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Methods for Sampling and Analyzing Wetland Fungi
Abstract and Figures
Most fungi are terrestrial, but representatives of all major groups of fungi along with three groups of fungus-like organisms (water molds, slime molds and lichens), usually studied by mycologists, can be found in wetlands. The primary ecological role of the fungi and water molds in wetland habitats is to decompose dead plant material-both woody and herbaceous debris as well as dead bryophytes. Although sometimes present in wetlands, slime molds and lichens occur almost exclusively on emergent (dry) substrates. Because the vast majority of fungi and fungus-like organisms associated with wetlands are microscopic, efforts to document their distribution and patterns of occurrence often pose a real challenge to ecologists. This chapter reviews some of the more useful and effective methods that can be used to study these organisms in wetland habitats. These include collecting specimens directly in the field, isolating specimens from substrate samples placed in moist chamber cultures and obtaining specimens on various types of organic baits. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht. All rights are reserved.
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... They are primarily terrestrial organisms, but some of them can be found in aquatic habitats. Wetlands (swamps, bogs, fens, marshes, and bottomland hardwoods) are habitats where the major groups of fungi can be found, both terrestrial and aquatic (Stephenson et al. 2013). The main ecological role of the fungi [including ascomycetes and anamorphic fungi (hyphomycetes)] in freshwater ecosystems such as wetlands is the decomposition of dead plant material (Gessner et al. 2007;Stephenson et al. 2013), both woody and herbaceous, including leaf litter, twigs and trunks, flowers and fruits. ...
... Wetlands (swamps, bogs, fens, marshes, and bottomland hardwoods) are habitats where the major groups of fungi can be found, both terrestrial and aquatic (Stephenson et al. 2013). The main ecological role of the fungi [including ascomycetes and anamorphic fungi (hyphomycetes)] in freshwater ecosystems such as wetlands is the decomposition of dead plant material (Gessner et al. 2007;Stephenson et al. 2013), both woody and herbaceous, including leaf litter, twigs and trunks, flowers and fruits. Fungal decay of plant tissues results from the ability of fungi to degrade a plant's principal structural biopolymers such as celluloses and lignocelluloses (Tsui et al. 2016). ...
... A relatively small number of fungal species (3000-4000), however, have been reported from the aquatic environment (Shearer et al. 2007;Grossart and Rojas-Jimenez 2016). Wetlands (swamps, bogs, fens, marshes, bottomland hardwoods) are the freshwater habitats where the major groups of fungi can be found (Thormann 2006;Stephenson et al. 2013). More fungi are associated with forested wetlands (swamps, bottomland hardwoods) than with those dominated by herbaceous plant species marshes as a result of the greater substrate heterogeneity in forested wetlands (Stephenson et al. 2013). ...
The remains of fungi from a wetland environment have been found during palynological investigations of the middle Miocene lignite seam of the Adamów Lignite Mine (central Poland). One new fossil-genus Pleosporomyces and five new fossil-species (Canalisporium lignitum, Dictyosporites muriformis, Dictyosporites zeaformis, Microthyriacites radiatus, and Pleosporomyces adamowensis) are described. Fungal biota accompanying middle Miocene wetland plant associations from Adamów are represented by remains of ascomycetes and anamorphic fungi (hyphomycetes) saprophytic on decaying wood and on fallen leaves in a very humid, periodically flooded environment. These fungi most probably represent remains of fungal taxa of pocosin-like wetland communities, as suggested by the results of the palynological investigations and have grown during the accumulation of peat deposits from which the discussed lignite seam was formed. Epiphyllous taxa along with ascospores of Potamomyces sp. indicate a warm and humid climate with a high mean annual precipitation in central Poland during the formation of the 1st mid-Polish lignite seam.
... They are primarily terrestrial organisms, but some can be found in aquatic habitats. Wetlands (swamps, bogs, fens, marshes, bottomland hardwoods) are habitats where the major groups of fungi can be found, both terrestrial and aquatic (Stephenson et al. 2013). Saprophytic fungi in wetlands play an important ecological role as decomposers of organic matter, mainly dead plant material, both woody and herbaceous, including leaf litter, twigs and trunks, flowers and fruits (Dix and Webster 1995;Thormann 2006;Gessner et al. 2007;Wurzbacher et al. 2010;Kuehn 2016;Gulis et al. 2019). ...
Fungal palynomorph corresponding to the fossil-species Lirasporis intergranifer R. Potonié & S.C.D. Sah, from the Middle Miocene lignite mine from Tomisławice (central Poland), was considered as a new combination Cancellidium intergraniferum (R. Potonié & S.C.D. Sah) G. Worobiec & E. Worobiec, comb. nov. Fossil-genus Lirasporis is treated as synonym of modern Cancellidium genus. C. intergraniferum from the Miocene of Poland documents the first fossil record of the Cancellidium Tubaki genus outside Asia, the first record of this genus from Europe, and the northernmost known fossil occurrence of Cancellidium. Living representatives of Cancellidium seem to prefer warm and humid climates and being aero-aquatic hyphomycetes are usually associated with decaying woody remains in aquatic environment. Similar ecology is suggested for the fossil C. intergraniferum, which could be a reliable fungal non-pollen palynomorph proxy for palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions.
... Microalgae are widely distributed throughout various extreme habitats around the world because they have a high adaptability to various environmental stresses. 5 In recent years, microalgae have been found to have great potential applications in wastewater treatment for removing both conventional 6,7 and emerging pollutants. 8 In addition, as a biomass resource, algae can simultaneously accumulate high value-added products (such as protein, oil, and pigment) while removing pollution, and this has an extremely high economic value. ...
BACKGROUND
With the rapid development of society, a large amount of wastewater and pesticides enter the water bodies globally, posing a threat to both the environment and the health of people and other living things. In this paper, an algal strain Scenedesmus sp. was isolated from a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP); its interaction effect with wastewater bacteria on the removal of IMI and conventional pollutants in municipal wastewater was evaluated.
RESULTS
In this study, an algae‐bacteria system was constructed with municipal wastewater, with the aim of exploring the removal effects and mechanisms of the consortium system on Imidacloprid (IMI, 20 mg L⁻¹ and 60 mg L⁻¹) and conventional nutrients from municipal wastewater. The results showed that no IMI was removed under 20 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹. However, under 60 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹, more than 90% of IMI was removed in the algae‐wastewater group (AWG) with Scenedesmus sp.; this value is much higher than the 50.4% (20 mg L⁻¹) and 36.1% (60 mg L⁻¹) achieved by the wastewater group (WG) without Scenedesmus sp. Meanwhile, the removal efficiency of nitrogen was 82.3% (20 mg L⁻¹) and 71.9% (60 mg L⁻¹) in AWG, both of which are higher than the 73.4% and 59.1% in WG, respectively. Moreover, Scenedesmus sp. TXH has a strong resistance to IMI and 4 degradation products (including IMI‐urea, 4(5)‐hydroxy‐IMI, Nitrosimine, and a substance with m/z of 176) were found in AWG.
CONCLUSION
Using consortium to treat municipal wastewater containing IMI is an effective and safe way. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).
... The results indicated that 27 samples of medicinal licorice roots contained a peculiar microbiome. For example, Ascomycota was the dominant phylum in all samples, followed by Basidiomycota, which was in line with previous studies (Stephenson, Tsui & Rollins, 2013;Tan et al., 2018). The phylum Ascomycota, the largest phylum of fungi, entails a highly diverse population and plays a vital role in genetics (Wallen & Perlin, 2018), ecology (Belnap & Lange, 2005), and phylogeny (López-Giráldez et al., 2009). ...
