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Teratosphaeria fibrillosa (epitype material). A. Leaf spots. B. Subepidermal ascomata linked by means of stromatic tissue. C. Paraphyses among asci. D. Periphysoids. E. Ascospores becoming brown in asci. F–G. Multi-layered endotunica. H–K. Ascospores, becoming brown and verruculose. L–M. Germinating ascospores. Scale bars = 10 μm.
Source publication
Mycosphaerella, one of the largest genera of ascomycetes, encompasses several thousand species and has anamorphs residing in more than 30 form genera. Although previous phylogenetic studies based on the ITS rDNA locus supported the monophyly of the genus, DNA sequence data derived from the LSU gene distinguish several clades and families in what ha...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... Crous & U. Braun, Mycol. Progr. 2: 8. 2003. Type species : Davidiella tassiana (De Not.) Crous & U. Braun, Mycol. Progr. 2: 8. 2003. Basionym : Sphaerella tassiana De Not., Sferiacei Italici 1: 87. 1863. Description : Schubert et al . (2007 – this volume). Anamorph : Cladosporium Link, Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin Mag. Neuesten Entdeck. Gesammten Naturk. 7: 37. 1816. Type species : Cladosporium herbarum (Pers. : Fr.) Link, Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin Mag. Neuesten Entdeck. Gesammten Naturk. 7: 37. 1816. Basionym : Dematium herbarum Pers., Ann. Bot. (Usteri), 11 Stück: 32. 1794: Fr., Syst. Mycol. 3: 370. 1832. Description : Schubert et al . (2007 – this volume). Notes : The genus Davidiella ( Davidiellaceae ) was recently introduced for teleomorphs of Cladosporium s. str. (Braun et al . 2003). The genus Cladosporium is well-established, and contains around 772 names (Dugan et al . 2004), while Davidiella presently has 33 names (www.MycoBank.org), of which only around five have acknowledged Cladosporium states. Teratosphaeria Syd. & P. Syd., Ann. Mycol. 10: 39. 1912. Type species : Teratosphaeria fibrillosa Syd. & P. Syd., Ann. Mycol. 10: 40. 1912. Fig. 3. Description : Crous et al. (2004a; figs 182–185). Notes : Although similar in morphology, the genus Teratosphaeria was separated from Mycosphaerella based on its ascomatal arrangement, and periphysate ostioles (Müller & Oehrens 1982). It was later synonymised under Mycosphaerella by Taylor et al . (2003), who showed that the type species clustered within Mycosphaerella based on ITS DNA sequence data. The LSU sequence data generated in the present study, has clearly shown that Mycosphaerella is polyphyletic, thus contradicting earlier reports of monophyly by Crous et al. (2000) and Goodwin et al . (2001), which were based on ITS data. A re-examination of T. fibrillosa , the type species of Teratosphaeria , revealed several morphological features that characterise the majority of the taxa clustering in the clade, though several characters have been lost in some of the small-spored species. These characters are discussed below: 1. Teratosphaeria fibrillosa has a superficial stroma linking ascomata together, almost appearing like a spider’s web on the leaf surface. Although this feature is not seen in other taxa in this clade, some species, such as M. suberosa Crous, F.A. Ferreira, Alfenas & M.J. Wingf. and M. pseudosuberosa Crous & M.J. Wingf. have a superficial stroma, into which the ascomata are inbedded (Crous 1998, Crous et al . 2006b). 2. Ascospores of Teratosphaeria become brown and verruculose while still in their asci. This feature is commonly observed in species such as M. jonkershoekensis P.S. van Wyk, Marasas & Knox-Dav., M. alistairii Crous, M. mexicana Crous, M. maxii Crous and M. excentricum Crous & Carnegie (Crous 1998, Crous & Groenewald 2006a, b, Crous et al. 2007b). 