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Fifteen species of xylariaceous fungi were isolated from more than 100 Scytinopogon sp. basidiomata in three forests and identified by rDNA ITS sequencing. Xylariaceous fungi were present in the lower part of the basidiomata, occurred less often in the upper part and were absent in the tips of its coralloid basidiomata. These results indicated that xylariaceous fungi grow continuously in the basidiomata and that the apical growth of Scytinopogon sp. basidiomata was faster than the growth of xylariaceous fungi in its host. The results suggested that these xylariaceous fungi established a stable coexistence with Scytinopogon sp. in the forest. Five species of xylariaceous fungi were endophytes in nearby plants. Our study suggested that these endophytic xylariaceous fungi were sources of fungicolous fungi in Scytinopogon sp. in the forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aspergillus terreus NTOU4989 was isolated from sulfur sediment collected at Kueishan Island Hydrothermal Vent Field, Taiwan, and was shown to be able to grow at 45 °C and pH 3 in seawater, characteristics of hydrothermal vent sites. Fungi are one of the major decomposers in the marine environment, and to find out whether A. terreus NTOU4989 can fulfill such a role at the site, this study investigated its metabolic activity using the Biolog FF MicroPlate™ under different growth conditions (45 °C/pH 3, 45 °C/pH 7, 25 °C/pH 3, 25 °C/pH 7) with/without addition of Al3+, Fe2+ and Mn2+, major metal ions in the vent effluent. The greatest metabolic activity was observed at 25 °C/pH 3 with/without the metal ions based on substrate richness (R S , metabolic richness), average well colour development (AWCD, metabolic capacity) and average well turbidity development (AWTD, mycelial production). Significant low R S , AWCD and AWTD were observed at 45 °C, suggesting that A. terreus NTOU4989 is a thermotolerant fungus. The presence of the metal ions did not have a significant effect on its metabolic activity. Monomers of lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose, and common sugars and amino acids of algae were utilized in selected conditions, providing evidence of wood and algal decomposition by the fungus at the hydrothermal vent site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest thinning is an important method for managing forests, changing forest structure, biological diversity and community. This study examined forest thinning effects on macrofungal diversity and the environmental factors affecting fruiting and community structure. Field surveys were conducted from 2006 to 2010 in 35-year-old Cryptomeria japonica plantations in central Taiwan. Thinning was completed in October 2007 and included control, 25% thinning, and 50% thinning treatments. Each treatment had four replications. Forest thinning and time affected macrofungal species richness observed but not abundance. Thinning influenced macrofungal community compositions; however, the difference between the two thinning intensities was not significant. The macrofungal community showed significant differences between communities of eastern and northern aspect. A redundancy analysis indicated that macrofungal communities in the C. japonica plantations were significantly affected by relative humidity, light, canopy cover, soil water content, soil temperature, soil pH value and soil texture. The fruiting of a dominant coral fungal species, Scytinopogon sp., was affected by thinning and light. The fruiting bodies of this species decreased in the 25% thinning plots and disappeared in 50% thinning plots in the first two years post-thinning, but were recorded in the third year post-thinning. After thinning, macrofungal species richness observed decreased, the community changed, and changes were associated with environmental conditions. Forest thinning decreased observable macrofungal diversity and changed the community structure, and these changes were associated with environmental variation after thinning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thinning removes a fraction of trees within a stand and as a result, forest fungi faces threats, such as habitat loss and fragmentation. After thinning, a reduction in sporocarp production of small and isolated fungal populations may be particularly worrisome from a conservation perspective. A clavarioid fungus, Scytinopogon sp., was sensitive to thinning and provided an ideal model to investigate how the fungus reproduces in nature and how the population copes with constantly changing environments. Here, we investigated its genetic variations by RAPD and monitored its population dynamics for 7 year. Results of DNA fingerprinting shows that Scytinopogon sp. population consists of numerous small and short-lived genets, which suggested that sexual reproduction and recombination are common and important for Scytinopogon sp. population. The Scytinopogon sp. population was declined after thinning and started to increase and recover in the third year after thinning. Genetic differentiation in Scytinopogon sp. was observed after thinning. The recovered subpopulation in thinned plots showed similar RAPD patterns as the subpopulations from nearby plots of other treatments in the same year. That suggested recovery of the basidiomata is established by the basidiospores recruited from the adjacent un-thinned area and 25% thinned plots, while the original subpopulations went locally extinct in heavily thinned plots. To conserve rare fungal species, reduction of disturbance, conservation of habitat and protection of the minimum viable population have to be considered during forest management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]