The presented paper represents a comprehensive analysis of ochre sediments precipitated from Fe rich drainage waters contaminated by arsenic and antimony. Ochre samples from three abandoned Sb ...deposits were collected in three different seasons and were characterized from the mineralogical, geochemical, and microbiological point of view. They were formed mainly by poorly crystallized 2-line ferrihydrite, with the content of arsenic in samples ranging from 7 g·kg−1 to 130 g·kg−1 and content of antimony ranging from 0.25 g·kg−1 up to 12 g·kg−1. Next-generation sequencing approach with 16S RNA, 18S RNA and ITS markers was used to characterize bacterial, fungal, algal, metazoal and protozoal communities occurring in the HFOs. In the 16S RNA, the analysis dominated bacteria (96.2%) were mainly Proteobacteria (68.8%) and Bacteroidetes (10.2%) and to less extent also Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Firmicutes, Nitrosprae and Chloroflexi. Alpha and beta diversity analysis revealed that the bacterial communities of individual sites do not differ significantly, and only subtle seasonal changes were observed. In this As and Sb rich, circumneutral microenvironment, rich in iron, sulfates and carbonates, methylotrophic bacteria (Methylobacter, Methylotenera), metal/reducing bacteria (Geobacter, Rhodoferax), metal-oxidizing and denitrifying bacteria (Gallionella, Azospira, Sphingopyxis, Leptothrix and Dechloromonas), sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (Sulfuricurvum, Desulphobulbaceae) and nitrifying bacteria (Nitrospira, Nitrosospira) accounted for the most dominant ecological groups and their impact over Fe, As, Sb, sulfur and nitrogen geocycles is discussed. This study provides evidence of diverse microbial communities that exist in drainage waters and are highly important in the process of mobilization or immobilization of the potentially toxic elements.
Display omitted
•Water samples collected from abandoned Sb deposits are highly polluted by As and Sb.•2-Line ferrihydrite acts as an effective scavenger of As and Sb at all studied sites.•Even As and Sb rich HFOs are inhabited by a wide range of microorganisms.•Metagenomic approach with 16S RNA, 18S RNA and ITS markers was employed.•Many identified bacterium species have direct impact over Fe, As and Sb cycling.
In 2017, the secotioid Entoloma calongei was recorded in Slovakia, the first report since its Spanish holotype collection. Morphological and ecological characteristics are presented and compared with ...the type collection. LSU, mSSU, and ITS sequences were obtained and a combined
maximum likelihood tree of SSU and LSU sequences was constructed.
This study explores species limits of a group of Clavaria species with taxonomic and nomenclatural problems and discusses the phylogeny and circumscription of the genus. The nuc 28S rDNA (28S) and ...internal transcribed spacer region phylogenies resolve species relationships, and the ITS is shown to be an adequate barcode marker for Clavaria. Yellow, clamped species of Clavaria are distributed in two clades, (i) C. flavostellifera, sister to C. incarnata and C. asterospora in ITS analyses, characterized by producing ornamented spores, and (ii) C. argillacea-C. citrinorubra-C. flavipes-C. sphagnicola, with smooth spores. Clavaria flavostellifera is described as new species based on morphological and molecular characters. Molecular evidence that supports C. sphagnicola as distinct from C. argillacea is provided. The usefulness of spore ornamentation as a taxonomic character is discussed; it is present only in some taxa and then only on spores trapped in the hymenium. Descriptions of C. argillacea, C. flavipes and C. sphagnicola are provided, along with color photographs and a key to yellow species of Clavaria with clamped basidia. Camarophyllopsis and Clavicorona are recovered within a paraphyletic Clavaria in our 28S phylogeny. Clampless contextual hyphae and narrow, slightly thick-walled mycelial hyphae are proposed as synapomorphies of Camarophyllopsis and Clavaria.
Two local strains of Beauveria bassiana originally isolated from naturally infected spruce bark beetles in Slovakia were tested for their virulence to Ips typographus (IT) and for their compatibility ...with a polymeric matrix composed of low-molecular polyethylene. Conidia could be homogenously immobilized in the low-molecular polyethylene matrix with no adverse effect on their viability and infectivity. At constant temperature (25°C), viability of immobilized conidial decreased only by 1-2% after 7 or 14 days when compared with non-formulated conidia. In field conditions, viability of conidia formulated in the matrix was even significantly higher than non-formulated conidia 35 days after their application in traps. Conidia incorporated into the polymeric matrix were infective to IT adults in laboratory bioassays. Mean values of LC
50
for native conidia (0.72-2.05 × 10
6
conidia ml
−1
) and conidia immobilized in the polymeric matrix (0.64-1.03 × 10
5
conidia mm
−2
) demonstrated high virulence. The efficacy of the local strains was significantly higher than that of B. bassiana strains from mycoinsecticides (Boverol
®
, Botanigard
®
ES and Naturalis-L
®
). Results showed potential of this polymeric material for its use in microbial control of IT when mixed with conidia of B. bassiana.