3. A few ascomata of T. fibrillosa were found to have some pseudoparaphysoidal remnants (cells to distinguish pseudoparaphyses), though they mostly disappear with age. This feature is rather uncommon, though pseudoparaphyses were observed in ascomata of M. eucalypti (Wakef.) Hansf. 4. Ascospores of Teratosphaeria were found to be covered in a mucous sheath, which is commonly observed in other taxa in this clade, such as M. bellula Crous & M.J. Wingf., M. pseudocryptica Crous , M. suberosa, M. pseudosuberosa , M. associata Crous & Carnegie , M. dendritica Crous & Summerell and M. fimbriata Crous & Summerell (Crous et al . 2004b, 2006b, 2007b). Re-examination of fresh collections also revealed ascospores of M. cryptica (Cooke) Hansf. and M. nubilosa (Cooke) Hansf. to have a weakly definable sheath. Germinating ascospores of species in this clade all exhibit a prominent mucoid sheath. 5. Asci of T. fibrillosa were observed to have a multi-layered endotunica, which, although not common, can be seen in species such as M. excentrica, M. maxii, M. alistairii, M. pseudosuberosa, M. fimbriata (Crous et al. 2006b, 2007b, Crous & Groenewald 2006a, b), and also M. nubilosa . 6. Finally, ascomata of T. fibrillosa and T. proteae-arboreae P.S. van Wyk, Marasas & Knox-Dav. have well-developed ostiolar periphyses, which are also present in species such as M. suberosa , M. pseudosuberosa, M. maxii and T. microspora Joanne E. Taylor & Crous (Crous 1998, Crous et al. 2004a, b, 2006b). Morphologically thus, the Teratosphaeria clade is distinguishable from Mycosphaerella s. str ., though these differences are less pronounced in some of the smaller-spored species. Based on these distinct morphological features, as well as its phylogenetic position within the Capnodiales , a new family is herewith proposed to accommodate species of Teratosphaeria : Ascomata pseudothecial, superficial to immersed, frequently situated in a stroma of brown pseudoparenchymatal cells, globose, unilocular, papillate, ostiolate, canal periphysate, with periphysoids frequently present; wall consisting of several layers of brown textura angularis ; inner layer of flattened, hyaline cells. Pseudoparaphyses frequently present, subcylindrical, branched, septate, anastomosing. Asci fasciculate, 8-spored, bitunicate, frequently with multi-layered endotunica. Ascospores ellipsoid- fusoid to obovoid, 1-septate, hyaline, but becoming pale brown and verruculose, frequently covered in mucoid ...
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Citations
... Teratosphaeriaceae (Mycosphaerellales) was introduced by Crous et al. (2007a ) to encompassing numerous extremophilic, human opportunistic, and plant-associated endophytic, pathogenic, and saprobic fungi (Crous and Groenewald 2011). Teratosphaeriaceae accommodates around 67 genera (Wijayawardene et al. 2022), with molecular data available for most of these genera (Quaedvlieg et al. 2014). ...
... Queenslandipenidiella was introduced by Quaedvlieg et al. (2014) for Penidiella kurandae (Quaedvlieg et al. 2014). Penidiella kurandae was synonymised under Queenslandipenidiella based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses (Crous, Braun et al. 2007a;Crous, Summerell et al. 2007b;Quaedvlieg et al. 2014). Queenslandipenidiella includes only one accepted species, Q. kurandae (=Penidiella kurandae). ...
... Cladosporium isolates were identified based on culture characterization, macroscopic microscopic properties according to Crous et al. (2007), and biochemical reactions according to Rodarte et al. (2011) and the identification was confirmed at the Regional Center of Mycology and Biotechnology (RCMB), Al-Azhar University. For identification of the Cladosporium species. ...
