Ghost moths in the genus Thitarodes Viette, 1968, are hosts of the economically important caterpillar fungus, which is harvested in high mountain meadows across the Hengduan mountains and the ...Himalayas. In northwestern India, although caterpillar fungus has been collected in the state of Uttarakhand, no adults of Thitarodes species have been recorded. We report the sighting of a female pupa of Thitarodes sp. and its last-instar molt at Munsiyari, Uttarakhand, India, on 5 July 2019 and estimate that the adult emergence time in this habitat should be late July or early August. Although the habitats of caterpillar fungus in Uttarakhand are geographically closer to those in Nepal, they are climatically more similar to habitats of caterpillar fungus in Qinghai province in China. Among records at the same elevation, climatic variables are highly predictive of the emergence date of Thitarodes adults (adjusted-ff (2): 0.7925, F = 6.27, P = 0.03). Our result highlights the role of the Himalayan mountains as both a north-south climatic barrier and an east-west climatic gradient. We encourage local stakeholders and scientists in Uttarakhand to survey adult emergences of Thitarodes from July to mid-August. Key words: Ophiocordyceps sinensis, Thitarodes, Uttarakhand, climatic gradient
The larvae of Lasioptera donacis Coutin feed on fungal communities lining galleries within the mesophyll of leaf sheaths of Arundo donax in an aggregative manner. It has been stated that L. donacis ...could have established a fundamental symbiotic relationship with one fungus, although the fungal composition of these communities remains unsettled. Using a culture-dependent approach and ITS sequencing, the present work characterizes and compares the fungal communities associated with L. donacis in Eurasia with the endophytes of A. donax in Texas where L. donacis is absent. The 65 cultivable isolates obtained from L. donacis fungal communities were sorted into 15 MOTUs, among which Fusarium and Sarocladium predominated. No particular MOTU was systematically recovered from these communities regardless of the sites. The 19 isolates obtained in Texas were sorted into 11 MOTUs. Sarocladium and Fusarium were commonly found in Texas and Eurasia. Our finding indicate that the communities were composed of a diverse assemblage of non-systemic endophytes, rather than an exclusive fungal symbiont. From ovipositors and ovarioles of L. donacis emerging from plants in France, we opportunistically isolated the endophyte Apiospora arundinis, which lies at the origin of further research pertaining to its role in the feeding and oviposition of L. donacis.
One biostrategy to boost the sustainability of strawberry cultivation is the application of biostimulants to the growing substrate. Here, we investigated whether the use of biostimulants and their ...combinations affects the strawberry plants’ phyllochron, phenology, and fruit quality. We tested the absence (control) and presence of biostimulants (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), Ascophyllum nodosum (AN), Trichoderma harzianum (TH), AMF + AN, AMF + TH, AN + TH, and AMF + AN + TH). The experimental design used was in completely randomized blocks (four replications). AMF was represented by a multi-species on-farm inoculant; A. nodosum was represented by the commercial product Acadiansup.®; and T. harzianum was represented by the commercial product Trichodermilsup.®. The leaf emission rate, the occurrence and duration of phenological stages, and fruit quality were assessed. The greatest precocity in terms of harvesting the first fruit was observed in plants grown with AMF + TH, which also had the lowest phyllochron (77.52 °C day·leafsup.−1). Those treated only with AMF were the latest (144.93 °C day·leafsup.−1). More flavorful fruits were produced by plants grown with AMF + TH. Plants inoculated with the AMF community, whether or not associated with A. nodosum and T. harzianum, had more than 94% mycorrhizal colonization. We conclude that AMF, A. nodosum, T. harzianum, and their combinations influence the phenology, phyllochron, and fruit quality of strawberry plants. In the growing conditions of the Brazilian subtropics, the AMF and T. harzianum combination shortens the strawberry cycle, from transplanting the daughter plants to harvesting the first fruit, and improves the fruit flavor.
A book providing an overview of the various wood and tree fungi that damage trees, lumber, and timber. Special focus is given to identification, prevention, and remediation techniques, and the book ...bridges the gap between research and application.
High moisture content, low ventilation levels, and changes in the hygrothermal design of wooden dwellings could generate environmental conditions favorable for developing the rot fungus Serpula ...lacrymans, which is known as the most destructive fungus of its kind. The purpose of this research was to develop an experimental methodology to determine the conditions of the appearance of the fungus S. lacrymans, through in situ measurement of biological and environmental frequency indicators for wooden dwellings in South Central Chile. The referential standards for the appearance of the fungus were determined based on specialized literature and measurements of dwellings with and without deterioration. The frequency indicators for the appearance of the fungus defined and studied were as follows: frequency of air temperature FATs (%), frequency of relative humidity FRMs (%), frequency of ventilation rate FVRs (%), and rot fungus spore concentrations (CFU/pp). The methodology was validated by being measured in various enclosures and spaces under the floor in wooden dwellings in the cities of Valdivia and Temuco. The results confirmed the strong relationship between environmental relative humidity frequencies, ventilation levels, and spore concentration regarding the appearance of the fungus, where the growth dynamics cannot be separately explained without a previous analysis of the variables. In general, the dwellings most affected by the presence of the fungus had the greatest moisture levels, lower ventilation levels, and greater spore concentration. This study is the basis to diagnose the phenomena of the appearance of the rot fungus in wooden dwellings in climates favorable for its development.
Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi can establish a mutualistic relationship with the roots of most terrestrial plants to increase plant nutrient uptake. The effects of potassium uptake and transport ...by AM symbiosis are much less reported compared to other nutrients. In this research, a heterologous yeast system was used to verify that the LbHAK has capacity for potassium uptake. The split-roots system implemented using seedlings of Lycium barbarum confirmed that R. irregularis locally induced LbHAK expression, which means that LbHAK is only expressed in mycorrhizal roots. Furthermore, the impacts of overexpression of LbHAK on the growth, nutrients and water uptake, and transport of mycorrhizal tobacco (inoculation with Rhizophagus irregularis) at 0.2 mM and 2 mM K conditions were assessed. The mycorrhizal tobacco growth and potassium accumulation were significantly enhanced through LbHAK overexpression in tobacco. In addition, overexpression of LbHAK substantially enhanced phosphorus content, while stimulating the expression of NtPT4, Rir-AQP1, and Rir-AQP2 in mycorrhizal tobacco. Moreover, LbHAK overexpression greatly promoted AM colonization. LbHAK has a potential role in facilitating potassium absorption through the mycorrhizal pathway, and overexpression of LbHAK in tobacco may promote the transport of potassium, phosphorus, and water from AM fungi to tobacco. These data imply the important roles played by the LbHAK in AM-fungi-induced potassium uptake in L. barbarum and in improving plant nutrients and AM colonization.
Histoplasma capsulatum causes a fungal respiratory disease. Some studies suggest that the fungus requires zinc to consolidate the infection. This study aimed to investigate the influence of zinc and ...the metal chelator TPEN on the growth of Histoplasma in planktonic and biofilm forms. The results showed that zinc increased the metabolic activity, cell density, and cell viability of planktonic growth. Similarly, there was an increase in biofilm metabolic activity but no increase in biomass or extracellular matrix production. N′-N,N,N,N–tetrakis–2-pyridylmethylethane–1,2 diamine (TPEN) dramatically reduced the same parameters in the planktonic form and resulted in a decrease in metabolic activity, biomass, and extracellular matrix production for the biofilm form. Therefore, the unprecedented observations in this study highlight the importance of zinc ions for the growth, development, and proliferation of H. capsulatum cells and provide new insights into the role of metal ions for biofilm formation in the dimorphic fungus Histoplasma, which could be a potential therapeutic strategy.
Mountain ranges have been previously suggested to act as natural barriers to plant invasion due to extreme environmental conditions. However, how arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) affect invasion ...into these systems has been less explored. Here, we investigated how changes in AMF communities affect the performance of Galinsoga quadriradiata in mountain ranges. We performed a greenhouse experiment to study the impact of inoculations of AMF from different elevations on the performance and reproduction of invaders and how competition with native plants changes the effects of invader–AMF interactions. We found strong evidence for a nuanced role of AMF associations in the invasion trajectory of G. quadriradiata, with facilitative effects at low elevations and inhibitory effects at high elevations. Galinsoga quadriradiata performed best when grown with inoculum collected from the same elevation but performed worst when grown with inoculum collected from beyond its currently invaded range, suggesting that AMF communities can help deter invasion at high elevations. Finally, the invasive plants grown alone experienced negative effects from AMF, while those grown in competition experienced positive effects, regardless of the AMF source. This suggests that G. quadriradiata lowers its partnerships with AMF in stressful environments unless native plants are present, in which case it overpowers native plants to obtain AMF support during invasion. Finally, our results indicate that invader–AMF interactions can inhibit invasive range expansion at high elevations, and biotic interactions, in addition to harsh environmental conditions, make high-elevation mountain ranges natural barriers against continued invasion.
Ectomycorrhizas (ECM) are a common symbiotic association between fungi and various plant species in forest ecosystems, affecting community assemblages at the landscape level. ECMs benefit host plants ...by increasing the surface area for nutrient uptake, defending against pathogens, and decomposing organic matter in the soil. ECM-symbiotic seedlings are also known to perform better in conspecific soils than other species unable to carry the symbiosis, in a process referred to as plant-soil feedback (PSF). In this study, we tested the effects of different leaf litter amendments on ECM and non-ECM seedlings of Quercus ilex inoculated with Pisolithus arrhizus and how they altered the litter-induced PSF. Our experiment showed that the ECM symbiont induced a shift from negative PSF to positive PSF in Q. ilex seedlings by analysing plant and root growth parameters. However, non-ECM seedlings performed better than ECM seedlings in a no-litter condition, indicating an autotoxic effect when litter is present without ECM symbionts. Conversely, ECM seedlings with litter performed better at different decomposition stages, suggesting a possible role of the symbiosis of P. arrhizus and Q. ilex in recycling autotoxic compounds released from conspecific litter, transforming them into nutrients that are transferred to the plant host.
