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In his seminal paper, Göte Turesson proposed the term ecotype as the 'ecological unit to cover the product arising as a result of the genotypical response of an ecospecies to a particular habitat'. Turesson further outlined that to fully understand the ecology of a species, a knowledge of its most important ecotypes is needed. Whereas Turesson's original idea of an ecotype mainly referred to the response of a species to abiotic conditions, there is mounting evidence that ecotypes can also originate as a response to biotic conditions. Hence, to understand the ecology of a species, one should also understand the distribution and variation in biotic interactions. For plants, one such biotic interaction involves mycorrhizal fungi. Particularly in mycoheterotrophic plants, i.e. plants that rely on mycorrhizal fungi for their carbon supply, adaptation to and specialization on mycorrhizal fungi have the potential to drive ecotype formation and speciation. In this paper, we provide evidence that populations of mycoheterotrophic plants inhabiting contrasting habitats commonly encounter divergent mycorrhizal fungal communities leading to geographic mosaics of mycorrhizal interactions. Adaptation to local fungal communities, in turn, can induce (partial) reproductive isolation and contribute to ecotype and ultimately species formation as a result of decreased fitness of immigrant genotypes (immigrant inviability). In the most extreme case, loss of photosynthesis and mycorrhizal switching have led to reproductive isolation and the development of novel species that have become fully mycoheterotrophic. Such shifts have occurred repeatedly during the evolutionary history of land plants. We conclude that mycorrhizal fungi not only contribute to the early divergence of populations of mycoheterotrophic plants, but also play a crucial role in the further diversification and origination of this unique set of species that rely on mycorrhizal fungi for obtaining carbon and completing their life cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, managed forest ( MF) and natural forest ( NF) in the Huajiang Demonstration Zone of Guanling, Guizhou were selected as research objects, and cropland ( CL) was taken as control. High-throughput sequencing technology was used to study the characteristics of fungal community composition and species diversity in the surface ( 0 - 10 cm) soil of each restoration measure, in order to reveal the dominant soil fungal groups and fungal community composition in karst rocky desertification areas, which was conducive to a more comprehensive understanding of the soil conditions of different vegetation restoration measures. Research has shown that vegetation restoration significantly affected the diversity of soil fungal community, with significant increases in Sob index, Ace index, and Chao index. The vegetation restoration has significantly changed the composition of fungal community. The dominant fungi in the CL topsoil are Sordariomycetes (62. 28%), Dothideomycetes (12. 34%), and Eurotiomycetes (9. 12%); the dominant fungi in the MF soil are Sordariomycetes ( 45. 05%), Dothideomycetes ( 14. 74%), and Mortierellomycetes ( 10. 40%) ; the dominant fungi in the NF soil are unclassified fungal community (26. 38%), Sordariomycetes ( 19. 78%), and Agaricomycetes ( 13. 82%). Vegetation restoration has changed the key fungal groups in the soil. Sordariomycetes, Fwarium, and Setophoma are the key dominant fungal groups in CL soil; Dioszegia is key dominant fungal group in MF soil; c_unclassified_k_Fungi, p_unclassified_k_Fungi, o_unclassified_k_Fungi, f_unclassified_k_Fungi, g_unclassified_k_Fungi, Teichospora, and Diaporthe are key dominant fungal groups in NF soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objectives] This paper was to figure out whether the dominant bacterial community has the role and effect of bacterial community and its defense mechanism against potential pathogenic fungi in Artemisia annua, and thus establish a systematic model of bacteria-fungus-plant. [Methods] Fifty-eight strains of bacteria and one strain of pathogenic fungi, Globisporangium ultimatum, were used for the experiments. These 58 bacterial strains were assembled into a bacterial community, and the bacteria with abundance in the top 1% were reassembled into a dominant bacterial community as measured by 16S rDNA. [Results] The growth of A. annua seedlings inoculated with bacterial communities and pathogenic fungi or dominant bacterial communities and pathogenic fungi was significantly better than that of A. annua seedlings inoculated with pathogenic fungi during in vitro confrontation, which was evident in both enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant assays. [Conclusions] The results suggest that the dominant bacterial community has a crucial role as a representative core microbial community of synthetic bacterial community, which can protect plants by interfering with the growth of phytopathogenic fungi mediated by chemical signals, and can be used as the main synthetic community of biocides to achieve the effect of biocontrol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Karst caves are unique oligotrophic ecosystems characterised by the scarcity of organic litter, darkness, low to moderate temperatures, and high humidity, supporting diverse fungal communities. Despite their importance, little is known about the fungi in karst caves in Thailand. In 2019, we explored the culturable mycobiota associated with three selected types of substrates (air, soil/sediment and organic litter samples) from two karst caves, the Le Stegodon and Phu Pha Phet Caves, in the Satun UNESCO Global Geopark in southern Thailand. Based on morphological characters and multilocus phylogenetic analyses, eight new species (Actinomortierella caverna, Hypoxylon phuphaphetense, Leptobacillium latisporum, Malbranchea phuphaphetensis, Scedosporium satunense, Sesquicillium cavernum, Thelonectria satunensis and Umbelopsis satunensis) were described, illustrated, and compared to closely related species. These new fungal taxa form independent lineages distinct from other previously described species and classified into eight different families across six orders and two phyla (Ascomycota and Mucoromycota). This paper provides additional evidence that the karst caves located within the Satun UNESCO Global Geopark, situated in the southern region of Thailand, harbour a diverse range of newly discovered species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] The purpose of the paper is to explore the impact of biochar on the population structure, diversity and ecological function of fungi in long-term rhizosphere soil and provide insights for improving the microecological environment of tobacco rhizosphere soil and biochar application in tobacco planting soils. [ Method] In the study,' Honghuadajinyuan' tobacco was utilized as the test material. Under the premise of reducing the fertilizer amount by 10%, 250 g/plant ( A1 ), 300 g/plant ( A2) and 350 g/plant ( A3) of bio-carbon fertilizer were applied, with conventional fertilizer used as the control. Illumina MiSeq high-throughput sequencing technology was employed to determine the rhizosphere soil microorganisms of tobacco plants subjected to these different treatments. [ Result] The application of biochar fertilizer had a significant impact on soil c, diversity and population structure, with A3 treatment demonstrating the highest fungal diversity and abundance among all soil samples. At the phylum level, there was a negative correlation between the relative abundance of Ascomycota and the amount of biochar fertilizer applied, while the relative abundance of Basidiomycota exhibited a positive correlation with the quantity of biochar fertilizer application, both of which were the primary dominant bacteria fungi in each treatment. At the genus level, the application of biochar fertilizer led to a significant decrease in the relative abundance of Penicillium, Cladophialophora, and Clonostachys, while significantly increased the relative abundance of Fusarium, Saitozyma, Conocybe. Addtionally, using FUN Guild for fungal function prediction, it was observed that the functional types of rhizosphere soil fungi in each sample were primarily saprophytic and saprophytic-symbiotic. Furthermore, the relative abundance of plant pathogen in soil samples with biochar fertilizer was lower compared to the control group. [ Conclusion] The study shows that the A3 treatment improves the fungal community structure in the rhizosphere soil of tobacco plants, which is more conducive to maintaining the balance of soil ecosystem and restoring soil quality. It can provide technical reference for rational application of biochar fertilizer in tobacco planting areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stacking fermentation process plays a vital role in the production of sauce-flavour baijiu. The aim of this paper is to elucidate the effects of environmental variables on the fungal communities of different layers of fermented grains (zaopei) during the sixth round of stacking and the changes in volatile flavour substances during this process. The composition of the fungal communities in different layers during the stacking fermentation process was analysed. Principal coordinate analysis (pCoA) showed that the dominant fungal communities in different layers differed significantly with the stacking fermentation process. The dominant fungal genera were Thermoascus , Thermomyces and Issatchenkia. The total content of flavouring substances in the surface layer of zaopei were higher, but the types of flavouring substances were less than in the inner layer. The relationship between temperature, moisture content, acidity, starch content and reducing sugar content and microbial community was analysed by Redundancy analysis. The results showed that the correlation between microbial communities and physicochemical indexes in different layers of zaopei varied. The core fungal genera in the surface layer were mainly influenced by acidity, and the microorganisms in the inner layer were more strongly correlated with temperature. Spearman correlation coefficient revealed the correlation between fungal community and volatile flavour substances, and the results showed that microorganisms in different layers of zaopei have different correlations with flavour substances. This study contributes to the understanding of the evolution of different layers fungal communities during the stacking of sauce-flavour baijiu and their relationship with volatile aroma substances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine fungi are an ecological rather than a taxonomic group that has been widely researched. Significant progress has been made in documenting their phylogeny, biodiversity, ultrastructure, ecology, physiology, and capacity for degradation of lignocellulosic compounds. This review (concept paper) summarizes the current knowledge of marine fungal diversity and provides an integrated and comprehensive view of their ecological roles in the world's oceans. Novel terms for 'semi marine fungi' and 'marine fungi' are proposed based on the existence of fungi in various oceanic environments. The major maritime currents and upwelling that affect species diversity are discussed. This paper also forecasts under-explored regions with a greater diversity of marine taxa based on oceanic currents. The prospects for marine and semi-marine mycology are highlighted, notably, technological developments in culture-independent sequencing approaches for strengthening our present understanding of marine fungi's ecological roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The massive planting of exotic species under the so-called forestry model has dramatically transformed the landscapes of south-central Chile, replacing diverse agricultural, livestock and forest landscapes with forest monocultures, which are highly water-consuming and prone to massive fires. This has meant a productive simplification, and peasant communities have been displaced and stripped of their traditional ways of life. However, in this landscape of disaster, biotic communities of fungi have flourished, and with them human communities of collectors have learned to sustain themselves in a monocultural and privatized scenario. This paper is based on a multi-local ethnographic approach, built upon 26 semi-structured interviews, participant observation, social mapping, creating a calendar and a trend line. The text documents the processes of two communities affected by massive fires which have developed organization, agencies and practices. Mushrooms (callampas in Chilean Spanish) are claimed as a common good derived from the forestry model, claiming access to their use and usufruct of land belonging to forestry companies. They have also developed local governance systems for the care and better use of this new resource for common use. Forestry companies, for their part, try to subsume these practices in their territorial governance processes, disputing these commons' meaning and purpose. Both cases contribute to empirically address the central thesis of this article, according to which communalization exercises within contexts of capitalist expansion constitute responses of survival, resistance and adaptation in landscapes transformed and devastated by extractivist industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Tree of heaven, Ailanthus altissima, is a deciduous tree indigenous to China and introduced for ornamental purposes into North America and Europe. It shows a highly invasive profile in field, urban, and suburban areas, posing a serious threat to ecosystems in the introduced ranges. The current management of this noxious infesting plant by mechanical and chemical measures remains ephemeral and incomplete. A multi-tactic approach emphasizing classical biological control appears highly relevant. Eriophyid mites are well known for their high specificity and for the impact caused to the associated hosts, resulting in relevant potential biological control agents of infesting plants. The partially unresolved taxonomy of the eriophyid mite species reported on the tree of heaven is currently seen as an impediment to their further concern as biocontrol agents. This paper investigated morphological and molecular characters of Aculus mosoniensis in order to better clarify its taxonomic status. A paratype specimen of Aculops taihangensis was also studied, and this mite species was reassigned to the genus Aculus. The strong congruence between morphological and molecular analyses for all mites collected on tree of heaven in Europe led to the conclusion that A. mosoniensis is a junior synonym of Ac. taihangensis. The taxonomy of Aculus mosoniensis appears to be an unresolved question and its clarification is required, owing to the potential relevance of this mite species as a biological control agent of the tree of heaven. This paper is aimed at giving accurate details on a previously and shortly announced synonymization with Aculops taihangensis, using a morphological and molecular approach. A fusiform morph of A. mosoniensis was distinguished from a vermiform morph and this latter was recognized as deutogyne, which was herein documented. Phylogenetic relationships between Chinese Ac. taihangensis and all A. mosoniensis mites collected in twenty localities in Europe were examined through the analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome c subunit I (CO1) protein and the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 1 region (ITS1). CO1 sequences of Ac. taihangensis from the Shandong province in China and those from mites collected in Austria and Slovenia were 100% identical; the ITS1 sequence of an Ac. taihangensis paratype matched for 99.8% with those obtained from protogynes and deutogynes of A. mosoniensis collected in Italy. All these data supported the announced synonymization of A. mosoniensis with Ac. taihangensis. Aculusmosoniensis was found genetically variable, with five CO1 haplotypes in Europe (becoming eight along with those of Ac. taihangensis) clustering in two highly supported maternal lineages and eight ITS1 haplotypes (becoming nine along with those of Ac. taihangensis) distributed in four supported clades. No overlap between intra- and interspecies distances was observed for both markers and all studied A. mosoniensis populations clustered in one monophyletic mitochondrial clade, suggesting that only one single species might occur in Europe. However, more mite clades may be related to more tree of heaven biotypes with potential ecological differences, which might have potential effects on the biological control and should be investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objectives] The paper aimed to explore the effects of microbe-consuming protists, fungi and the microbe-consuming protists and growth-promoting fungi co-inoculation on cucumber growth and soil microbial community. [Methods]A greenhouse experiment was designed to decipher the role of keystone protists (Cercomomnas lenta) in interaction with plant-promoting Trichoderma guizhouense on the soil microbiome and cucumber performance. Four treatments were designed: no-inoculation control(CK), T. guizhouense inoculation treatment(T), Cercomomnas lenta inoculation treatment(C),and C. lenta and T. guizhouense co-inoculation treatment(T+C). Plants and soil samples were collected after two weeks of greenhouse experiment to evaluate the effects of each treatment on cucumber performance and soil bacterial and fungal communities. [Results] Compared to the control, plant height of T. guizhouense inoculation treatment, C.lenta inoculation treatment and C. lenta and T. guizhouense co-inoculation treatment increased by 6.0%,12.5% and 21.5%, respectively, while plant biomass increased by 5.6%,12.9% and 24.0%, respectively. This indicated that the growth promotion effect of C.lenta and T. guizhouense co-inoculation was stronger than those of individual inoculation of C. lenta and T. guizhouense. Principal coordinate analysis showed that three inoculation treatments significantly changed the bacterial and fungal community compositions; random forest models revealed that bacterial and fungal community compositions were the main predictors of plant biomass; and the LEfSe analysis showed that the T. guizhouense inoculation, C. lenta inoculation and C. lenta and T. guizhouense co-inoculation treatments stimulated 22,51 and 82 potential key bacterial OTU, and 2,6 and 16 potential key fungal OTU, respectively. In total 21 key bacterial and 11 key fungal OTU were only stimulated in the C. lenta and T. guizhouense co-inoculation treatment potentially contributing to cucumber growth. The bacterial OTU mostly contributing to cucumber growth promotion were assigned to Parasediminibacterium, Fluviicola and Roseimaritima, and the fungal OTU mostly contributing to cucumber growth promotion were assigned to Dactylella, Melanoleuca and Chaetomium. [Conclusions] C. lenta and T. guizhouense co-inoculation can effectively enhance plant performance through co-regulating indigenous bacterial and fungal communities and stimulating potentially beneficial microorganisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peter D. Crittenden served as senior editor of The Lichenologist, the flagship journal in the field of lichenological research, for a period of two decades, between 2000 and 2019. A review of the development of the journal and the publication output during this period is provided. The number of papers published during this period (1197) matches that of all papers published under the three previous senior editors, Peter W. James, David L. Hawksworth and Dennis H. Brown, during a much longer period of 42 years from 1958 to 1999. Peter oversaw important editorial changes to the layout and content of the journal: an increased size with a modern cover design, leaving behind the classic mint-coloured cover of more than 40 years; the addition of 'thematic issues' and encouragement of large monographs; implementation of substantial changes to the Code, such as effective electronic publication and obligate registration of new fungal names; and more recently a new policy to reject so-called 'single naked species descriptions'. Shortly before Peter took over as senior editor, The Lichenologist had received its first impact factor, and Peter managed to continuously increase this measure from around 0.9 to lately up to over 1.5, higher than most other competing journals. The 1197 papers between 2000 and 2019 were published by a total of 1138 different authors, more than half of whom appeared just once as author, whereas a small number participated in numerous (up to 93) papers. There was a continuous increase in the mean number of authors per paper per year, from below 2.5 to around 3.5, the highest numbers ranging between 11 and 30; still, c. 75% of all papers between 2000 and 2019 were single-authored or had up to three authors. Based on affiliations at the time of publication, two thirds of author contributions came from Europe (66%), 13% from North America, 9% from Asia and 7% from Latin America. Likewise, almost half of the study areas were located in Europe and around 10% each in North America, South America and Asia. The countries with the highest number of studies included, in descending order, the United States, Spain, the United Kingdom, Norway and Sweden. North America and Europe were over-represented in terms of author contributions, whereas Africa, Latin America, Australia and Oceania were over-represented in terms of study areas. The 1197 papers analyzed encompassed a broad diversity of topics, classified into 32 categories. Taxonomy of lichenized fungi was the most frequent component, representing the focal point in almost half of all studies, followed by phylogeny and evolution, ecology, and the taxonomy of lichenicolous fungi. Around two thirds of the currently accepted genera of lichenized