Background: bacteria and fungi are the principal hydrocarbon degrading microorganisms, microorganisms can utilize oil as an energy source and this may offer a massive possibility to remediate soils contaminated with oil contents. Objectives: The present study is an attempt to evaluate the biodegradation capability of Cladosporium species that isolated from different regions in Cairo city, Egypt, using traditional and spectroscopic assessment analysis. Method: qualitative screening was carried out by using mineral salt medium (MSM) supplemented with petroleum hydrocarbon as sole carbon source, followed by quantitative assessment by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) Results were recorded in the form of biodegradation percentage and optical density of hydrocarbon using standard calibration curve. Results: A total 19 Cladosporium strains had towering capability to degrade petroleum hydrocarbon, of 4 species Cladosporium herbarum, C. macrocarpum C. sphaerospermum and C. cladosporioides. Highest reduction of petroleum hydrocarbon (%) was observed with 5 Cladosporium strains of 2 species C. sphaerospermum and C. cladosporioides. Conclusion: The present study can give unique prospects in the field of bioremediation and biodegradation of petroleum contaminated soil.
... Penicillium and Aspergillus are therefore regarded as sister genera due to sharing of a common ancestor and microbial divergence [28]. Similar findings were confirmed by Crous et al. [29]. The International Commission on Penicillium and Aspergillus (ICPA) met in Utrecht, the Netherlands, and discussed the implications of the single-name nomenclature on Aspergillus and Penicillium taxonomy [30]. ...
... It was, however, expected to find A. nomius together with Penicillium in the soil, for them to act as growth-inoculant fungi. The collection of samples from the soil and caterpillars from different locations and in different years might therefore explain why different strains of the same fungus were collected, and therefore, it is put forward that Aspergillus nomius and Penicillium are related fungi with slight differences in genetic makeup as reported by Crous et al. [29]. The presence of A. nomius species detected in the caterpillars hosted by B. africana trees and Penicillium in the Burkea-soil (soil where B. africana trees grow), therefore, confirms the link between the caterpillars as a host of Aspergillus/Penicillium sp. ...
Burkea africana is a tree found in savannah and woodland in southern Africa, as well as northwards into tropical African regions as far as Nigeria and Ethiopia. It is used as fuel wood, medicinally to treat various conditions, such as toothache, headache, migraine, pain, inflammation, and sexually transmitted diseases, such as gonorrhoea, but also an ornamental tree. The current study investigated the possible symbiotic relationship between B. africana trees and the C. forda caterpillars and the mutual role played in ensuring the survival of B. africana trees/seedlings in harsh natural conditions and low-nutrient soils. Deoxyribonucleic acid isolation and sequencing results revealed that the fungal species Pleurostomophora richardsiae was highly predominant in the leaves of B. africana trees and present in the caterpillars. The second most prominent fungal species in the caterpillars was Aspergillus nomius. The latter is known to be related to a Penicillium sp. which was found to be highly prevalent in the soil where B. africana trees grow and is suggested to play a role in enhancing the effective growth of B. africana trees in their natural habitat. To support this, a phylogenetic analysis was conducted, and a tree was constructed, which shows a high percentage similarity between Aspergillus and Penicillium sp. The findings of the study revealed that B. africana trees not only serve as a source of feed for the C. forda caterpillar but benefit from C. forda caterpillars which, after dropping onto the soil, is proposed to inoculate the soil surrounding the trees with the fungus A. nomius which suggests a symbiotic and/or synergistic relationship between B. africana trees and C. forda caterpillars.
... Teratosphaeriaceae (Mycosphaerellales; Dothideomycetes; Ascomycota) [1] currently includes 61 genera and nearly 400 species [2,3]. This family encompasses fungi with a variety of lifestyles, such as saprophytes, extremophiles, human opportunistic, and plant pathogens [4]. ...
... For Teratosphaeriaceae, LSU is frequently used as the marker gene for identifying new fungal species [4,12,[61][62][63]. This is because Crous et al. (2007) suggested LSU as a suitable marker for differentiating species within Teratosphaeriaceae [1]. However, there were insufficient variations in the LSU sequences between the six Teratosphaeriaceae fungal isolates recovered in this study. ...
... For Teratosphaeriaceae, LSU is frequently used as the marker gene for identifying new fungal species [4,12,[61][62][63]. This is because Crous et al. (2007) suggested LSU as a suitable marker for differentiating species within Teratosphaeriaceae [1]. However, there were insufficient variations in the LSU sequences between the six Teratosphaeriaceae fungal isolates recovered in this study. ...
Fungi from the Teratosphaeriaceae (Mycosphaerellales; Dothideomycetes; Ascomycota) have a wide range of lifestyles. Among these are a few species that are endolichenic fungi. However, the known diversity of endolichenic fungi from Teratosphaeriaceae is far less understood compared to other lineages of Ascomycota. We conducted five surveys from 2020 to 2021 in Yunnan Province of China, to explore the biodiversity of endolichenic fungi. During these surveys, we collected multiple samples of 38 lichen species. We recovered a total of 205 fungal isolates representing 127 species from the medullary tissues of these lichens. Most of these isolates were from Ascomycota (118 species), and the remaining were from Basidiomycota (8 species) and Mucoromycota (1 species). These endolichenic fungi represented a wide variety of guilds, including saprophytes, plant pathogens, human pathogens, as well as entomopathogenic, endolichenic, and symbiotic fungi. Morphological and molecular data indicated that 16 of the 206 fungal isolates belonged to the family Teratosphaeriaceae. Among these were six isolates that had a low sequence similarity with any of the previously described species of Teratosphaeriaceae. For these six isolates, we amplified additional gene regions and conducted phylogenetic analyses. In both single gene and multi-gene phylogenetic analyses using ITS, LSU, SSU, RPB2, TEF1, ACT, and CAL data, these six isolates emerged as a monophyletic lineage within the family Teratosphaeriaceae and sister to a clade that included fungi from the genera Acidiella and Xenopenidiella. The analyses also indicated that these six isolates represented four species. Therefore, we established a new genus, Intumescentia gen. nov., to describe these species as Intumescentia ceratinae, I. tinctorum, I. pseudolivetorum, and I. vitii. These four species are the first endolichenic fungi representing Teratosphaeriaceae from China.
... On MEA surface pale luteous with patches of ochreous, reverse umber; on PDA surface and reverse pale luteous; on OA surface pale luteous. Notes: Penidiella (Teratosphaeriaceae, Mycosphaerellales), accommodates hyphomycetes with brown, macronematous conidiophores with a conidiogenous apparatus composed of several branches, giving rise to ramoconidia and conidia with hila that are unthickened or almost so, barely to somewhat darkened-refractive (Crous et al. 2007a). Cladosporium s.str. ...
Nine new genera, 17 new species, nine new combinations, seven epitypes, three lectotypes, one neotype, and 14 interesting new host and / or geographical records are introduced in this study. New genera: Neobarrmaelia (based on Neobarrmaelia hyphaenes ), Neobryochiton (based on Neobryochiton narthecii ), Neocamarographium (based on Neocamarographium carpini ), Nothocladosporium (based on Nothocladosporium syzygii ), Nothopseudocercospora (based on Nothopseudocercospora dictamni ), Paracamarographium (based on Paracamarographium koreanum ), Pseudohormonema (based on Pseudohormonema sordidus ), Quasiphoma (based on Quasiphoma hyphaenes ), Rapidomyces (based on Rapidomyces narthecii ). New species: Ascocorticium sorbicola (on leaves of Sorbus aucuparia , Belgium), Dactylaria retrophylli (on leaves of Retrophyllum rospigliosii , Colombia), Dactylellina miltoniae (on twigs of Miltonia clowesii , Colombia), Exophiala eucalyptigena (on dead leaves of Eucalyptus viminalis subsp. viminalis supporting Idolothrips