removal by clearcutting is one such practice, producing severe impacts due to the total reduction of primary ...productivity. Here, we assessed changes to fungal community structure and decomposition activity in the soil, roots and rhizosphere of a Picea abies stand for a 2-year period following clearcutting compared to data from before tree harvest. We found that the termination of photosynthate flow through tree roots into soil is associated with profound changes in soil, both in decomposition processes and fungal community composition. The rhizosphere, representing an active compartment of high enzyme activity and high fungal biomass in the living stand, ceases to exist and starts to resemble bulk soil. Decomposing roots appear to separate from bulk soil and develop into hotspots of decomposition and important fungal biomass pools. We found no support for the involvement of ectomycorrhizal fungi in the decomposition of roots, but we found some evidence that root endophytic fungi may have an important role in the early stages of this process. In soil, activity of extracellular enzymes also decreased in the long term following the end of rhizodeposition by tree roots.
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NUK, SBMB, SBNM, UL, UM, UPUK
Slow growing oomycete isolates with morphological resemblance to Phytophthora were obtained from forest streams during routine monitoring for the EU quarantine forest pathogen Phytophthora ramorum in ...Ireland and Northern Ireland. Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) sequence analysis indicated that they belonged to two previously unknown species of Nothophytophthora, a recently erected sister genus of Phytophthora. Morphological and temperature-growth studies were carried out to characterise both new species. In addition, Bayesian and Maximum-Likelihood analyses of nuclear 5-loci and mitochondrial 3-loci datasets were performed to resolve the phylogenetic positions of the two new species. Both species were sterile, formed chlamydospores and partially caducous nonpapillate sporangia, and showed slower growth than any of the six known Nothophytophthora species. In all phylogenetic analyses both species formed distinct, strongly supported clades, closely related to N. chlamydospora and N. valdiviana from Chile. Based on their unique combination of morphological and physiological characters and their distinct phylogenetic positions the two new species are described as Nothophytophthora irlandica sp. nov. and N. lirii sp. nov. Their potential lifestyle and geographic origin are discussed.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
, the primary causal agent of Dothistroma needle blight, is one of the most significant foliar pathogens of pine worldwide. Its wide host and environmental ranges have led to its global success as a ...pathogen and severe economic damage to pine forests in many regions. This comprehensive global population study elucidated the historical migration pathways of the pathogen to reveal the Eurasian origin of the fungus. When over 3800 isolates were examined, three major population clusters were revealed: North America, Western Europe, and Eastern Europe, with distinct subclusters in the highly diverse Eastern European cluster. Modeling of historical scenarios using approximate Bayesian computation revealed the North American cluster was derived from an ancestral population in Eurasia. The Northeastern European subcluster was shown to be ancestral to all other European clusters and subclusters. The Turkish subcluster diverged first, followed by the Central European subcluster, then the Western European cluster, which has subsequently spread to much of the Southern Hemisphere. All clusters and subclusters contained both mating-types of the fungus, indicating the potential for sexual reproduction, although asexual reproduction remained the primary mode of reproduction. The study strongly suggests the native range of
to be in Eastern Europe (i.e., the Baltic and Western Russia) and Western Asia.
is one of the most invasive tree pathogens that devastates wild and cultivated forests. Due to its wide host range, knowledge of the infection process at the molecular level is lacking for most of ...its tree hosts. To expand the repertoire of studied
-woody plant interactions and identify molecular mechanisms that can facilitate discovery of novel ways to control its spread and damaging effects, we focused on the interaction between
and sweet chestnut (
), an economically important tree for the wood processing industry. By using a combination of proteomics, metabolomics, and targeted hormonal analysis, we mapped the effects of
attack on stem tissues immediately bordering the infection site and away from it.
led to a massive reprogramming of the chestnut proteome and accumulation of the stress-related hormones salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA), indicating that stem inoculation can be used as an easily accessible model system to identify novel molecular players in
pathogenicity.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK