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Badhamia apiculospora (sc21035, form 1). 2. Sporocarp as seen by a dissection microscope (DM). 3. Spores in light microscope under transmitted light (TL), showing coarse and irregular verrucae. 4. Spores in scanning electron microscope (SEM). Figs 5-7. B. apiculospora (sc21074, form 2). 5. Sporocarp (DM). 6. Spores (TL) showing several large verrucae. 7. Spores in optical section (TL) with thick walls. Figs 8-10. B. apiculospora (sc21034, form 2). 8. Sporocarp (DM). 9. Spherical spores (TL) with apiculi. 10. Spore (SEM). Figs 11-13. B. apiculospora (sc21127, form 3). 11. Sporocarp (DM). 12. Smooth elliptic spores (TL) with an apiculus at each end and a ridge. 13. Smooth spores (SEM).
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Myxomycete diversity and ecology in arid regions of the Great Lake Basin of western Mongolia. Fungal Diversity 30: 97-119. A systematic survey for myxomycetes in winter-cold deserts and steppes of western Mongolia resulted in a total of 333 records belonging to 36 species from 13 genera and 7 families. Physarum notabile as the most common species w...
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... was exhaustive, a species accumulation curve was constructed using the program EstimateS ( Colwell, 2006) and subjected to a regression analysis using the hyperbolic function y = Ax/(B + x), where x is the number of samples, y represents the number of species recorded, and the parameter A refers to the maximum number of species to be expected (Fig. 48). Species diversity (alpha-diversity) was calculated using Shannon's diversity index H' = -∑Pi log Pi, where Pi is the relative abundance (the proportion of the number of records represented by a particular species, Shannon and Weaver 1963;Magurran, 2004). To compare myxomycete biotas from different regions, the adjusted incidence-based ...
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... and used for a cluster analysis as weighted pair-group method (WPGMA) with the pro- gram Statistica 5.5. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was carried out using PcOrd 4.17 to assess the relative importance of substrate types on myxomycete associations (Schnittler, 2001;Schnittler et al., 2002). Graphs were created with SigmaPlot 8.0 (Fig. 49). The calculated eigenvalues, ranging between 0 and 1, represent a measure of the degree to which species distribution can be explained by the respective ordination axis (Ter Braak, 1986). Only species classified as com- mon (relative frequency > 1.5 % of all records) were included in this analysis, except for Comatricha laxa and ...
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... names of all myxomycete species mentioned in Fig. 49, additional abbreviations are given. Names of vascular plants are those listed by Czerepanov (1995). After each name, an estimate of abundance as described by Stephenson et al. (1993) is given in brackets. This estimate is based upon the proportion of a species in relation to the total number of records (333): R -rare (< 0.5 % of all ...
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... are unmistakable and stable characters of this species shared by all collections from arid regions of the world. However, both spore shape and ornamentation are quite variable. Our collections segregate into three forms. Form 1 (sc 21035) shows elongated ellipsoid spores ornamented with large, coarsely and irregularly distributed ver- rucae (Figs. 2-4). Form 2 (sc 21074, 21034) possesses globose or subglobose spores orna- mentted with several large verrucae (Figs 5-7 and 8-10). Only form 3 (sc 21127) with smooth elliptic spores (Figs. 11-13) corres- ponds exactly with the original description of this species (Eliasson and Lundqvist, 1979 Caspian Lowland, Novozhilov et al., 2006), ...
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... from central and western Kazakhstan). The conspicuous characters of this form are the stiff and coarse capillitium threads, branching from the whole length of the columella (Figs 14-15). In other arid regions this taxon prefers the acidic bark of Tamarix (Schnittler 2001;Novozhilov et al., 2003;). ...
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... characters of this species are the shiny black globose and sessile sporocarps (Fig. 23) of 0.07-0.15 mm diam., a very thick peridium appearing opaque black in trans- mitted light (Fig. 24) that is impregnated with refuse material, and pale yellow, smooth spores (9.7-)10.0-10.5(-10.9) µm in diam., with a conspicuous, 0.8-1.2 µm thick wall (Fig. 25). This rare fimicolous species is known from North America (California: Mock and Kowalski 1976;Texas: Blackwell, 1974; West Virginia: Stephenson, pers. comm.), and East Africa ...
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... to be fairly common throughout the arid regions of Kazakhstan and Russia on bark of various desert shrubs (Schnittler 2001;). Surprisingly, only one specimen (sc21129) was collected on dung of horse in this study (Figs 33-34). All examined sporocarps lack a capilli- tium. ...
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... in diam., globose to slightly subglobose, with an irregular network of low, meandering ridges 0.6-0.8 µm tall, forming meshes of irregular shape and size (Figs 40-41). ...
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... warted spores. P. reticulospora has coarsely and prominently banded- reticulate spores with a reticulum consisting of ridges 1 µm high and (6-)8-11(-13) meshes per hemisphere ( Keller and Reynolds, 1971). All specimens have sporocarps with a double peridium consisting of a calcareous outer layer and a fragile, fugaceous, inner membranous layer (Fig. 42). Fairly common in arid areas of Eurasia (Schnittler, 2001;). 19, d: 14, l: 19, w: 18 (Loc. 1, 7, 11-13, 17, 19, 22, 25, 28-30, 33-43, 48, 50, 53, 54, 57-63, 68, 75-78, 80, 81, 83-85, 93-95) According to the literature (Martin and Alexopoulos, 1969), P. notabile is reported mostly on wood in temperate and boreal deci- duous and ...
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... sporangia with thin stalks of 0.8-1.5 mm height, 200-250 µm in diam. at the apex and 100-150 µm in diam. at the base, reddish-brown at the apex, black in other parts. Sporothecae are globose- depressed to umbilicate, 0.5-1.5 mm wide, white-greyish and densely incrusted by lime granules, reddish-brown at the base under the dissecting microscope. (Fig. 43). Form 2 (sc21004) has small sporangia with short and more or less evenly thick stalks of 0.3-0.5 mm height, 150-200 µm in diam. at the base, evenly black or dark brown without reddish tints. Here, sporothecae are subglobose, 150- 200 µm wide, white-greyish, evenly incrusted white lime on all surface, dull grey at the bottom without ...
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... Form 2 (sc21004) has small sporangia with short and more or less evenly thick stalks of 0.3-0.5 mm height, 150-200 µm in diam. at the base, evenly black or dark brown without reddish tints. Here, sporothecae are subglobose, 150- 200 µm wide, white-greyish, evenly incrusted white lime on all surface, dull grey at the bottom without reddish tints (Fig. 44). Form 2a (sc21070) is very similar but has a long stalk tapering towards the apex, 0.5-1.0 in mm height, 200-300 µm in diam. at the base, 50- 150 µm wide at the apex, black or dark brown in the lower half and yellowish at the apex, without reddish tints. Sporothecae are subglobose, 0.2-0.4 mm wide at the bottom, white-greyish, evenly ...
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... in mm height, 200-300 µm in diam. at the base, 50- 150 µm wide at the apex, black or dark brown in the lower half and yellowish at the apex, without reddish tints. Sporothecae are subglobose, 0.2-0.4 mm wide at the bottom, white-greyish, evenly incrusted with white lime over the entire surface, dull grey at the bottom and without reddish tints (Fig. 45). All forms have a physaroid capillitium with white nodes, variable in size and shape (20-80 µm in extent), connected by hyaline threads, a columella is absent. Spores are uniform violet brown in TL, ornamentation verruculose, 10- 11.5 µm ...
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... capillitium is dark red-brown; with an internal net branching from the whole length of the columella, and forms about 5-7 meshes over hemisphere of the sporotheca. Capillitial threads are thin with few expansions and have numerous free ends at the surface (Figs 46-47); the surface net is best developed at the sporotheca base but is very incomplete above, with irregularly shaped meshes 5-15 µm in diam. Spores are pale lilac- grey under transmitted light; (8.4-)9.6-10.8(- ...
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... and have numerous free ends at the surface (Figs 46-47); the surface net is best developed at the sporotheca base but is very incomplete above, with irregularly shaped meshes 5-15 µm in diam. Spores are pale lilac- grey under transmitted light; (8.4-)9.6-10.8(- 11.0) µm in diam.; delicately verrucose-reticu- late with 5-7 meshes on the diam. (Fig. 48). Our specimens have larger spores, (9.3-)9.6- 10.8(-11.0) µm in diam., than that given in the original description of the species (NannengaBremekamp, 1968), otherwise our sporocarps match in habit and capillitial structure with specimens pictured by Neubert, Nowotny and Baumann (2000: ...
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... the species accumulation curve by a hyperbolic function, an estimate of 42 expected species was obtained (Fig. 48). Applying a simple hyperbolic function to fit species accumulation curves computed separately for each of the sampled groups of substrates, the survey was to 80% complete for bark-inhabiting, 85% for litter-inhabiting, 66% for dung-inhabiting and 75% for wood- inhabiting species, respectively. ...
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... dung 0.61, wood 1.50). Looking for substrate-specific taxa, the picture almost reverses, with eight species found exclusively on dung, six on bark, four on litter, and only one on woody debris. Coprophilous and corticolous species seem to be more specialized than other ecological groups. The results of a canonical correspond- dence analysis (CCA, Fig. 49 Novozhilov et al., 2003), and the American Colorado Plateau (CP, Novozhilov et al., 2006), is rare in western Mongolia (one record ...
Citations
... that some unique species are present in each ecological environment [14]. One group of coprophilous myxomycetes, with a wide distribution, fruit on the dung of herbivorous animals containing abundant nutrients [15][16][17][18][19]. Researchers have previously worked on the different substrate types of myxomycetes via moist chamber culture [20,21]. ...
Three Parallel Rivers is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. However, the research on myxomycetes diversity is scarce in this area. Random sampling was used to investigate myxomycetes’ diversity and distribution characteristics in this area. One hundred and seventeen species, including three varieties, were obtained, belonging to 28 genera, nine families, and six orders, with Arcyria cinerea and Physarum viride being the dominant species. Moreover, four species and one variety were first reported in China. Twenty-six species and one variety were first reported in Yunnan Province. The species’ most commonly utilized substrate for fruiting bodies was decaying wood, and Cribraria was the dominant genus. The species diversity was most abundant in mixed broadleaf-conifer forests. Species similarity between coniferous and broad-leaved forests was much higher than the pairwise comparison of other forest types. NMDS analysis shows that substrate and forest types had insignificant effects on myxomycetes communities, while river valley had a significant effect. The myxomycetes community similarity between river valleys is unrelated to geographical proximity.
... Among their findings are that very few of the traditional genera recognized for myxomycetes are natural taxonomic units, and some of the more common morphospecies are actually species complexes. As will be mentioned below, these facts add another level of complexity to what constitutes "true" species biodiversity in myxomycetes [103][104][105][106][107][108][109][110]. ...
Evidence from molecular studies indicates that myxomycetes (also called myxogastrids or plasmodial slime molds) have a long evolutionary history, and the oldest known fossil is from the mid-Cretaceous. However, they were not “discovered” until 1654, when a brief description and a woodcut depicting what is almost certainly the common species Lycogala epidendrum was published. First thought to be fungi, myxomycetes were not universally recognized as completely distinct until well into the twentieth century. Biodiversity surveys for the group being carried out over several years are relatively recent, with what is apparently the first example being carried out in the 1930s. Beginning in the 1980s, a series of such surveys yielded large bodies of data on the occurrence and distribution of myxomycetes in terrestrial ecosystems. The most notable of these were the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) project carried out in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Planetary Biodiversity Inventory Project (PBI) carried out in localities throughout the world, and the Myxotropic project being carried out throughout the Neotropics. The datasets available from both past and ongoing surveys now allow global and biogeographical patterns of myxomycetes to be assessed for the first time.
... Echinostelium is a genus of myxomycetes (slime moulds) in which the inconspicuous sporocarps generally occur on the bark of living trees, with occasional occurrences on vines or various types of dead plant material (Keller & Brooks 1976;Whitney 1980;Haskins & Clark 2016) and very rarely on the weathered dung of herbivorous animals (Novozhilov & Schnittler 2008). Due to a short-lived life cycle strategy and the diminutive size of sporocarps, mostly less than 0.5 mm in height with the exception of E. novozhilovii A.Vlasenko, which can reach a height of 2.5 mm (Vlasenko et al. 2018), new records and new species are usually observed from material recovered using the moist chamber technique and examination of substrate samples under a dissecting microscope. ...
... Some species (e.g. E. colliculosum K.D. Whitney & H.W.Keller), are common in arid regions (Novozhilov et al. 2006;Novozhilov & Schnittler 2008) but it seems are rare or absent in humid tropics (Schnittler & Stephenson 2000;Novozhilov et al. 2017 ...
... Most records of these coprophilous or fimicolous ('dung-loving') myxomycetes have been obtained from moist chamber cultures (similar to those used in the present study), but field collections have also been made (e.g., Novozhilov et al. 2017). The maximum diversity and abundance of coprophilous myxomycetes seems to be associated with dry and cool climates, where the prevailing conditions slow down the decomposition of the dung (Novozhilov and Schnittler 2008;Novozhilov et al. 2017). ...
... Comments: Novozhilov and Schnittler (2008) listed Stemonitis flavogenita on dung in Mongolia, but we are not aware of any other reports. As such, the occurrence of this species on dung would appear to be uncommon. ...
Little is known about species of myxomycetes associated with vertebrate dung in Australia. In the present study, dung samples of 15 species of mammals (eight marsupials, three native rodents and four domestic or feral eutherians) and a large flightless bird (the southern cassowary, Casuarius casuarius) were collected and processed in 84 moist chamber cultures. Fifty-two percent of these cultures yielded evidence (fruiting bodies and/or plasmodia) of myxomycetes. Eleven species belonging to seven genera were recorded. Licea tenera was the most common species in the study (recorded from 12 moist chamber cultures) and is also a new record for the continent. Perichaena depressa, Didymium difforme and Cribraria violacea were the only other species appearing in at least three cultures. Samples of dung collected from small mammals did not yield any myxomycetes.
... Field surveys in arid regions, especially winter-cold deserts lacking succulent plants, are rarely effective and require the use of moist chambers. Moist chambers are extremely productive from these areas and almost all specimens found in the winter-cold deserts and steppes of Kazakhstan , western Mongolia (Novozhilov and Schnittler, 2008), the Lower Volga River Basin of Russia (Novozhilov et al., 2006), and the Tarim Basin in China were obtained from moist chamber cultures. ...
... Many studies have shown that the diversity of myxomycetes in a particular vegetation type can be determined only if all major substrate types are sampled with moist chamber cultures, and records from moist chamber cultures and from the field complement each other . This is especially important in arid ecosystems, where nearly all species could be detected only in moist chamber cultures (Novozhilov and Schnittler, 2008;. ...
... PCA based on correlations also was performed with the same set of data to evaluate the relative importance of the different variables to the structure and composition of the assemblage of species present and to evaluate similarities with the previous ordination. CCA was carried out to assess the relative importance of recorded environmental factors on the assemblages of myxomycetes present in arid regions in Eurasia and in tropics (Novozhilov and Schnittler, 2008;Schnittler, 2001b). CA was used to assess the distributional relationships and microhabitat preferences of quantitatively important species of myxomycetes associated with the three types of temperate grasslands (tall grass, mixed grass, and short grass) found across the western central United States (Rollins and Stephenson, 2013). ...
