Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
6.4
4.5
Journals
Microorganisms
Special Issues
Hotspots of Fungal Diversity
share announcement

Hotspots of Fungal Diversity

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2021) | Viewed by 27885

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Alberto Miguel Stchigel

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Mycology Unit, Medical School, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Reus, Spain
Interests: ascomycetes; fungal diversity; fungal taxonomy; fungi; Mucorales; mycology; pathogens; phylogeny; physiology
Dr. Dea Garcia-Hermoso

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
Interests: ascomycetes; fungal diversity; fungal taxonomy; fungi; Mucorales; mycology; pathogens; phylogeny; physiology
Dr. Yasmina Marín Félix

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research), Braunschweig, Germany
Interests: ascomycetes; fungal diversity; fungal taxonomy; fungi; mycology; phylogeny; physiology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is widely accepted that the main biodiversity hotspots on Earth are rainforests of the pantropical areas. However, besides these biologically rich environments, other geographic locations, ecological niches, and substrates are overflowing with life. The exploration of remote sites, of restricted and rare ecosystems, as well as of common but poorly studied substrates have allowed scientists to find microbial “oases” in unsuspected environments, such as freshwater habitats worldwide, rocks in Antarctica, herbivorous dung everywhere, domestic wastewaters, different types of foods, and so on. The assessment of fungal diversity is increasing due to the use of massive sequencing techniques, but also to the development of new culture-dependent approaches. A vast number of new and interesting fungi living in unsuspected sites, environments, and substrates are waiting to be discovered.

Accordingly, this Special Issue of Microorganisms welcomes reviews and original research articles from worldwide to address the latest developments in:

  • The assessment of the fungal diversity in diverse substrates, ecological niches, and geographical places—especially in those that are poorly studied and characterized;
  • The comparison between molecular and culture-dependent techniques for the assessment of fungal diversity;
  • The use of novel tools for monitoring fungal diversity;
  • Establishing the relationships between physical and chemical environmental factors with fungal richness.

Dr. Alberto Miguel Stchigel
Dr. Dea Garcia-Hermoso
Dr. Yasmina Marín Félix
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • diversity
  • fungi
  • molds
  • phylogeny
  • yeasts

Published Papers (7 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

16 pages, 2041 KiB  
Article
Morinagadepsin, a Depsipeptide from the Fungus Morinagamyces vermicularis gen. et comb. nov.
by Karen Harms, Frank Surup, Marc Stadler, Alberto Miguel Stchigel and Yasmina Marin-Felix
Microorganisms 2021, 9(6), 1191; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9061191 - 31 May 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2821
Abstract
The new genus Morinagamyces is introduced herein to accommodate the fungus Apiosordaria vermicularis as inferred from a phylogenetic study based on sequences of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS), the nuclear rDNA large subunit (LSU), and partial fragments of ribosomal polymerase II subunit [...] Read more.
The new genus Morinagamyces is introduced herein to accommodate the fungus Apiosordaria vermicularis as inferred from a phylogenetic study based on sequences of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS), the nuclear rDNA large subunit (LSU), and partial fragments of ribosomal polymerase II subunit 2 (rpb2) and β-tubulin (tub2) genes. Morinagamyces vermicularis was analyzed for the production of secondary metabolites, resulting in the isolation of a new depsipeptide named morinagadepsin (1), and the already known chaetone B (3). While the planar structure of 1 was elucidated by extensive 1D- and 2D-NMR analysis and high-resolution mass spectrometry, the absolute configuration of the building blocks Ala, Val, and Leu was determined as -l by Marfey’s method. The configuration of the 3-hydroxy-2-methyldecanyl unit was assigned as 22R,23R by J-based configuration analysis and Mosher’s method after partial hydrolysis of the morinagadepsin to the linear derivative compound 2. Compound 1 showed cytotoxic activity against the mammalian cell lines KB3.1 and L929, but no antimicrobial activity against the fungi and bacteria tested was observed, while 2 was inactive. Compound 3 was weakly cytotoxic against the cell line L929, but did not show any antimicrobial activity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hotspots of Fungal Diversity)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