Background Endophytic fungi influence the quality and quantity of the medicinal plant’s bioactive compounds through specific fungus-host interactions. Nevertheless, due to the paucity of information, the composition of endophytic fungal communities and the mechanism by which effective ingredients regulate endophytic fungal communities in roots remains unclear. Methods In this study, we collected root and soil samples (depth range: 0–20, 20–40, and 40–60 cm) of three Glycyrrhiza species (Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Glycyrrhiza inflata, and Glycyrrhiza glabra). Glycyrrhizic acid and liquiritin content were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and total flavonoid content was determined using ultraviolet spectrophotometry. High-throughput sequencing technology was employed to explore the composition and diversity of the endophytic fungal community in different root segments of three Glycyrrhiza species. Furthermore, soil samples were subjected to physicochemical analyses. Results We observed that the liquiritin content was not affected by the root depth (0–20 cm, 20–40 cm, and 40–60 cm). Still, it was significantly affected by the Glycyrrhiza species (Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Glycyrrhiza inflata, Glycyrrhiza glabra) (P
... Some fungal taxa suggest that the accumulation of wood as substrate for these fungi took place in a very humid, at least periodically flooded, environment (Worobiec et al., 2021b). Since the main ecological role of the fungi in freshwater ecosystems, including wetlands, is the decomposition of dead plant material, both woody and herbaceous, including leaf litter, twigs and trunks, flowers and fruits (Gessner et al., 2007;Stephenson et al., 2013), fungal communities from Adamów contributed to the accelerated biological decay of mire wood. The results of pollen analysis, including the frequency of the palaeotropical and palaeotropical/warm-temperate taxa, indicate that at the time of sedimentation, the climate was warm temperate and humid. ...
We reconstruct palaeoenvironmental conditions during the formation of the first Mid-Polish Lignite Seam (MPLS-1) of the Konin Basin of central Poland, which is of mid-Miocene age. In terms of macropetrography, the MPLS-1 comprises different lithotype associations, predominantly xylodetritic lignite, and represents the peat deposits of mires most likely inhabited by Myricaceae-Cyrillaceae shrubs. Palynological assemblages obtained from the MPLS-1 at the Adamów Lignite Opencast Mine indicate the existence of wetland/palustrine and mesophytic vegetation during the accumulation of the peat. Applying the Coexistence Approach to the palynological assemblages, climate is inferred to have been warm temperate and humid with a mean annual temperature (MAT) of 15.7–18.0 °C with plant communities similar to modern pocosins developed on coastal plains in southeastern USA. The palynological assemblages from the MPLS-1 at Jóźwin IIB Lignite Opencast Mine show palaeofloristic cyclicality. In the studied section, five cycles were identified, dominated by swamp forests (Taxodium/Glyptostrobus–Nyssa) similar to modern forests in southeastern USA and China. The climate at that time was warm temperate and humid (MAT = 15.7–20.5 °C) based on CA application. This is consistent with the significant contribution of warm temperate plants, typical of mixed mesophilous forests, which grew in the vicinity of the swamp forests. The results of geochemical analyses are generally in agreement with palaeobotanical studies, indicating angiosperm dominated the peat-forming vegetation. However, the geochemically-derived average temperature ranges of ca. 24.2–25.0 °C, based on the carbon preference index (CPI), is significantly higher. These differences between palynologically- and geochemically-derived MATs can be explained by the influence of changes in vegetation on the CPI values. The periodic contribution of algae and microorganisms to the biomass while the water table was raised is indicated by elevated abundances of short-chain n-FAs. In contrast, under acidic conditions, bacterial activity was limited, as indicated by ββ/(ββ + αβ) hopane ratios and low sulfur content. Based on sedimentological data, the MPLS-1 was mainly formed either proximal (Jóźwin IIB, Tomisławice) or more distal (Adamów) to the river channels as evidenced by the presence or absence of siliciclastic partings within the MPLS-1. In summary, the MPLS-1 accumulated mostly as low-lying mires under freshwater conditions, corresponding to the last peak of the Mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum and to the period thereafter when the climate showed a cooling trend. Our findings are placed in the context of palaeotectonics and palaeoclimates at regional and global scales.