In this chapter, the results obtained from recent studies of myxomycete ecology are discussed, with special emphasis on their distribution patterns in particular habitats, the relationships that exist between myxomycetes and other organisms, and the effect of disturbance events on myxomycete communities. It is important to note that most of the available data are based on collections of fruiting bodies, which probably represent (in a literal sense) only the tip of the iceberg, since it is possible that these reflect only a minor fraction of the real diversity of myxomycetes in a particular habitat. Therefore it appears unlikely that a single method will be universally applicable for assessing myxomycete diversity in all habitats and on all substrates. The approaches, techniques, and their potential limitations are discussed herein, along with recent advances (e.g., moist chamber cultures, environmental PCR, metagenomics, and barcoding attempts) that have been applied to studies of myxomycete ecology and will undoubtedly increase our understanding of myxomycete communities in the future.
... The MCC (moist chamber cultures) technique, first described in H.C. Gilbert and G.W. Martin (1933), can supplement the information obtained from collecting specimens that have fruited in the field under natural conditions and thus represents a major data source for diversity studies in myxomycetes (Eliasson, Lundqvist, 1979;Härkönen, 1977Härkönen, , 1978Stephenson, 1985;Härkönen, Ukkola, 2000;Wrigley de Basanta et al., 2002). Results from the previous studies have indicated that the MCC technique can be sufficiently effective in revealing myxomycetes in different biomes of the world (Lado et al., 2013;Schnittler et al., 2013;Vlasenko et al., 2013), especially in arid regions (Novozhilov, Schnittler, 2008) and tropics (Stephenson et al., 2004) including tropical forests of Vietnam (Novozhilov et al., 2017a;2020). First of all, this technique allows a better detection of species with minute fruiting bodies via a dissecting microscope. ...
The diversity of myxomycetes (plasmodial slime molds) associated with tropical mountain forests of Phia Oắc National Park in Northern Vietnam has been investigated during the field expedition in 2018. Surveys have been carried out in various plant communities at altitudes ranging from 1000 to 1850 m above sea level, where samples for moist chamber cultures were collected. In total, the survey included 306 records obtained from 310 moist chamber cultures prepared with samples taken from the bark surface of living trees and lianas, ground and aerial litter and coarse woody debris. There were 238 records of yielding myxomycete fructifications made. Determinations resulted in 42 taxa (41 morphospecies and 1 variety) from 17 genera and 8 families. One collection of Paradiacheopsis could not be clearly assigned to any described species. Eleven taxa were recorded for Vietnam for the first time, and all taxa were new for the nature reserve. The most significant diversity was observed for corticolous species with small sporocarps inhabiting the bark of living trees and lianas. Substrate cultures work best for the regions with boreal and arid climate. However, they fail to recover a part of the species diversity in tropical areas with a pronounced rainy season, and our results support this assumption.
... These two factors are probably interconnected. Dry wood generally does not support myxomycetic and fungal growth (Novozhilov & Schnittler, 2008). Dry parts therefore lack the necessary food for R. sulcatus. ...
• The wrinkled bark beetle Rhysodes sulcatus is an endangered saproxylic beetle listed in the European Habitats Directive and in the Bern Convention (Annex II). It is considered a relict of primeval forests and belongs among the most threatened saproxylic beetles in Europe.
• The purpose of this study was to identify the key habitat requirements of the species. The study was carried out at several locations within different forest types in mid elevation forests dominated by oak, beech and spruce and montane beech‐fir forests in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Croatia.
• Coarse woody debris was checked for the presence of the beetle, and parameters of each inspected dead wood unit and its surroundings were recorded, including diameter, length, humidity, insolation, decomposition level and rot type. Surrounding forest characteristics, such as canopy density, main tree species, undergrowth, the amount and quality of the dead wood were also recorded.
• The analysis shows that the presence of the beetle is affected mainly by the diameter of dead wood as well as its humidity, as R. sulcatus was almost exclusively found in large, moist and well rotten fallen logs with a diameter greater than 60 cm. These findings may provide useful guidelines for sustainable forest management, specifically emphasising the need to retain large fallen logs at sites inhabited by R. sulcatus populations.