spectrum , Australia), Idriellomyces syzygii (on leaves of Syzygium chordatum , South Africa), Microcera lichenicola (on Parmelia sulcata , Netherlands), Neobarrmaelia hyphaenes (on leaves of Hyphaene sp., South Africa), Neobryochiton narthecii (on dead leaves of Narthecium ossifragum , Netherlands), Niesslia pseudoexilis (on dead leaf of Quercus petraea , Serbia), Nothocladosporium syzygii (on leaves of Syzygium chordatum , South Africa), Nothotrimmatostroma corymbiae (on leaves of Corymbia henryi , South Africa), Phaeosphaeria hyphaenes (on leaves of Hyphaene sp., South Africa), Pseudohormonema sordidus (on a from human pacemaker, USA), Quasiphoma hyphaenes (on leaves of Hyphaene sp., South Africa), Rapidomyces narthecii (on dead leaves of Narthecium ossifragum , Netherlands), Reticulascus parahennebertii (on dead culm of Juncus inflexus , Netherlands), Scytalidium philadelphianum (from compressed air in a factory, USA). New combinations: Neobarrmaelia serenoae , Nothopseudocercospora dictamni , Dothiora viticola , Floricola sulcata , Neocamarographium carpini , Paracamarographium koreanum , Rhexocercosporidium bellocense , Russula lilacina . Epitypes: Elsinoe corni (on leaves of Cornus florida , USA), Leptopeltis litigiosa (on dead leaf fronds of Pteridium aquilinum , Netherlands), Nothopseudocercospora dictamni (on living leaves of Dictamnus albus , Russia), Ramularia arvensis (on leaves of Potentilla reptans , Netherlands), Rhexocercosporidium bellocense (on leaves of Verbascum sp., Germany), Rhopographus filicinus (on dead leaf fronds of Pteridium aquilinum , Netherlands), Septoria robiniae (on leaves of Robinia pseudoacacia , Belgium). Lectotypes: Leptopeltis litigiosa (on Pteridium aquilinum , France), Rhopographus filicinus (on dead leaf fronds of Pteridium aquilinum , Netherlands), Septoria robiniae (on leaves of Robinia pseudoacacia , Belgium). Neotype: Camarographium stephensii (on dead leaf fronds of Pteridium aquilinum , Netherlands).
... Cladosporium isolates were identified based on culture characteristics, macroscopic and microscopic properties according to Crous et al. (2007), and biochemical reactions according to Rodarte et al. (2011). ...
... Weight of crude oil after treatment (g) the cosmopolitan distribution of Cladosporium species (Crous et al., 2007). The results of this study showed that 19 Cladosporium isolates (8.9% of the total) exhibited a potential to use petroleum hydrocarbon as the sole carbon source and were further investigated for the extent of degradation. ...
Aim:
Biodegradation is a cost-effective and eco-friendly treatment for oil-contaminated materials using microorganisms. Bacteria and fungi can degrade petroleum by using it as an energy source and this may provide an enormous scope to remediate soils contaminated with petroleum and oil. This study aimed to assess the biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons by certain Cladosporium species.
Methods and results:
By using traditional and spectroscopic assessment analysis, qualitative screening was carried out using Cladosporium spores isolated from air and cultured on mineral salt medium supplemented with petroleum hydrocarbon as the sole carbon source, followed by quantitative assessment using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). Nineteen Cladosporium strains from a total of 212 isolates exhibited remarkable capability to degrade petroleum hydrocarbon, representing four species (C. herbarum, C. macrocarpum, C. sphaerospermum, and C. cladosporioides). The results were expressed in terms of biodegradation percentage and optical density of hydrocarbon using a standard calibration curve. The highest reduction of petroleum hydrocarbon was observed with five Cladosporium strains belonging to two species (C. sphaerospermum and C. cladosporioides).