fungi were treated, with a significant correlation between known species richness and the number of papers in which a genus was treated, underlining the taxonomic representativity of papers published in the journal during the past two decades. Examples of genera that were treated more frequently than expected included commonly studied model organisms, such as Lobaria, and those frequently featured in ecological or other non-taxonomic studies, such as Xanthoria. Species-rich tropical genera, particularly in the Graphidaceae, were generally under-represented. Mean number of authors per paper per volume and total number of country origins of authors per volume were the best predictors of impact factor, followed by diversity of study countries per volume, mean number of study countries per paper per volume, mean number of topics per paper per volume, and proportion of studies with phylogenetic components per volume. Individual papers that contributed to high impact factors included broad-scale revisionary treatments and worldwide keys to species-rich taxa, substantial phylogenetic reclassifications of known taxonomic groups, papers dealing with novel methodological approaches of broad interest, and broad-scale studies related to environmental change and lichen biomonitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the virulence of Bordeaux mixture against Alternaria alternata was determined, and the effects of Bordeaux mixture on phyllosphere microbial community structure and metabolic function of healthy and diseased tobacco leaves were determined by high-throughput sequencing and Biolog metabolic phenotype technology. Results showed that Bordeaux mixture had a weak inhibitory activity against A. alternata with EC50 values for inhibiting mycelial growth and spore germination of 450.19 and 757.17 mg/L, respectively. The phyllosphere bacteria in both healthy and diseased tobacco were distributed in Proteobacteria (6.93% and 39.07%) and Firmicutes (16.45% and 0.65%), and the dominant bacterial genera were Kosakonia (3.46% and 22.38%) and Pseudomonas (0.22% and 5.95%). The phyllosphere fungi in both healthy and diseased tobacco were distributed in Ascomycota (63.82% and 93.74%) and Basidiomycota (6.82% and 2.53%), and the dominant fungal genera were Alternaria (36.48% and 84.52%), Symmetrospora (5.56% and 2.27%) and Cladosporium (14.87% and 6.66%). Bordeaux mixture at 1 500 g/hm² affected the community structure and metabolic function of phyllosphere bacteria and fungi in healthy and diseased tobacco. In the bacterial and fungal communities, the relative abundances of Kosakonia, Sphinomonas, and Lactobacillus decreased, while the relative abundances of 6 bacterial genera including Pseudomonas, Ralstonia increased after 5 days of treatment. The relative abundance of 6 fungal genera including Alternaria, Symmetrospora decreased, while the relative abundance of 10 fungal genera including Didymella, Metarhizium increased after 5 days of treatment. The effects of Bordeaux mixture on phyllosphere fungi and bacteria gradually decreased after 10 and 15 days of treatment. Twenty-nine carbon sources including carbohydrates, amino acids, carboxylic acids, amphiphiles, polymers, and amine/amino compounds could be efficiently metabolized by phyllosphere microorganisms of healthy and diseased tobacco leaves, but the metabolism of α-butyric acid was weak. The metabolic inhibition activity of Bordeaux mixture on phyllosphere microorganisms decreased gradually with the increase of time. The results of the study revealed the regularity of the effect of Bordeaux mixture on the microbes of tobacco leaves after different periods of application and provided a reference for understanding the ecological benefits of the fungicide in the effective period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

【Objective】The presnet paper aimed to reveal the effects of rhizophere bacteria and fungi on growth of sweet potato, we analyzed bacteria and fungi community structures and genetic diversities in rhizosphere soil of three different sweet potato varieties.【Method】Rhizophere soil microbial total DNA of three sweet potato varieties（Longshu24, Pushu32, and Funingzi3）was extracted. High-throughput sequencing technologies was employed to analyze the soil bacterial and fungal community structure and diversity.【Result】2978 and 686 OTUs were obtained from soil bacteria and fungi.Based on the results of species classification, bacterial communities belonging to 33 phyla, 91 classes, 222 orders, 364 families, 630 genera and 1248 species, while fungal species belonged to 13 phyla, 30 classes, 61 orders, 108 families, 163 genera and 213 species.Bacterial communities were more diverse and had greater species richness than fungal community in rhizosphere soil. There were some differences in the structure and composition of bacterial and fungal community in rhizosphere soil samples of different sweet potato varieties. In terms of bacterial richness and diversity, Funingzi3>Pushu32>Longshu24, while in terms of fungal richness and diversity, Pushu32>Longshu24>Funingzi3. Among all the bacterial community, the dominant populations were Proteobectria, Chloroflexi, Actinobacteria and Acidobacteria, of which the relative abundance exceeding 10%, and sum of the four community relative abundance was 79.38% to 82.21%. The dominant fungal species was Asccomycota, and the relative abundance of Longshu24, Pushu32 and Funingzi3 reached 81.4%, 57.03% and 72.24%.【Conclusion】There were some differences in the structure and composition of bacterial and fungal community in rhizosphere soil samples of different sweet potato varieties. Proteobectria, Chloroflexi, Actinobacteria and Acidobacteria were dominant bacterial species, and Asccomycota was the dominant fungal species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Medicinal leeches (Annelida: Hirudinea) are fresh water ectoparasitic species which have been applied as traditional therapy. However, gut microbiota could bring high risks of opportunistic infections after leeching and arouses great interests. Here, gut bacterial and fungal communities of an Asian prevalent leech Poecilobdella manillensis were characterized and analysed through culture‐independent sequencing. Methods and Results: With high coverage in 18 samples (>0.999), a more complicated community was apparent after comparing with previous leech studies. A total of 779/939 OTUs of bacteria and fungi were detected from leech guts. The bacterial community was dominated by the phylum Bacteroidetes and Synergistetes. Genera Mucinivorans and Fretibacterium accounted mostly at the genus level, and genus Aeromonas showed an extremely low abundance (2.02%) on average. The fungal community was dominated by the phylum Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. At the genus level, the dominant OTUs included Mortierella, Geminibasidium and Fusarium. The analysis of core taxa included those above dominant genera and some low‐abundance genera (>1%). The functional annotation of the bacterial community showed a close correlation with metabolism (34.8 ± 0.6%). Some fungal species were predicted as opportunistic human pathogens including Fusarium and Chaetomiaceae. Conclusions: The present study provides fundamental rationales for further studies of such issues as bacteria‐fungi‐host interactions, host fitness, potential pathogens, and infecting risks after leeching. It shall facilitate in‐depth explorations on the safe utilization of leech therapy. Significance and Impact of Study: Present paper is the first‐ever exploration on microbiota of a prevalent Asian medicinal leech based on culture‐independent technical. And it is also the first report of gut fungi community of medicinal leech. The diversity and composition of bacteria in P. manillensis was far different from that of the European leech. The main components and core OTUs indicate a particular gut environment of medicinal leech. Unknown bacterial and fungal species were also recovered from leech gut. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper continues the studies on the role of bacteria in the environment of summer truffle (Tuber aestivum), focusing on ascomata at three sites in the Nida Basin (southern Poland). Bacterial taxa and the number of OTU sequences identified were determined based on analysis of peridium and gleba collected in 2017 and 2018. The aim of the presented work is to learn the structure of bacterial communities associated with the ascomata of the summer truffle T. aestivum forming in specific stands in south Poland and fine roots of surrounding trees. Sanger DNA sequencing, and next-generation sequencing (NGS) were used. NGS sequencing platforms short-read (300 bases) was selected, using a MiSeq Illumina. The Kruskall-Wallis test was used for alpha diversity analysis and the PERMANOVA test for beta diversity. Alpha and beta biodiversity analyzes were performed using various indices (Chao1, Simpson, Shannon, Faith's phylogenetic, observed OTUs, Heip's evenness measure - alpha diversity; UniFrac, Jaccard, Bray–Curtis - beta diversity). The Sanger method identified six bacterial taxa that were dominant in the community: Bacillus (86.7 %), Pseudomonas (51.5 %), Stenotrophomonas (15.5 %), Paenibacillus (7.9 %), Rhizobium (7.3 %), and Chryseobacterium (8.5 %). In contrast, NGS results showed the dominance (at OTUs >10,000) of taxa: Bradyrhizobiaceae, Sphingobacteriaceae, Micrococcaceae, Yersiniaceae, Sphingomonadaceae, Rhizobiaceae, Flavobacteriaceae, and Comamonadaceae. The PERMANOVA test for the Bray-Curtis and Jaccard indices showed dissimilarities between samples from two of the sites with respect to beta diversity. Significant differences were found in the bacterial communities colonizing the ascomata of T. aestivum and in the root communities with T. aestivum ectomycorrhizae the purpose of this study. The results obtained may be helpful in selecting and monitoring sites suitable for the formation of ascomata of T. aestivum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Fungal communities were assembled stochastically, while deterministic assembly was configured for bacteria. • Unraveling the dissimilarities in metabolism phenotypes of high-temperature Daqu in differential craft models. • Bacillus, Virgibacillus, Oceanobacillus, Kroppenstedtia, Lactobacillus, Monascus were contributors to metabolic variances. • High temperature, high acid and low moisture were key positive drivers on the formation of the characteristic flavor in high-temperature Daqu. The mechanical process has a widely usage in large-scale high-temperature Daqu (HTD) enterprises, however, the quality of the mechanical HTD is gapped with the HTD by traditional process. Currently, the understanding of the mechanism behind this phenomenon is still over-constrained. To this end, the discrepancies in fermentation parameters, enzymatic characteristics, microbial assembly and succession patterns, metabolic phenotypes were compared between traditional HTD and mechanical HTD in this