61 pages, 25076 KiB  
Article
Phylogeny, Global Biogeography and Pleomorphism of Zanclospora
by Martina Réblová, Miroslav Kolařík, Jana Nekvindová, Andrew N. Miller and Margarita Hernández-Restrepo
Microorganisms 2021, 9(4), 706; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9040706 - 29 Mar 2021
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3895
Abstract
Zanclospora (Chaetosphaeriaceae) is a neglected, phialidic dematiaceous hyphomycete with striking phenotypic heterogeneity among its species. Little is known about its global biogeography due to its extreme scarcity and lack of records verified by molecular data. Phylogenetic analyses of six nuclear loci, [...] Read more.
Zanclospora (Chaetosphaeriaceae) is a neglected, phialidic dematiaceous hyphomycete with striking phenotypic heterogeneity among its species. Little is known about its global biogeography due to its extreme scarcity and lack of records verified by molecular data. Phylogenetic analyses of six nuclear loci, supported by phenotypic data, revealed Zanclospora as highly polyphyletic, with species distributed among three distantly related lineages in Sordariomycetes. Zanclospora is a pleomorphic genus with multiple anamorphic stages, of which phaeostalagmus-like and stanjehughesia-like are newly discovered. The associated teleomorphs were previously classified in Chaetosphaeria. The generic concept is emended, and 17 species are accepted, 12 of which have been verified with DNA sequence data. Zanclospora thrives on decaying plant matter, but it also occurs in soil or as root endophytes. Its global diversity is inferred from metabarcoding data and published records based on field observations. Phylogenies of the environmental ITS1 and ITS2 sequences derived from soil, dead wood and root samples revealed seven and 15 phylotypes. The field records verified by DNA data indicate two main diversity centres in Australasia and Caribbean/Central America. In addition, environmental ITS data have shown that Southeast Asia represents a third hotspot of Zanclospora diversity. Our data confirm that Zanclospora is a rare genus. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hotspots of Fungal Diversity)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

25 pages, 5860 KiB  
Article
Taxonomic Re-Examination of Nine Rosellinia Types (Ascomycota, Xylariales) Stored in the Saccardo Mycological Collection
by Niccolò Forin, Alfredo Vizzini, Federico Fainelli, Enrico Ercole and Barbara Baldan
Microorganisms 2021, 9(3), 666; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9030666 - 23 Mar 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3228
Abstract
In a recent monograph on the genus Rosellinia, type specimens worldwide were revised and re-classified using a morphological approach. Among them, some came from Pier Andrea Saccardo’s fungarium stored in the Herbarium of the Padova Botanical Garden. In this work, we taxonomically [...] Read more.
In a recent monograph on the genus Rosellinia, type specimens worldwide were revised and re-classified using a morphological approach. Among them, some came from Pier Andrea Saccardo’s fungarium stored in the Herbarium of the Padova Botanical Garden. In this work, we taxonomically re-examine via a morphological and molecular approach nine different Roselliniasensu Saccardo types. ITS1 and/or ITS2 sequences were successfully obtained applying Illumina MiSeq technology and phylogenetic analyses were carried out in order to elucidate their current taxonomic position. Only the ITS1 sequence was recovered for Rosellinia areolata, while for R. geophila, only the ITS2 sequence was recovered. We proposed here new combinations for Rosellinia chordicola, R. geophila and R. horridula, while for R. ambigua, R. areolata, R. australis, R. romana and R. somala, we did not suggest taxonomic changes compared to the current ones. The name Rosellinia subsimilis Sacc. is invalid, as it is a later homonym of R. subsimilis P. Karst. & Starbäck. Therefore, we introduced Coniochaeta dakotensis as a nomen novum for R. subsimilis Sacc. This is the first time that these types have been subjected to a molecular study. Our results demonstrate that old types are an important source of DNA sequence data for taxonomic re-examinations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hotspots of Fungal Diversity)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