Conclusion:
This study succeeded in isolating several Cladosporium strains (from the air) with a high ability to degrade crude oil that can be used as biological agents to control petroleum pollution in soils and seas. The addition of a surfactant (Tween 80) enhanced the degradation of crude oil reaching a final concentration of 0.4%. Based on these results, the present study could indicate some unique prospects in the field of bioremediation and biodegradation of petroleum-contaminated soil.
Significance and impact of study:
This study gives unique prospects in the field of bioremediation and biodegradation of petroleum-contaminated soil.
... Recent extensive documentation of sooty moulds, including morphological descriptions, ecological studies, mode of nutrition, and nDNA ITS, LSU, RPB2 and TEF-1α sequence analyses have revealed the existence of a polyphyletic group covering great species diversity supported within two different classes (Eurotiomycetes, Dothideomycetes) and seven different orders (Capnodiales, Mycosphaerellales, Comminutisporales, Cladosporiales, Neophaeothecales, Phaeothecales, Racodiales;Crous & al. 2007, Abdollahzadeh & al. 2020. Capnodiales, considered the second largest order within Dothideomycetes (Abdollahzadeh & al. 2020), which includes epiphyte fungi that grow on honeydew secreted by insects or plant exudates (Hughes 1976, Chomnunti & al. 2014, is represented by four families (Euantennariaceae, Metacapnodiaceae, Antennulariellaceae, Capnodiaceae). ...
A new sooty mould, Chaetocapnodium zapotae, was isolated from Manilkara zapota in central Veracruz, Mexico. An analysis of ITS+LSU nuclear rDNA concatenated sequences of our isolate revealed taxonomic identity at the genus level located in the same clade as Chaetocapnodium insulare and Chaetocapnodium placitae . Morphological examination confirmed that the new species differs from C. insulare in the absence of the sexual morph and the absence of setae on the pycnidia. Additional characters distinguishing C. zapotae from C. placitae are its narrower pycnidial size range, wider size ranges for the hyphae and conidia, and the dark brown color of its pycnidia.
... Among the most abundant fungal indicators for the mesic sites was Phyllosticta sorghina, a common cereal crop pathogen (Rodrigo et al., 2018); Dissoconium sp. anamorph (teleomorph Mycosphaerella; Crous et al., 2007), a representative of a genus with many foliar pathogens (Li et al., 2012); and, a member of the family 3 | Multiple linear regression model statistics for fungal Operational Taxonomic Unit (OTU) community diversity, richness, evenness, and compositional estimates predicted by land use history (LU) and mean annual precipitation (MAP) normalized around the mean precipitation (730.01 mm yr -1 ) main effects and their interaction (LU x MAP) with native prairie remnants as reference (0) compared to post-agricultural sites (1). ...
Plant communities and fungi inhabiting their phyllospheres change along precipitation gradients and often respond to changes in land use. Many studies have focused on the changes in foliar fungal communities on specific plant species, however, few have addressed the association between whole plant communities and their phyllosphere fungi. We sampled plant communities and associated phyllosphere fungal communities in native prairie remnants and post-agricultural sites across the steep precipitation gradient in the central plains in Kansas, USA. Plant community cover data and MiSeq ITS2 metabarcode data of the phyllosphere fungal communities indicated that both plant and fungal community composition respond strongly to mean annual precipitation (MAP), but less so to land use (native prairie remnants vs. post-agricultural sites). However, plant and fungal diversity were greater in the native remnant prairies than in post-agricultural sites. Overall, both plant and fungal diversity increased with MAP and the communities in the arid and mesic parts of the gradient were distinct. Analyses of the linkages between plant and fungal communities (Mantel and Procrustes tests) identified strong correlations between the composition of the two. However, despite the strong correlations, regression models with plant richness, diversity, or composition (ordination axis scores) and land use as explanatory variables for fungal diversity and evenness did not improve the models compared to those with precipitation and land use (ΔAIC < 2), even though the explanatory power of some plant variables was greater than that of MAP as measured by R2. Indicator taxon analyses suggest that grass species are the primary taxa that differ in the plant communities. Similar analyses of the phyllosphere fungi indicated that many plant pathogens are disproportionately abundant either in the arid or mesic environments. Although decoupling the drivers of fungal communities and their composition – whether abiotic or host-dependent – remains a challenge, our study highlights the distinct community responses to precipitation and the tight tracking of the plant communities by their associated fungal symbionts.