paper. The results showed that mechanical process altered the temperature ramping procedure, resulting in a delayed appearance of the peak temperature. This alteration shifted the assembly pattern of the initial bacterial community from determinism to stochasticity, while having no impact on the stochastic assembly pattern of the fungal community. Concurrently, mechanical pressing impeded the accumulation of arginase, tetramethylpyrazine, trimethylpyrazine, 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol, and butyric acid, as the target dissimilarities in metabolism between traditional HTD and mechanical HTD. Pearson correlation analysis combined with the functional prediction further demonstrated that Bacillus , Virgibacillus , Oceanobacillus , Kroppenstedtia , Lactobacillus , and Monascus were mainly contributors to metabolic variances. The Redundancy analysis (RDA) of fermented environmental factors on functional ASVs indicated that high temperature, high acid and low moisture were key positive drivers on the microbial metabolism for the characteristic flavor in HTD. Based on these results, heterogeneous mechanisms between traditional HTD and mechanical HTD were explored, and controllable metabolism targets were as possible strategies to improve the quality of mechanical HTD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forests acting as carbon storage and sequestration play an essential role in the global nutrient cycle, in which fungi are active participants. The forests cover almost all regions from the boreal, temperate to the subtropical and tropical forests. The relative proportion of carbon sequestrated in forest soil varies from approximately 85% of the terrestrial carbon pool in boreal forests to 60% in temperate forests and to 50% in tropical rainforests. Fungi as decomposers of organic matter and root-associated mediators of belowground carbon transport and respiration are the key drivers of the carbon cycle in forests. For example, saprophytic fungi can degrade soil organic matter to release carbon into the soil, whereas symbiotic fungi could form symbiosis with plants, through which plant and fungi can benefit each other with nutrient flow. Given the importance of fungi in the ecological environment, this paper summarizes the importance of soil fungi in terms of fungal diversity and function in forest ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper contains results of mycological examinations conducted in the Wolin National Park from May to October 2017, and data previously unpublished. Exploration was carried out using the route method in the whole Park, with particular emphasis on its western part. The paper includes 205 taxa (25 from Ascomycota and 180 from Basidiomycota), including 32 new ones for the Wolin National Park. Among the identified taxa, 17 were threatened. The endangered species (Category E) were represented by Aleurodiscus disciformis, Calcipostia guttulata, and Geastrum triplex, the vulnerable species (V) included Inocybe grammata, Inocutis rheades, and Xylobolus frustulatus, and the rare species (R) consisted of 10 taxa, including Helvella lacunosa, Gloeoporus taxicola, Mycena crocata, Plicaturopsis crispa, and Pseudomerulius aureus. Some species are known only from a few sites in Poland, e.g., Hohenbuehelia auriscalpium and C. guttulata. Currently, the number of macromycetes species known from the Wolin National Park is 508. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] The present paper aimed to analyze the composition of arbuscular mycorrhiza(AM) fungi in the rhizosphere soil of healthy and diseased ginger plots to provide a theoretical basis for the comprehensive control of ginger blast using micro-ecological control methods.[Method] Using ginger fields with different disease severities in Guilin, Liuzhou and Baise, ten soil samples were collected from the following fields: Guilin Quanzhou, Liuzhou Sandu, Liuzhou Liucheng, Baise Debao and Baise Tianlin. Healthy and diseased ginger numbers are KJJ2S,BMJ1S,LCJ1S,FGJS,NGJS,KJB2S,BMB1S,LCB1S,FGBS and NGBS. Illumina Miseq high-throughput sequencing technique was used to study the diversity and community structure of AM fungi in the soil. The correlation between fungal community structure and soil nutrients was clarified with redundancy analysis (RDA). [Result] At the similarity level of 97%,the OTU number and Chao index of fungi in diseased samples were higher than those of healthy samples. By evaluating the diversity index of the AM fungi species through the Shannon index and Simpson index, it was found that the healthy samples had a higher diversity index compared to the diseased samples in all the sample fields. In terms of community composition at the genus level, 312 OTUs are classified into Paraglomus, Acaulospora, and Glomus and unclassified cGlomeromycetes. RDA results showed that soil available phosphorus significantly affected the AM fungal community (P<0.05, the same as below), and total nitrogen, organic matter, pH, and Magnesium(Mg) had no significant effects on the AM fungal community(P>0.05).The results of Heatmap analysis showed that Paraglomus was significantly negatively correlated with available phosphorus content(P<0.01), and significantly negatively correlated with organic matter content. [Conclusion] There are differences in the composition of AM fungal community between ginger healthy plots and diseased plots. The OTUs number and abundance of AM fungi of diseased ginger soil are higher than healthy ginger soil, but less diversity than healthy ginger soil. Dominant species of AM fungi at different sampling points are different, and their diversity, abundance and community composition structure are mainly affected by effective P content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper was discovering the diversity of macromycetes in the territory of Batočina (Serbia). Field studies, which lasted more than a year, revealed the presence of 200 species of macromycetes. The identified species belong to phyla Basidiomycota (191 species) and Ascomycota (9 species). The biggest number of registered species (100 species) was from the order Agaricales. Among the identified species was one strictly protected - Phallus hadriani and seven protected species: Amanita caesarea, Marasmius oreades, Cantharellus cibarius, Craterellus cornucopia-odes, Tuber aestivum, Russula cyanoxantha and R. virescens; also, several rare and endangered species of Serbia. This paper is a contribution to the knowledge of the diversity of macromycetes not only in the territory of Batočina, but in Serbia, in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents information about airborne microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) in the indoor air of two hospitals (Kashani and Hajar) in the city of Shahrekord, Iran. The settle plate technique using open Petri dishes containing different culture media was employed to collect a sample and using Quick Take 30 Sample Pump three days per week for a period of 8 weeks. Standard microbiological methods were employed for the identification of bacterial and fungal isolates. The results showed that the concentration of bacteria in the study area ranged from 0 to 70 cfu/plate/h, while the concentration of fungi was 0 to 280 cfu/plate/h. Also, 12 bacterial and 3 fungal species were isolated and identified with varying frequencies of occurrence, including Staphylococcus spp., Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Enterobacter, Pseudomonas, Serratia Citrobacter, Proteus, and Klebsiella, while the fungal genera isolated included Yeast, Aspergillus flavus, and Penicillium. While the bacterial isolates Staphylococcus aureus (20.50%) and Pseudomonas (9.10%) were the most predominant airborne bacteria, yeast (22.70%) and Penicillium (20.50%) were the most frequently isolated fungal species. The population of microorganisms was the highest during the afternoon. The statistical analysis showed a significant difference between the microbial loads of the two hospitals at P < 0.05. The generated data underline the usefulness of monitoring the air quality of the indoor hospital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aquatic ecosystem harbours a variety of micro-organisms, among which water-borne conidial fungi occupy an important place. Their occurrence in freshwater habitat has great significance in the decomposition of submerged plant materials, nutrient release and productivity. Their occurrence and frequency to extreme temperatures and pH may have a profound effect on fungal community composition and metabolic activities. The present paper deals with the diversity of conidial aquatic fungi from different unexplored freshwater bodies flowing through different elevations (1000-1500 m) in district Nainital, Kumaun Himalaya. Comparative study of species composition in different seasons, sporulation temperatures and pH conditions was also carried out. In all, 18 species of conidial fungi belonging to 14 genera were recorded, out of which maximum species (11 species) were recorded in both rainy (July to September) and winter seasons (November to December). Anguillospora crassa, Beltrania rhombica, Campylospora chaetocladia, Cylindrocarpon aquaticum, Helicomyces roseus and Tetracladium setigerum were isolated only during rainy season; Alatospora acuminata, Clavariopsis aquatica, Clavatospora tentacula, Lemonniera pseudofloscula, L. terrestris and Tetrachaetum elegans were isolated only during winter season while Lunulospora curvula, L. cymbiformis, Setosynnema isthmosporum, Tetracladium marchalianum and Triscelophorus acuminatus were isolated in both rainy and winter seasons. The preferred pH and the sporulation temperature ranged from 6-7 and 15-20 °? respectively. The results of the present study are clearly indicating fungal species composition variations along pH, temperature, seasonal and altitudinal gradients and the sites selected for this exploratory investigation are being undertaken for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inferring interspecific interactions indirectly from community data is of central interest in community ecology. Data on species communities can be surveyed using different methods, each of which may differ in the amount and type of species detected, and thus produce varying information on interaction networks. Since fruit bodies reflect only a fraction of the wood‐inhabiting fungal diversity, there is an ongoing debate in fungal ecology on whether fruit body‐based surveys are a valid method for studying fungal community dynamics compared to surveys based on DNA metabarcoding. In this paper, we focus on species‐to‐species associations and ask whether the associations inferred from data collected by fruit‐body surveys reflect the ones found from data collected by DNA‐based surveys. We estimate and compare the association networks resulting from different survey methods using a joint species distribution model. We recorded both raw and residual associations that respectively do not and do correct