A taxonomic and nomenclatural revision of some representatives of Clavariaceae is presented based on extensive collecting in central and western Europe. Five species originally described from Europe ...are identified, redescribed and delimited: Clavaria fragilis, Ramariopsis crocea, R. corniculata, R. helvola and R. pulchella. Lectotypes, epitypes or neotypes are designated for all these species. Descriptions are based on macro- and micromorphological characters and supplemented with DNA analyses of the nrLSU regions from 20 specimens. The molecular phylogenetic analyses reconstructed a phylogram showing relationships among the discussed species as well as some closely related taxa. The taxonomic value of the ratio of length and width of spores (Q-value) is discussed.
Field research on grassland fungi in Slovakia resulted in collection of several rare fungi, including also geoglossaceous taxa, such as Microglossum viride (5 sites), Trichoglossum hirsutum (13 ...sites), Trichoglossum walteri (5 sites), Trichoglossum variabile (1 site), Microglossum olivaceum (2 sites), Thuemenidium atropurpureum (1 site). Last three species are new for Slovakia.
In 2015, the Slovak National Museum-Natural History Museum in Bratislava, Slovakia, obtained financial support of 1.7 million EUR from the EU Commission Operational Program of Research and ...Development and co-financed with the European Fund for Regional Development (EFRD) to build a DNA laboratory. The laboratory will serve as the central point for the barcoding of Slovak flora and fauna in 2016-2023. This laboratory has been built, and the project of barcoding Slovakia has been launched. The main research objectives by 2023 are the gathering, identifying, and sequencing of selected species of bacteria, fungi, plants, and animals from Slovakia. The aim of the research is to sequence at least 1000 species. Voucher specimens will be obtained by field research from different areas of Slovakia, from soil samples for environmental research and from collections of SNM- NHM. Activities aimed towards the conservation and protection of threatened species and habitats has already started. Of the most important are ( i ) building a barcode library of native orchid species and populations, threatened by illegal harvesting for commercial purposes; ( ii ) barcoding of reptiles and amphibians, threatened native species on one side and invasive ones on the other; ( iii ) environmental sam- pling on mine wastes and contaminated soils, for further analysis; and ( iv ) fungal taxonomy as a tool for better understanding interspecific relations within the habitats.
This study is focused on the isolation and identification of autochthonous bacteria in arsenic-contaminated soils from Zemianske Kostolany (Slovakia). Studied technosols represent a unique system of ...a 50-year-old environmental burden after a dam failure of a coal-ash pond. The released ashes rich in arsenic with a thickness of 1-2mwere covered by a 40 cmthick layer of soil. Long-term exposure and selection pressure of elevated concentrations of arsenic (a range of 93-634 ppm) induced the formation of the specific adapted autochthonous microorganisms. Based on phylogenetic analysis, isolated bacterial strains were composed of four phyla and represented by common strains in soils: Proteobacteria (60.9%), Firmicutes (21.7%), Actinobacteria (8.7%), and Bacteroidetes (8.7%). The phylum Proteobacteria was represented by the species Pseudomonas baetica, P. fluorescens, P. chlororaphis, P. koreensis, P. putida, P. reinekei, and Pseudomonas sp. The phylum Firmicutes was represented by the species Bacillus cereus and B. pumilus. There were further recorded two isolates of the genus Chryseobacterium (Bacteroidetes). The genera Streptomyces and Rhodococcus (Actinobacteria) were represented by only one species. Results of studied bacterial species diversity, which was able to adapt to living in a contaminated environment, are the basis for the application of selected indigenous bacterial species in the bioleaching process as one of the potential methods for bioremediation of arsenic-contaminated soils.
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.
The DNA barcoding project provides a very quick and easy way to identify different types of organisms based on their DNA. The main objective of this study is to obtain the sequences of different ...species of fungi, plants and animals to map the biodiversity of Slovakia. This project also represents a new use for collections stored in natural history museums around the world. This paper shows in particular a laboratory view of the DNA barcoding project, such as the practical application of the methodology for different groups of organisms, the possibilities of using different genes and emphasizes the importance of professional taxonomists. In the museum, we deal with a wide range of samples and we encounter various difficulties. For example, some genera of fungi contain unreadable sections in the middle of the sequence, in insect groups it is a problem with samples killed with ethyl acetate or too old samples, where the DNA is mostly degraded. For the amplification of bird samples, we have found no consistent method for the whole group and we work with several different primer sets and conditions to be able to amplify most of the samples. The identification of various plant species according to their barcodes has also proven quite difficult, as plants are a very specific and fast-evolving group of organisms, and their distinction according to the short barcode regions is nearly impossible. Therefore, we would like to emphasize the necessity of cooperation with specialized taxonomists. Our data are continuously uploaded to the international BOLD database, where there are already more than 500 different species of a wide range of groups of fungi, plants and animals from Slovakia.
PDF