... The baits are to remain in place for several days/months and are retrieved periodically to detect, identify and isolate obligate freshwater fungi. In order to confine the items used as baits, they are usually placed in some sort of trap (e.g. a small wire cage), which is suspended in the water by a piece of nylon cord (Stephenson et al., 2013). ...
The shift from terrestrial to freshwater ecosystems is accompanied by a dramatic shift in the decomposer fungal assemblages. The life cycle of freshwater fungi complicates our understanding of the phylogenetic relationships in this group. The freshwater ascomycetes (teleomorphs) often have asexual states (referred to as anamorphs or mitosporic states) in their life cycles. The asexual states of freshwater ascomycetes are often adapted to aquatic life by producing spores (conidia) that are long and filamentous or branched; this facilitates their attachment to substrates in moving water. Some species have conidia that are tightly coiled to trap air or are hydrophobic and hollow; these adaptations allow them to float on the surface of water until they attach to a new substrate. The main ecological functions
of freshwater fungi involve the breakdown of leaves, conifer needles, wood and other sources of coarse-particulate organic matter. Training students in this field is imperative given the increase in global transportation of microbes, the rapid loss of healthy freshwater habitats due to human perturbation and global warming, the serious problem of antibiotic resistance and the rarity of trained taxonomists and molecular systematists in the field of mycology.
Microremains of fungi from Neogene deposits from the Gray Fossil Site (Tennessee, United States) and the Bełchatów Lignite Mine (Poland), similar to the enigmatic fossil-species Kutchiathyrites eccentricus R.K. Kar, 1979, were reconsidered as representatives of the modern mitosporic genus Mycoenterolobium Goos, 1970. A new combination, Mycoenterolobium eccentricum (R.K. Kar) G. Worobiec, n. comb., is proposed. The geographical and stratigraphical range and ecology of the fossil and modern Mycoenterolobium species are discussed. Investigated remains of Mycoenterolobium eccentricum (R.K. Kar) G. Worobiec, n. comb. document the first fossil record of this fungus from both Northern America and Europe, while the Bełchatów mine represents the northernmost known fossil and modern occurrence of the Mycoenterolobium genus. Both modern and fossil species of Mycoenterolobium seem to prefer warm (tropical to warm temperate), usually humid climates. They are associated with plant debris (mainly wood) decaying in a damp or aquatic environment. Mycoenterolobium eccentricum (R.K. Kar) G. Worobiec, n. comb. is suggested to be used as a non-pollen palynomorph proxy for palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions.
Youcef Achira et al.: First diversity assessment and synthetic dyes remediation potential of aquatic micromycetes from Ain Skhouna wetland, western steppe of Algeria-4035-APPLIED ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 21(5):4035-4067. Abstract. A first exploration of aquatic microfungal diversity was conducted in Ain Skhouna wetland, a part of Echott Ech Chergui (Algeria), the second largest chott in North Africa. Fungal strains isolation was carried out from water and sediment samples during 2019.Physico-chemical parameters (pH, temperature, and salinity)were measuredin situ as well. Firstfungal strains identification wascarried out by cultural and structural features. A total of 14 monoclonal fungi strains belonging to 7 genera were distinguished where the majority of which belong to the phylum Ascomycota. Among these, the genus Halobyssothecium that was recorded for the first time in Algeria. Occurrence percentage frequency of different taxa showedhigher density of microfungal colonies in sediment compared to water. Through molecular barcoding successfully completed for 11 strains by Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region sequencing, 5 strains were assigned to the species level and 6 to the Section or Complex within the correspondent genus. Authenticated strains based on ITS barcode were then screened for extracellular laccases production for mycoremediation assay, where 8 of them were laccases positive with strong activity exhibited by Aspergillus sp. AS02 and Penicillium sp.AS13 strains. All positive laccases strains were further investigated for their synthetic dyes decolorization ability using « Plate Volume Method » (PVM) to evaluate Congo Red, Brilliant Blue, and Malachite Green dyes decolorization activity at three concentrations, highlighting dyes biodegradation mechanisms used by each strain. Dyes decolorization seems more related to fungal laccases activity than biosorption or accumulation mechanisms. Aspergillus sp. AS02 and Penicillium sp. AS13 strains seem to be good dyes decolorizing candidates by biodegradation. Furthermore, Fusarium acuminatum AS07 showed significant biosorption activity, while Penicillium spp. generally expressed a good dyes accumulation potential. Therefore, identified and studied fungal strains could be used as promising tools for bioremediation of wastewater dyes and industrial effluents enclosing synthetic dyes.
γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a plant resistance elicitor essential in preventing and controlling postharvest disease in fruits and vegetables. However, limited information is available involving the inhibitory effect of exogenous GABA on postharvest pathogens. This study found that GABA inhibited the postharvest pathogenic fungus, Alternaria alternata (A. alternata). Transcriptome analysis revealed that the genes related to sporulation, toxin synthesis, and cell wall degradation enzymes are downregulated in A. alternata after GABA treatment. Moreover, the effect of GABA on A. alternata was verified using electron microscopy and by determining the activity of the cell wall degradation enzyme. These findings provided information about the underlying antifungal mechanism about GABA against A. alternata and suggested that GABA could be a potential alternative for controlling A. alternata in fruit and vegetable preservation.
The purpose of this study was to explore the diversity and composition of endophytic fungal community in the root of three medicinal licorices, and learn more about its biological characteristics by analyzing its interaction with soil and root factors. A total of 2,118,633 effective sequences and 1,063 effective operational taxonomic units (OTUs) with 97% identity were obtained by high-throughput sequencing among 27 samples. In this study, a total of 8 phyla and 140 genera were annotated, among them, the phylum Ascomycota and Basidiomycota, and the genera Fusarium, Paraphoma and Helminthosporium were significantly dominant in the 27 samples. Wilcoxon rank sum test showed that the Shannon index was significantly different distribution between Glycyrrhiza uralensis and Glycyrrhiza inflata, especially 0-20cm at the root depth, the Chao1 index in Glycyrrhiza inflate was significantly affected by root depth, and there were significant differences in beta diversity between Glycyrrhiza uralensis and Glycyrrhiza inflata. Distance-based redundancy analysis (db-RDA) showed that soil physicochemical properties (available potassium and ammonium nitrogen), and the root factor (liquiritin and water content) were the main contributing factors to the variations in the overall structure of endophytic fungal community in this study. This study provides useful information for formulating strategies to improve the quantity and quality of medicinal licorices.
Captive and wild frogs from North and Central America and Australia recently have died with epidermal infections by chytridiomycete fungi. We isolated a chytridiomycete into pure culture from a captive, blue poison dart frog that died at the National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C. Using this isolate, we photographed developmental stages on nutrient agar, examined zoospores with transmission electron microscopy, and inoculated test frogs. This inoperculate chytrid develops either monocentrically or colonially and has thread-like rhizoids that arise from single or multiple areas on the developing zoosporangium. The taxonomically important features of the kinetosomal region of the zoospore indicate that this chytrid is a member of the Chytridiales but differs from other chytrids studied with transmission electron microscopy. Its microtubule root, which begins at kinetosome triplets 9-1 and extends parallel to the kinetosome into the aggregation of ribosomes, is distinctive. Histologic examination of test frogs revealed that the pure culture infected the skin of test frogs, whereas the skin of control frogs remained free of infection. The fungus is described as Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis gen. et sp. nov.