... The most common pathogens associated with Eucalyptus leaf diseases are members of the Mycosphaerellaceae and Teratosphaeriaceae (Andjic et al. 2019;Carnegie 2007;Crous et al. 2007Crous et al. , 1998Slippers et al. 2004). The genus Teratosphaeria includes a group of related species that cause a disease known as Teratosphaeria leaf blight (TLB). ...
Leaf blight caused by Teratosphaeria destructans is one of the most important diseases of Eucalyptus planted in the sub-tropics and tropics. In contrast, the better-known Teratosphaeria epicoccoides, while also a primary pathogen of Eucalyptus, causes less damage to trees in these areas. Although T. destructans is an aggressive pathogen, nothing is known about its infection biology. In this study, the conditions for infection and disease development caused by T. destructans and T. epicoccoides were evaluated and compared on a Eucalyptus grandis x Eucalyptus urophylla hybrid clone. The optimal temperature for the germination of T. destructans ranged from 25 to 30 oC and 15 to 20 oC for T. epicoccoides. The germination of these pathogens was favored under conditions of light and high levels of relative humidity. Penetration by T. destructans and T. epicoccoides occurred via stomata and the hyphae colonized the intercellular spaces of infected leaves. Symptoms were clearly visible three weeks after inoculation by both pathogens and reproductive structures started to develop in substomatal cavities at four weeks after inoculation. The results of this study will facilitate the establishment of rapid screening trials based on artificial inoculations aimed at reducing the impact of disease caused by T. destructans.
... Genera including Mycosphaerella and Alternaria, as well as unidentified Capnodiales and unidentified Helotiales were predominant as previously observed [27,82]. Mycosphaerella is the largest genus of ascomycetes and clades of this genus representing Cercospora and Septoria are known plant pathogens [83,84]. Alternaria and Mycosphaerella are both leaf-infecting fungi, and Alternaria has been linked to common human allergens in addition to being a plant pathogen [85,86]. ...
Background
Microbiome assembly was identified as an important factor for plant growth and health, but this process is largely unknown, especially for the fruit microbiome. Therefore, we analyzed strawberry plants of two cultivars by focusing on microbiome tracking during the different growth stages and storage using amplicon sequencing, qPCR, and microscopic approaches.
Results
Strawberry plants carried a highly diverse microbiome, therein the bacterial families Sphingomonadaceae (25%), Pseudomonadaceae (17%), and Burkholderiaceae (11%); and the fungal family Mycosphaerella (45%) were most abundant. All compartments were colonized by high number of bacteria and fungi (10 ⁷ –10 ¹⁰ marker gene copies per g fresh weight), and were characterized by high microbial diversity (6049 and 1501 ASVs); both were higher for the belowground samples than in the phyllosphere. Compartment type was the main driver of microbial diversity, structure, and abundance (bacterial: 45%; fungal: 61%) when compared to the cultivar (1.6%; 2.2%). Microbiome assembly was strongly divided for belowground habitats and the phyllosphere; only a low proportion of the microbiome was transferred from soil via the rhizosphere to the phyllosphere. During fruit development, we observed the highest rates of microbial transfer from leaves and flowers to ripe fruits, where most of the bacteria occured inside the pulp. In postharvest fruits, microbial diversity decreased while the overall abundance increased. Developing postharvest decay caused by Botrytis cinerea decreased the diversity as well, and induced a reduction of potentially beneficial taxa.
Conclusion
Our findings provide insights into microbiome assembly in strawberry plants and highlight the importance of microbe transfer during fruit development and storage with potential implications for food health and safety.