25 pages, 8587 KiB  
Article
Diversity of Leptogium (Collemataceae, Ascomycota) in East African Montane Ecosystems
by Ulla Kaasalainen, Veera Tuovinen, Paul M. Kirika, Neduvoto P. Mollel, Andreas Hemp and Jouko Rikkinen
Microorganisms 2021, 9(2), 314; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9020314 - 3 Feb 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4165
Abstract
Tropical mountains and especially their forests are hot spots of biodiversity threatened by human population pressure and climate change. The diversity of lichens in tropical Africa is especially poorly known. Here we use the mtSSU and nuITS molecular markers together with morphology and [...] Read more.
Tropical mountains and especially their forests are hot spots of biodiversity threatened by human population pressure and climate change. The diversity of lichens in tropical Africa is especially poorly known. Here we use the mtSSU and nuITS molecular markers together with morphology and ecology to assess Leptogium (Peltigerales, Ascomycota) diversity in the tropical mountains of Taita Hills and Mt. Kasigau in Kenya and Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. The sampled habitats cover a wide range of ecosystems from savanna to alpine heath vegetation and from relatively natural forests to agricultural environments and plantation forests. We demonstrate that Leptogium diversity in Africa is much higher than previously known and provide preliminary data on over 70 putative species, including nine established species previously known from the area and over 60 phylogenetically, morphologically, and/or ecologically defined Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs). Many traditional species concepts are shown to represent morphotypes comprised of several taxa. Many of the species were only found from specific ecosystems and/or restricted habitats and are thus threatened by ongoing habitat fragmentation and degradation of the natural environment. Our results emphasize the importance of molecular markers in species inventories of highly diverse organism groups and geographical areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hotspots of Fungal Diversity)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

14 pages, 2518 KiB  
Article
Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Communities in the Soils of Desert Habitats
by Martti Vasar, John Davison, Siim-Kaarel Sepp, Maarja Öpik, Mari Moora, Kadri Koorem, Yiming Meng, Jane Oja, Asem A. Akhmetzhanova, Saleh Al-Quraishy, Vladimir G. Onipchenko, Juan J. Cantero, Sydney I. Glassman, Wael N. Hozzein and Martin Zobel
Microorganisms 2021, 9(2), 229; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9020229 - 22 Jan 2021
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 4091
Abstract
Deserts cover a significant proportion of the Earth’s surface and continue to expand as a consequence of climate change. Mutualistic arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are functionally important plant root symbionts, and may be particularly important in drought stressed systems such as deserts. Here [...] Read more.
Deserts cover a significant proportion of the Earth’s surface and continue to expand as a consequence of climate change. Mutualistic arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are functionally important plant root symbionts, and may be particularly important in drought stressed systems such as deserts. Here we provide a first molecular characterization of the AM fungi occurring in several desert ecosystems worldwide. We sequenced AM fungal DNA from soil samples collected from deserts in six different regions of the globe using the primer pair WANDA-AML2 with Illumina MiSeq. We recorded altogether 50 AM fungal phylotypes. Glomeraceae was the most common family, while Claroideoglomeraceae, Diversisporaceae and Acaulosporaceae were represented with lower frequency and abundance. The most diverse site, with 35 virtual taxa (VT), was in the Israeli Negev desert. Sites representing harsh conditions yielded relatively few reads and low richness estimates, for example, a Saudi Arabian desert site where only three Diversispora VT were recorded. The AM fungal taxa recorded in the desert soils are mostly geographically and ecologically widespread. However, in four sites out of six, communities comprised more desert-affiliated taxa (according to the MaarjAM database) than expected at random. AM fungal VT present in samples were phylogenetically clustered compared with the global taxon pool, suggesting that nonrandom assembly processes, notably habitat filtering, may have shaped desert fungal assemblages. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hotspots of Fungal Diversity)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