for the influence of the abiotic predictors when estimating the species‐to‐species associations. The analyses of the DNA data yielded a larger number of species‐to‐species associations than the analyses of the fruit body‐based data as expected. Yet, we estimated unique associations also from the fruit‐body data. Our results show that the directions of estimated residual associations were consistent between the data types, whereas the raw associations were much less consistent, highlighting the need to account for the influence of relevant environmental covariates when estimating association networks. We conclude that even though DNA‐based survey methods are more informative about the total number of interacting species, fruit‐body surveys are also an adequate method for inferring association networks in wood‐inhabiting fungi. Since the DNA and fruit‐body data carry on complementary information on fungal communities, the most comprehensive insights are obtained by combining the two survey methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study deals with certain variations of the diversity level of clavarioid funga in the 33 localities (100 km² each) inside seven longitudinal sectors (100,000 km²) situated along the gradient of the climatic continentality of the Eurasian tundra zone. As continentality increases, from the maritime climate of Fennoscandia to the continental climate of Yakutia, α-diversity and γ-diversity decrease considerably. On the other side, spatial turnover of species, or β-diversity, grows in the direction of continental areas. This paper uses the following methods to assess the spatial turnover: Whittaker's index and mean Jaccard similarity index, as well as by several other parameters. In addition, our data show that the genus Typhula is richest in the tundra, and its share in the structure of the clavarioid funga grows as the studied area decreases, as well as when the environmental conditions become more severe (continentality of the climate). Also, the paper discusses the issue of newly emerging taiga fungi species in the European Arctic, which is connected with climatic warming followed by "greening" of the tundra. Note that in the cryosemiarid continental climate of Yakutia, where climatic changes are just as pronounced, no new taxons have been discovered so far. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to quantify airborne fungal load in air-conditioned rooms and develop a health risk rating scale for different indoor environments. Five sampling locations in Kolkata frequented by a heterogeneous human population, containing various types of fungal growth-promoting substances (FGPS) like old documents, food items, waste hair, etc. were chosen as sampling locations where an Andersen Two-Stage Cascade Impactor was ran using Rose Bengal agar and Potato Dextrose agar media plates. Total spore load (CFU/m3), species diversity, species dominance, human exposure time, susceptible age and FGPS were considered the risk factors for this study. A risk rating scale was developed after evaluating the relative importance of these different factors in relation to human health. The most dominant genera were Aspergillus, followed by Penicillium. Maximum CFU was observed at library, followed by computer room. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: That arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi covary with plant communities is clear, and many papers report nonrandom associations between symbiotic partners. However, these studies do not test the causal relationship, or 'codependency', whereby the composition of one guild affects the composition of the other. Here we outline underlying requirements for codependency, compare important drivers for both plant and AM fungal communities, and assess how host preference – a pre‐requisite for codependency – changes across spatiotemporal scales and taxonomic resolution for both plants and AM fungi. We find few examples in the literature designed to test for codependency and those that do have been conducted within plots or mesocosms. Also, while plants and AM fungi respond similarly to coarse environmental filters, most variation remains unexplained, with host identity explaining less than 30% of the variation in AM fungal communities. These results combined question the likelihood of predictable co‐occurrence, and therefore evolution of codependency, between plant and AM fungal taxa across locations. We argue that codependency is most likely to occur in homogeneous environments where specific plant – AM fungal pairings have functional consequences for the symbiosis. We end by outlining critical aspects to consider moving forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How community-level specialization differs among groups of organisms, and changes along environmental gradients, is fundamental to understanding the mechanisms influencing ecological communities. In this paper, we investigate the specialization of root-associated fungi for plant species, asking whether the level of specialization varies with elevation. For this, we applied DNA barcoding based on the ITS region to root samples of five plant species equivalently sampled along an elevational gradient at a high arctic site. To assess whether the level of specialization changed with elevation and whether the observed patterns varied between mycorrhizal and endophytic fungi, we applied a joint species distribution modeling approach. Our results show that host plant specialization is not environmentally constrained in arctic rootassociated fungal communities, since there was no evidence for changing specialization with elevation, even if the composition of root-associated fungal communities changed substantially. However, the level of specialization for particular plant species differed among fungal groups, root-associated endophytic fungal communities being highly specialized on particular host species, and mycorrhizal fungi showing almost no signs of specialization. Our results suggest that plant identity affects associated mycorrhizal and endophytic fungi differently, highlighting the need of considering both endophytic and mycorrhizal fungi when studying specialization in root-associated fungal communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of mycological observations of the Cladonio- Pinetum community in the "Bory Tucholskie" National Park in 2018. Active protection treatments have been performed to protect disappearing communities. This study was conducted using the permanent circular plot method, with each plot having an area of approximately 100 m2. Observations were also carried out using the route method outside the plots. Consequently, 71 fungal taxa were found. Among the identified species of macromycetes are Boletopsis grisea, which is on the list of protected fungi, and seven species (Boletopsis grisea, Cortinarius armeniacus, Dacrymyces capitatus, Deconica montana, Entoloma rhodocalix, Tricholoma equestre, and Tricholoma colossus) that are on the red list of macrofungi in Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

【Objective】The present paper aimed to explore seasonal variation characteristics of soil microbial community structure and diversity of corn in rhizosphere soil. 【Method】Illumina-miseq high-throughput sequencing technology was used to sequence the V3-V4 region fragments of 16 S rDNA gene and the V3-V4 region fragments of fungus 18 S rDNA gene in rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soil of maize in different seasons. 【Result】High throughput analysis data showed that:(i) the different season maize rhizosphere and non rhizosphere soil physical and chemical properties with the seasons change trend was consistent, maize rhizosphere and non rhizosphere soil conductivity increased before reducing trend with the seasons, general performance for summer > autumn > spring > winter, and maize rhizosphere soil electrical conductivity in different seasons were significantly higher than that of the rhizosphere(P < 0.05);From spring to winter, the pH values of maize rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere showed a trend of first decreasing and then increasing, which was roughly manifested as > in spring> in winter> in autumn and summer, and the conductivity of maize rhizosphere soil in different seasons was significantly lower than that in non-rhizosphere(P<0.05).(ii) Different season maize rhizosphere and non rhizosphere soil nutrient content(organic carbon, total nitrogen and total potassium) consistent with the seasons change trend, from spring to winter, maize rhizosphere and non rhizosphere nutrient contents were increased after the first reduce the trend, with the summer maize rhizosphere and non rhizosphere soil nutrient content was the highest, winter maize rhizosphere and non rhizosphere soil nutrient content was the lowest, and fluctuated.(iii) Different season maize rhizosphere and non rhizosphere bacteria and fungi coverage, richness index, Shannon Wiener index and Evenness index Evenness, ACE, Chao 1 index, Simpson index was consistent with the seasons change trend, from spring to winter, rhizosphere and non rhizosphere bacterial and fungal diversity index showed a trend of increase after the first reduce, and different seasons rhizosphere bacterial and fungal diversity index were significantly higher than that of the rhizosphere.(iv) Maize rhizosphere and non rhizosphere bacteria population, the dominant bacteria mainly deformation, acid bacillus door and bud door bacterium, include mold gate, actinomyces door, bacteroides door, wall ascomycetes door, green curved door after door germs, warts, the relative abundance of rhizosphere bacteria acid bacillus door above the rhizosphere, deformation relative abundance was lower than the rhizosphere bacteria door.In rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soil fungi communities,the dominant groups were mainly ascomycetes and basidiomycetes, including binding mycetes, chytrid mycetes, neoilifera flagellates, bulb mycetes, and budding mycetes.(v) Correlation analysis showed that there was no significant correlation between corn soil bacteria, fungus Coverage, ACE and soil nutrients(P>0.05).Soil pH was negatively correlated with the diversity of soil bacteria and fungi, while soil conductivity and total phosphorus were not significantly correlated with the diversity of soil bacteria and fungi(P>0.05). 【Conclusion】The bacterial and fungal communities in the rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere of maize soil had a good similarity, and the bacterial communities in the rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere had a significant separation effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective (The present paper aimed to clarify the different varieties of melon in Xinjiang postharvest decay of the main pathogenic fungus species.