... Myxomycetes of arid areas have been the subject of several studies in recent years Lado et al. 2007Lado et al. , 2009Lado et al. , 2011Mosquera et al. 2003;Novozhilov and Schnittler 2008;Novozhilov et al. 2010;Wrigley de Basanta et al. 2010. The exclusive myxobiota that develops, mainly or exclusively, on decaying succulent plants typical of these habitats was identified by Lado et al. (1999), who coined the term "succulenticolous myxomycetes" for this ecological group. ...
A new plasmodiocarpic and sporocarpic species of myxomycete in the genus Physarum is described and illustrated. This new species appeared on decayed leaves and remains of succulent plants (Agave, Opuntia, Yucca) growing in arid zones. It differs from all other species in the genus in having polyhedral spores linked in chains like a string of beads, a unique feature within all known myxomycetes. Apart from detailed morphological data, partial sequences of both the small-subunit ribosomal RNA and elongation factor 1-alpha genes, generated from four isolates collected in two distant regions, i.e., Mexico and Canary Islands, are also provided in this study. Combined evidence supports the identity of the specimens under study as a new species.
... Through various environmental cues, its motile plasmodium phase sporulates to produce a fruiting body which describes their fungus-like character. Myxomycetes spores are widely distributed by air in various substrata such as aerial and ground leaf litter (Stephenson 1989) and twigs (Stephenson et al. 2008) substrates collected from areas with high metal content (ReaMaminta et al. 2015) and even herbivore dung (Stephenson & Stempen 1994, Novozhilov & Schnittler 2008). Moreover, myxomycetes are known to thrive in places with extreme conditions such as Arctic tundra (Novozhilov et al. 1999) and desert (Lado et al. 2011). ...
Myxomycetes are homogenous group of eukaryotic fungus-like protists that are commonly associated with any decaying plant materials. Since no report of myxomycete association in grass litters were reported for the Philippines, a myxomycete survey employing moist chamber technique was conducted from 300 grass litter samples collected from ten different grassland areas in the country. Our results showed that 81% of the moist chambers yielded myxomycetes either as fruiting bodies or plasmodia. Species of myxomycetes identified in this study included the genera Arcyria, Badhamia, Collaria, Comatricha, Cribraria, Diderma, Didymium, Lamproderma, Perichaena, Physarum and Stemonitis. These species can easily be dispersed by wind and hence, their presence in the collected substrata. The cosmopolitan species Arcyria cinerea and the common grass myxomycetes Physarum cinereum were reported to be abundant among the myxomycetes recorded. Overall, the study presented the myxobiota present in tropical grasslands and grass patches found in the Philippines.
... Thought to be a strictly coprophilous species (Novozhilov et al. 2006, Novozhilov & Schnittler 2008 Sporangia stalked or subsessile, subglobose, grayish white, up to 1 mm in diameter (Fig. 4C). Stalk when present not surpassing the sporotheca diameter, dark gray, furrowed, tapering upwards, coated externally with lime. ...
The first comprehensive study of Myxomycetes of the Brazilian portion of the Pampa
biome is reported herein. Three field excursions took place in 2013 and 2015 at the APA Ibirapuitã
for a biodiversity survey of 30 plots. Moist chambers were also prepared with samples collected in
the study area. A total of 57 species were recorded, of which 28 are new records for the state of Rio
Grande do Sul and 8 are new records for Brazil: Arcyria afroalpina, Craterium concinnum, Licea
rufocuprea, L. tenera, Perichaena luteola, Physarum robustum, P. spectabile and Stemonitopsis
gracilis. Notes on the ecology of myxomycetes and substrate preferences are provided. The results
show that the two major phytophysiognomies of the region, grassland and riparian forest, have very
distinct myxomycete assemblages due to their differing vegetation and microclimatic conditions.