39 pages, 56781 KiB  
Article
Re-Evaluation of the Order Sordariales: Delimitation of Lasiosphaeriaceae s. str., and Introduction of the New Families Diplogelasinosporaceae, Naviculisporaceae, and Schizotheciaceae
by Yasmina Marin-Felix, Andrew N. Miller, José F. Cano-Lira, Josep Guarro, D. García, Marc Stadler, Sabine M. Huhndorf and Alberto M. Stchigel
Microorganisms 2020, 8(9), 1430; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8091430 - 17 Sep 2020
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 5682
Abstract
The order Sordariales includes the polyphyletic family Lasiosphaeriaceae, which comprises approximately 30 genera characterized by its paraphysate ascomata, asci with apical apparati, and mostly two-celled ascospores, which have a dark apical cell and a hyaline lower cell, frequently ornamented with mucilaginous appendages. To [...] Read more.
The order Sordariales includes the polyphyletic family Lasiosphaeriaceae, which comprises approximately 30 genera characterized by its paraphysate ascomata, asci with apical apparati, and mostly two-celled ascospores, which have a dark apical cell and a hyaline lower cell, frequently ornamented with mucilaginous appendages. To produce a more natural classification of this family, we carried out a phylogenetic analysis based on sequences of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS), the nuclear rDNA large subunit (LSU), and fragments of ribosomal polymerase II subunit 2 (rpb2) and β-tubulin (tub2) genes of several isolates from soil and of reference strains of the Sordariales. As a result, Lasiosphaeriaceae s. str. has been circumscribed for the clade including the type species of the genus Lasiosphaeria and, consequently, its description emended. In addition, the new families Diplogelasinosporaceae, Naviculisporaceae, and Schizotheciaceae are introduced to accommodate those taxa located far from the Lasiosphaeriaceae s. str. Moreover, we propose the erection of the new genera Areotheca, Lundqvistomyces, Naviculispora, Pseudoechria, Pseudoschizothecium, and Rhypophila based on morphological and sequence data. New combinations for several species of the genera Cladorrhinum, Jugulospora, Podospora, Schizothecium, and Triangularia are proposed, their descriptions are emended, and dichotomous keys are provided to discriminate among their species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hotspots of Fungal Diversity)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 2468 KiB  
Article
New Taxa of the Family Amniculicolaceae (Pleosporales, Dothideomycetes, Ascomycota) from Freshwater Habitats in Spain
by Viridiana Magaña-Dueñas, Alberto M. Stchigel and José F. Cano-Lira
Microorganisms 2020, 8(9), 1355; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8091355 - 4 Sep 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2807
Abstract
With the exception of the so-called Ingoldian fungi, the diversity and distribution of the freshwater aero-aquatic or facultative fungi are not well known in Spain. In view of that, we collected and placed into wet chambers 105 samples of submerged and decomposing plant [...] Read more.
With the exception of the so-called Ingoldian fungi, the diversity and distribution of the freshwater aero-aquatic or facultative fungi are not well known in Spain. In view of that, we collected and placed into wet chambers 105 samples of submerged and decomposing plant debris from various places in Spain, looking for individuals belonging to these latter two morpho-ecological groups of fungi. As a result, we found and isolated in pure culture several fungi, the morphology of some of them belonging to the family Amniculicolaceae (order Pleosporales, class Dothideomycetes). After a careful phenotypic characterization and a phylogenetic tree reconstruction using a concatenated sequence dataset of D1-D2 domains of the 28S nrRNA gene (LSU), the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) of the nrDNA, and a fragment of the translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1) gene, we report the finding of three new species of the genus Murispora: Murispora navicularispora, which produces cinnamon-colored, broadly fusiform to navicular ascospores; Murispora fissilispora, which has as a remarkable characteristic the production of both sexual and asexual morphs in vitro; and Murispora asexualis, the unique species of the genus that lacks a sexual morph. As a consequence of the phylogenetic study, we introduce the new aero-aquatic genus Fouskomenomyces, with a new combination (Fouskomenomyces cupreorufescens, formerly Spirosphaera cupreorufescens as the type species of the genus) and a new species, Fouskomenomyces mimiticus; we propose the new combinations Murispora bromicola (formerly Pseudomassariosphaeria bromicola) and Murispora triseptata (formerly Pseudomassariosphaeria triseptata); and we resurrect Massariosphaeria grandispora, which is transferred to the family Lopiostomataceae. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hotspots of Fungal Diversity)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-7
Back to TopTop