【Method (The method was the classical microorganism separation to pathogen fungi separation of Xizhoumi-17，Jinlong melon Shuijinglv melon under the condition of room temperature，combined with ITS sequence determination and diversity analysis to explore the species and community characteristics of melon postharvest pathogens fromdifferent origin.【Result】The melon postharvest rot diseases were caused by the following seven fungi ： Fusarium，Penicillium，Altemaria，Aspergillus，Diplodia，Botryotinia and Rhizoctonia. The diversity a¬nalysis results demonstrated that there was rich diversity in the melon postharvest pathogen community，of which 〇Har—2 was the dominant species. There were obvious differences in postharvest fungal pathogen community diversities among there melon cultivars，and Xizhoumi-17 was the highest in Shannon diversity index(0. 91) and evenness index(0. 28 ) and richness index(6. 83) . On the contrary，the Jinlong was the lowest，respectively being 0. 44，0. 23 and 1.58 % The similarity coefficients of melon postharvest pathogens among the three cultivars，the similarity coefficient between Shuijinglv melon and Jinlong was 0. 400，while the lo^vest coefficient of community similarity witli the Xizliou- mi-17 fungi community was 0. 286.【Conclusion】 The postharvest decay of roomtemperature storage of melon disease is caused by Fuaium， and different varieties of melon from the pathogen has overlapping as well as differences. The stiady provi(ded theoretical basis for later choo-sing antisepsis processing [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High‐throughput sequencing technologies have revolutionized the study of plant‐associated microbial populations, but they are relatively expensive. Molecular fingerprinting techniques are more affordable, yet yield considerably less information about the microbial community. Does this mean they are no longer useful for plant microbiome research? In this paper, we review the past 10 years of studies on plant‐associated microbiomes using molecular fingerprinting methodologies, including single‐strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP), denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), amplicon length heterogeneity PCR (LH‐PCR), ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (RISA) and automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA), and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP). We also present data juxtaposing results from TRFLP methods with those generated using Illumina sequencing in the comparison of rhizobacterial populations of Brazilian maize and fungal surveys in Canadian tomato roots. In both cases, the TRFLP approach yielded the desired results at a level of resolution comparable to that of the MiSeq method, but at a fraction of the cost. Community fingerprinting methods (especially TRFLP) remain relevant for the identification of dominant microbes in a population, the observation of shifts in plant microbiome community diversity, and for screening samples before their use in more sensitive and expensive approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the growth of S. bicolor in Cd-polluted sandy clay loam soil in north China, Cd accumulation in plant and the corresponding soil microbial community were characterized when the plant matured (140 d of growth). Cadmium promoted the growth of mature S. bicolor with higher height and heavier dry mass, especially at the spiked level of 1 mg kg−1 soil (P < 0.05). The higher microbial diversity was found under Cd stress at the spiked level of 15 mg kg−1, which basically corresponded with its influence on the plant growth. High-throughput sequencing data demonstrated that the predominant bacterial phyla include Proteobacteria (35.99% for Cd-polluted soil and 35.22% for the control soil), Chloroflexi (21.33% and 20.58%), Actinobacteria (12.00% and 12.89%), Acidobacteria (7.47% and 11.14%), Bacteroidetes (7.37% and 6.96%), Gemmatimonadetes (5.60% and 6.65%), Firmicutes (2.82% and 1.86%), Planctomycetes (2.47% and 0.95%), Saccharibacteria (1.26% and 1.11%). The predominant fungal phyla was Ascomycota , with the relative abundance of 89.96% for the control soil and 86.2% for the Cd-polluted soil. S. bicolor could grow well in sandy clay loam soil in northern China at low Cd lvel, but it could not accumulate cadmium at higher cadmium level. S. bicolor could be used for phytoextraction of cadmium from the lightly Cd-polluted soil. • Cd in low level could promote the growth of S. bicolor in Cd-polluted soil. • The extractable Cd content increased linearly with the added Cd in soil. • High-throughput sequencing was used to analyze the predominant microbial phyla. • The predominant fungal phyla was Ascomycota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We developed a method combining passive baiting (animals that are not trapped) with DNA meta-barcoding of the feces acquired, to study fungi in the diet of small mammals. Mammal and fungal species were identified using genomic DNA of 596 fecal samples collected in five regions of the eastern Canadian boreal forest. For identification of the small mammal species, the cytochrome b region was used. A total of eight species of small mammals displayed hypogeous fungi consumption, with northern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus) and red-backed voles (Myodes gapperi) as the top consumers. For identification of their fungal diets, the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was used. We recovered 722 taxa of Ascomycota, 429 Basidiomycota, 81 Zygomycota, 4 Chytridiomycota, 1 Glomeromycota, and 44 unidentified fungal taxa. Of these, 28 were hypogeous sequestrate fungi (underground fructification), which presumably are dug out by small mammals for consumption. Otherwise, for the remaining fungi [epigeous (above ground fructification) or microscopic fungal species], it is unclear which ones are selected by the animal as a dietary source or result from incidental contamination. Our paper presents a promising approach for tracing mycophagy in small mammals, and our results suggest that fungal diversity is important for the diet of some small mammals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) communities are strongly linked to soil available phosphorus levels in Eucalyptus plantations. AMF frequently collect and route considerable amounts of P to their host plants, likely through collaboration with other soil nutrients. Nevertheless, the mechanism of AMF driving available P in Eucalyptus plantation soil remains ambiguous. This paper aimed to determine the effect of the AMF community structure on available P in Eucalyptus soil. Four Eucalyptus stands including 1-, 3-, 5-, and 12-year-old (abbreviated as SA1, SA3, SA5, and SA12, respectively) were obtained from a national forest farm. High-throughput sequencing and a modified Hedley technique for soil P fractionation were used to investigate the AMF community structure. Our results revealed the P fractionation and the structure of the AMF community in SA5 and SA12 are highly variable compared with the control. Redundancy analysis showed the AMF taxa are closely connected with the available P in soil. Glomeraceae and Paraglomeraceae have a strong influence on resin P, inorganic P extracted by concentrated hydrochloric acid, residual P that is difficult to extract, as well as ammonium nitrogen and pH. The structural equation model indicated that soil properties have a significant influence on AMF diversity and abundance, and AMF dominant species support organic P (NaHCO 3 –Po) conversion. These results implied that Eucalyptus stand ages alter the soil physical and chemical properties, which affect the AMF colonization capacity. AMF also has a significant influence on the available P content of the soil. Glomeraceae and Paraglomeraceae are the dominant fungi influencing the available P content. Furthermore, expanding Glomeraceae and Paraglomeraceae , and applying them to Eucalyptus plantation may improve soil P availability. Finally, the structure of the AMF community may be a sensitive indicator of the quality of soil available P in Eucalyptus plantation. • Successively planting of Eucalyptus make soil physicochemical properties show erratic changes over a 12-year period. • Soil physicochemical properties drive changes in the community structure of AMF in Eucalyptus soils. • Changes in community structure of AMF significantly contribute to phosphorus content in Eucalyptus soil. • Ecological issues in management deserve increased attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hericium flagellum (Scop.) Pers. is considered a rare, wood-decaying fungus that occurs on coniferous trees, predominantly on silver fir (Abies alba). In this paper, a new locality of H. flagellum in Wielkopolska Voivodship is presented, along with the macro- and micromorphological features of the collected specimens. Basidiomata of H. flagellum were found in November 2016 and 2017 in the “Olbina” nature reserve (ATPOL Dc-97, Kalisz Forest District), located in a continental mixed coniferous forest close to the northern border of the natural range of silver fir. In 2016, H. flagellum was found growing in the hollow of an old stump of silver fir, and in the following year, this fungus was recorded on a fallen log of silver fir. The implications for conservation are briefly presented. Prospects of further development of the basidiomata of H. flagellum in the “Olbina” reserve are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bieszczady Mts, a mountain range in SE Poland, is a hot spot of fungal richness and diversity in Poland. This paper summarizes 5 years of studies in the Bieszczady Mts, as well as previously published research. A total of 1,377 macromycetes taxa were found, including many (464) which were protected, red-listed, or very rare in Poland. Thirty-eight taxa (nine Ascomycota and 29 Basidiomycota) have been reported in Poland for the first time: Agrocybe gibberosa, Auriporia aurulenta, Bolbitius variicolor, Bulgariella pulla, Chaetosphaerella phaeostroma, Clitocybe subspadicea, Clitopilus passeckerianus, Cortinarius anomalus var. subcaligatus, C. fervidus, C. flexipes var. inolens, C. sylvae-norvegicae, Cudoniella tenuispora, Entoloma bisporigerum, E. olorinum, E. poliopus var. parvisporigerum, E. sericeoides, Galerina caulocystidiata, Gymnopilus josserandii, Hymenoscyphus subferrugineus, Hypholoma olivaceotinctum, Inocybe queletii, Laccaria altaica, Lactarius romagnesii, L. rostratus, Mycena epipterygia var. atroviscosa, M. epipterygia var. candida, M. polygramma f. candida, Octavianina lutea, O. mutabilis, Pachyella violaceonigra, Panaeolus papilionaceus var. capitatocystis, Phaeocollybia jennyae, Psathyrella almerensis, Pyrenopeziza inornata, Scutellinia torrentis, Tricholoma basirubens, Tricholomopsis flammula, and Vibrissea decolorans. For all new taxa, short descriptions based on the collected material have been provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tropical moist deciduous forests of India are largely dominated by the dipterocarp tree Shorea robusta (also known as sal). Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi form symbiotic association with sal trees and play an important role in the stability of the sal forests. A study was carried out to determine the occurrence and distribution of ECM fungi in tropical sal forests at the Shiwalik mountain range, north-west India. The genus Russula was the dominant fungi. In this paper the morphoanatomical details of mycorrhizal roots of S. robusta associated with three Russula species, namely, R. cremeoavallanea, R. romagnesiana and R. nigricans were investigated for the first time. The ECM colonised roots were distinguished by differences in the shape and colour of mycorrhizal system, surface texture, shape and size of cystidia, cell shape of mantle, as well as the differing chemical reactions. ECM roots of sal associated with R. cremeoavallanea were mostly greyish brown and have almost plectenchymatous outer mantle layers having subcylindrical to awl-shaped cystidia. Ectomycorrhizal roots of R. romagnesiana were reddish brown with silvery patches, and have purely plectenchymatous outer mantle layers having obpyriform to obclavate cystidia. Russula nigricans-associated ectomycorrhizal roots have greyish brown to black mycorrhizal system and have almost pseudoparenchymatous dark brown mantle with capitate cystidial elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding how soil processes, belowground plant and fungal species composition, and nutrient cycles are altered by disturbances is essential for understanding the role forests play in mitigating global climate change. Here we ask: How are root and fungal communities altered in a mid-successional forest during shifts in dominant tree species composition? This study utilizes the Forest Accelerated Succession ExperimenT (FASET) at the University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS) as a platform for addressing this question. FASET consists of a 39-ha treatment in which all mature early successional aspen ( Populus spp.) and paper birch ( Betula papyrifera ) were killed by stem-girdling in 2008. Four years after girdling, neither overall fungal diversity indices, plant diversity indices, nor root biomass differed between girdled (treated) and non-girdled (reference) stands. However, experimental advancement of succession by removal of aspen and birch resulted in 1) a shift in fungal functional groups, with significantly less ectomycorrhizal fungi, 2) a trend toward less arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and 3) a significant increase in the proportion of saprotrophs in girdled stands. In addition to shifts in functional groups between treated and untreated stands, ectomycorrhizal fungi proportions were negatively correlated with NH 4 + and total dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) in soil. This research illustrates the propensity for disturbances in forest ecosystems to shift fungal community composition, which has implications for carbon storage and nutrient cycling in soils under future climate scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aims: The rise of antibiotic resistance pushes the pharmaceutical industry to continually search for substances with new structures and novel mechanisms of action. Many environmental niches are still to be explored as sources of antimicrobials. In this paper, we assess the antimicrobial potential of gut microbes of springtails, soil invertebrates which live in a microbe‐dominated environment and are known to be tolerant to entomopathogenic micro‐organisms. Methods and Results: Bacteria isolated from the guts of five springtail species were tested for inhibitory activity against different microbial pathogens. We identified 46 unique isolates belonging to 17 genera and 15 families. Thirty‐five of these isolates (76%) showed inhibitory activity, and 18 inhibited both bacterial and fungal pathogens. One isolate was active against all the pathogens tested. Conclusions: We demonstrated a range of antimicrobial activities in bacteria isolated from the guts of springtails, indicative of complex interactions within the gut community, possibly relating to nutrition or defence against pathogens. Significance and Impact of the Study: Our results suggest that a large proportion of cultivatable microbes associated with Collembola have a potential for antimicrobial production. We propose that soil invertebrates and their associated microbes are interesting targets for drug discovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial deterioration accounts for a significant percentage of the degradation processes that occur on archeological/historical objects and artworks, and identifying the causative agents of such a phenomenon should therefore be a priority, in consideration of the need to conserve these important cultural heritage items. Diverse microbiological approaches, such as microscopic evaluations, cultural methods, metabolic- and DNA-based techniques, as well as a combination of the aforementioned methods, have been employed to characterize the bacterial, archaeal, and fungal communities that colonize art objects. The purpose of the present review article is to report the interactions occurring between the microorganisms and nutrients that are present in stones, bones, wood, paper, films, paintings, and modern art specimens (namely, collagen, cellulose, gelatin, albumin, lipids, and hydrocarbons). Some examples, which underline that a good knowledge of these interactions is essential to obtain an in depth understanding of the factors that favor colonization, are reported. These data can be exploited both to prevent damage and to obtain information on historical aspects that can be decrypted through the study of microbial population successions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is the first geomycological report regarding the fungal communities on rock surfaces in the Demänovská Ice Cave and the Demänovská Cave of Liberty, Slovakia. The samples were collected in June 2014 from five locations from inside both the caves by using sterile swabs wetted with physiological saline (0.85% NaCl). The density of epilithic fungi isolated from the Demänovská Ice Cave ranged from 238.7 to 575.1 CFU (colony-forming units) per m2of the rock surface, and from the Demänovská Cave of Liberty ranged from 88.6 to 347 CFU. Seventeen different free-living culturable fungi (15 filamentous fungi, one yeast, and one yeast-like fungus) were isolated from the rock surfaces of both caves. Generally,Cladosporium cladosporioidesandAspergillus flavuswere the most frequently cultured species from the Demänovská Ice Cave and the Demänovská Cave of Liberty, respectively. Free-living fungi found on the rock surfaces of both caves can lead to their slow biodegradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fungal decomposition of coarse woody debris has an essential role in the biodiversity and carbon and nutrient dynamics in forest ecosystems. However, our knowledge of the effects of fungal species and within-stem diversity on wood decay is limited. In this paper, I described the process of wood decay and fungal succession of pine (Pinus densiflora) snags using chronosequence method. The results showed that the decay process differed between sapwood and heartwood. Sapwood decayed faster than heartwood, despite their initial densities being the same. Sapwood decay occurred in two phases. The first phase involved a typical white-rot process wherein acid-unhydrolysable residue (lignin) and holocellulose decayed simultaneously. White-rot species, such as Trichaptum abietinum and Phanerochaete sordida, were the dominant fungi and were likely the functional decomposers in this phase. The second phase involved selective decomposition of holocellulose. The dominant fungi in this phase included soft-rot species, such as Trichoderma spp., that can decompose holocellulose in wood that was previously delignified by white-rot species. In contrast to sapwood, heartwood experienced less loss of wood density and no clear change in lignocellulose composition, even in later stages of decay. Dominant fungi in heartwood included the latent inhabitants of living pine trees, such as Ascocoryne cylichnium, which is known to reduce colonization and wood decay by strong decomposers. These results suggest that, in addition to decay-resistant chemicals present in heartwood, the differences in the fungal communities present in heartwood and sapwood were responsible for the differences in their decay rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During soil development, bacteria and fungi can be differentially affected by changes in soil biogeochemistry. Since the chemistry of parent material affects soil pH, nutrient availability, and indirectly litter quality, we hypothesize that parent material has an important influence on microbial community patterns during long-term soil development., In this paper, we tested for the effect of parent material, as well as, soil and litter properties upon microbial community patterns in three c. 20 000-year-old semi-arid chronosequences developed on sedimentary and volcanic (i.e. Andesitic and Dacitic) soils in the Dry Puna of Bolivia. We evaluated microbial patterns by analysing the terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism from amplified bacterial 16S rRNA genes, and the fungal internal transcribed spacer region, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction., Soil and litter characteristics differed significantly between the Sedimentary and volcanic chronosequences. In particular, soil pH was alkaline in all stages of the Sedimentary chronosequence; whereas it changed from alkaline to near neutral across stages in both volcanic chronosequences. Composition of bacterial communities changed across volcanic chronosequences, and this change was associated with a reduction in soil pH and increases in litter quality, whereas no differences were found in the Sedimentary chronosequence. Fungal community composition, in contrast, did not change across any chronosequence., Relative microbial abundance, expressed as the fungal:bacterial ratio, declined across stages of the Sedimentary chronosequence in association with decreases in TC and TP, whereas in the Andesitic chronosequence decreases in fungal:bacterial ratios were related with increases in litter quality and declines in soil pH., Synthesis. Our results show the importance of parent material in affecting bacterial and fungal communities during soil development. Further, in semi-arid chronosequences, fungal:bacterial ratios tend to decline given that soil pH in young soils is rather alkaline. Our results also are consistent with the general framework that highlights the importance of above-ground (i.e. litter quality) and below-ground (i.e. soil properties) in affecting microbial relative abundance and community composition during soil development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the aroma properties and microbial succession patterns of Chinese steamed bread (CSB) prepared with yellow sticky rice and Baijiu Qu , several important stages were determined in processing, including yellow sticky rice, fermented rice, fermented juice, sourdough, and steamed bread by solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS) and high-throughput sequencing (HTS). The composition of volatile compounds varied significantly in different stages. The highest content of 2-methyl-butane (9.69%) and hexanal (6.34%) was detected in yellow sticky rice while the high content of ethanol (39.60%–42.14%), phenylethyl alcohol (9.01%–15.70%) and 3-methyl-1-butanol (8.91%–10.19%) endowed other samples sweet, rose and brandy aroma. Bacterial community mainly consisted of Chloroplast (10.83%–70.20%) and Weissella (0.43%–51.49%), and fungal community was primarily composed of Saccharomyces (1.22%–64.25%). Phenylethyl acetate was positively related to Saccharomyces , and phenylethyl alcohol and 1-hexanol were positively related to Lactobacillus. This paper provided a new prospect for the industrialization of traditional Chinese steamed bread. • The Chinese steamed bread was first prepared with yellow sticky rice and Baijiu Qu. • The samples were obtained from several stages of the production process. • The flavor, microorganisms, and their correlation were studied. • Physicochemical properties were analyzed to describe the effect of the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explored the effects of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum inoculation on the microbial community, physicochemical properties and flavor during Paojiao fermentation. The results showed that the bacterial community of the inoculated sample (Inoculate fermented Paojiao, QH) and the control sample (Naturally fermented Paojiao, ZR) was similar, but the fungal community was quite different. The fungal community of QH evolved orderly, the abundance of Pichia and Candida increased significantly in the early stage of fermentation, and became dominant through the fermentation process. In addition, the nitrite content in QH was significantly reduced, while the volatiles were significantly increased, 4-methyl-1-pentanol, 1-hexadecanol, n-decanoic acid, etc. were only detected in QH. Correlation analysis results showed that Lactiplantibacillus was negatively correlated with nitrite while positively correlated with chromatic aberration. The metabolic pathway predicted based on PICRUSt2 also showed that the abundance of enzymes related to flavor formation in QH was higher than that in ZR. It was revealed that inoculated Lactiplantibacillus plantarum could improve the flavor of Paojiao by changing the flora and regulating the expression of related enzymes. This study provides a theoretical basis for the development of excellent starter to Paojiao products. • Microbial community succession during ZR and QH fermentation was determined using HTS. • The volatile compounds of ZR and QH were compared by HS-SPME-GC-MS. • The correlation between microorganisms and flavor in Paojiao was investigated. • QH could improve the flavor of Paojiao by regulating the expression of related enzymes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) has been ranked as one of the main hotspots of biodiversity. Many studies on microbial diversity and structure have been investigated in QTP, whereas the joint impacts of environmental properties and geographic distance that influence microbial communities along altitudinal gradient is yet poorly understood. In this paper, we investigated sites along the elevational gradient of 3270–4530 m on the southeast QTP in China, characterizing environmental properties, and systematically examined the composition, diversity patterns and the driving factors of soil microbial community structures. Elevation led to distinct changes in environmental properties. Bacterial α-diversity did not differ significantly among elevations, whereas fungal α-diversity showed a decrease pattern, which could be attributed to changes in temperature, soil moisture, pH and total carbon content. The dominant bacterial and fungal phyla were Actinobacteria (30.4%), Proteobacteria (24.1%) and Acidobacteria (14.7%), and Ascomycota (52.3%), Basidiomycota (32.6%) and Mortierellomycota (13.9%), respectively. Notable distance-decay of microbial community was observed across environmental factors and geographic distance. Partial Mantel tests indicated that differences in bacterial community were driven by the joint impacts of environmental factors and geographic distance, while differences in fungal community were primarily driven by a sole impact of environmental factors. The multiple regression on matrices (MRM) model explained 79% of the variability in bacterial community similarity, with pH being the most important variables, followed by soil moisture, elevation, AK content and geographic distance. The proportion of variance explained by MRM model was 55%, with elevation and TN content being the main variables altering the soil fungal structure. In summary, our findings suggested that α-diversity patterns, and the driving factors of the bacterial and fungal community structure were different, and environmental factors and geographic distance played different roles on the bacterial and fungal community structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil P, soil fungi change in poplar shelterbelts compared with farmland, and the driving pathway-related mechanism. [Display omitted] • TP in poplar shelterbelts reduced by 27.75% compared with farmlands. • Shelterbelt reduced TP mainly in macroaggregates and HCl-Pi. • Shelterbelt-induced ECM fungi increased and stability of fungal network decreased. • Shelterbelt decreased P in macroaggregates via changes in fungal community structure. • Shelterbelt changed content of leaching fraction-P through soil pH and tree growth. Phosphorus (P) is an indispensable element for all life on Earth, and clarifying soil P components can favor the precise management of soil nutrients. This paper hypothesized that soil total P (TP) and P components in different aggregates and leachable fractions differed between poplar shelterbelts and farmlands. Such changes were strongly associated with fungal variations. Total 24 soil samples were collected from 0 to 40 cm soil layers in 12 pairs of poplar shelterbelts and neighboring farmlands in four sites in Northeast China Plain. The soil P was determined in three soil aggregates (macroaggregates, microaggregates, and silt + clay) and nine sequential leachable fractions (H 2 O-Pi, NaHCO 3 -Pi, NaHCO 3 -Po, NaOH-Pi, NaOH-Po, HCl-Pi, conc. HCl-Pi, conc. HCl-Po, and Re-P), and soil fungi in bulk soils were analyzed by Illumina sequencing. Our data revealed that poplar shelterbelts had 27.75% lower soil TP than neighboring farmlands, mainly occurring in macroaggregates (0.25–2 mm) with no changes in microaggregates and silt + clay. In leachable P fractions, reduced TP was caused by changes in HCl-Pi contributed 47.8%, and NaOH-Pi contributed 34.2% (low or medium plant-available). Poplar shelterbelts decreased the soil fungi diversity and network relations with fewer nodes, edges, and modularity but contained more ectomycorrhizal and less pathogenic fungi than farmlands. The macroaggregates P reduction was mainly driven by fungal community changes, while the fraction-P changes were more closely related to soil pH and tree growth of poplar trees. Our findings highlighted high P depletion from poplars, possible risks for plant availability, and soil fungi roles in the China shelterbelt program, supporting the evaluation and management of soil P-related nutrients in the farmland afforesting system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the discovery of penicillin, fungi have been an important source of bioactive natural products. However, as a specific resource, the bioactive potentiality and specificity of fungal metabolites from the Antarctic region have had little attention. In this paper, we investigated the diversity patterns and biological activities of cultivable fungi isolated from soil samples in Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica. Fungal communities showed low abundance and diversity; a total of 150 cultivable fungi were isolated from eight soil samples. After being dereplicated by morphological characteristics and chemical fingerprints, 47 fungal isolates were identified by ITS-rDNA sequencing. We confirmed that these isolates belonged to at least 11 different genera and clustered into nine groups corresponding to taxonomic orders in the phylogenetic analysis. Using two different fermentation conditions, 94 crude extracts acquired from the abovementioned different metabolite characteristic isolates were screened by bioactivity assay and 18 isolates produced biologically active compounds. Compared with HPLC-DAD-UV fingerprint analysis of culture extracts and standard compounds, two bioactive components secalonic acid and chetracins were identified. Our research suggests that the abundance and diversity of Antarctic cultivable fungal communities exhibit unique ecological characteristics and potential producers of novel natural bioactive products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

F. excelsior is affected by dieback in the major part of its natural geographical range in Europe, which results in economic and ecological losses. The disease is caused by the ascomycetous fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, a pathogen introduced to Europe most probably from East Asia. This paper presents data on fungi identified on F. excelsior trees representing two different stages of ash dieback in Poland. Fungal communities were identified in initial necrotic lesions on living stems and twigs using the classical method of isolation on malt extract agar and morphological and molecular analyses. In dead apical parts of stems and twigs, fungi were identified by microscopic analyses of fruit bodies formed in situ. Seventy-one fungal taxa were found in 720 samples with symptoms of initial or advanced necrosis. The most common fungus detected in initial necrotic lesions in each forest site was Hymenoscyphus fraxineus (59.2 % of analysed samples). Other frequently isolated fungi included Alternaria alternata, Diaporthe eres, Diplodia mutila, Fusarium avenaceum, F. lateritium and Phomopsis spp. Fruit bodies on dead apical parts of stems and twigs were produced mostly by Diaporthe eres, Diplodia mutila, Lophiostoma corticola, Phomopsis spp., Sirodothis sp. and Valsa cypri. Fungal communities from different sites were similar, as shown by high Sørensen similarity index values. Greatest variation in fungal community structure at the initial necrotic stage was realized by D. mutila and F. avenaceum, and at the advanced necrotic stage by D. eres, D. mutila and Phomopsis spp. Data show a close affinity of certain fungi to site, suggesting geographical relatedness. The ecological effects of distribution of the invasive H. fraxineus and of other fungi sporulating on diseased ash trees in Europe are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]