Conference PaperPDF Available

DIVERSITY OF LITTER DEGRADING MICROFUNGI FROM THE FORESTS OF WESTERN GHATS, INDIA

Authors:
Pratibha Jalmi at Dhempe College of Arts and Science
Pratibha Jalmi
Seshagiri Raghukumar
Seshagiri Raghukumar
Darbhe Jayarama Bhat at Goa University
Darbhe Jayarama Bhat
Download full-text PDF
Read full-text
Download citation

Abstract and Figures

The forests of Western Ghats, are a treasure house for new and interesting fungi. Tropical forests produce a large amount of litter which is a favoured source of nutrient for fungal colonization. Fungi are the major degraders of plant litter which is basically composed of cellulose and lignin. Plant litter is divided into leaf litter, branch litter, bark litter, fruit litter, flower litter and seed litter. Litter fungi play a major role in carbon and nitrogen cycling in forest ecosystem. In an attempt to document the biodiversity of litter fungi of the region, litter samples were collected from different places in Goa and some parts of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamilnadu and Maharashtra. The fungi were isolated and cultured by direct isolation, moist chamber incubation and particle filtration methods. In all, 230 litter fungi belonging to 164 genera of hyphomycetes, ascomycetes and coelomycetes were isolated. These included several rare and interesting species in the monotypic genera like
Figures - uploaded by Pratibha Jalmi
Author content
All figure content in this area was uploaded by Pratibha Jalmi
Content may be subject to copyright.
Content uploaded by Pratibha Jalmi
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Pratibha Jalmi on Jun 26, 2015
Content may be subject to copyright.
Biodiversity and Taxonomy, Pages 195–210
Edited by : A. Biju Kumar, M.P. Nayar, R.V. Varma and C.K. Peethambaran
Copyright © 2012, Narendra Publishing House
DIVERSITY OF LITTER DEGRADING
MICROFUNGI FROM THE FORESTS OF
WESTERN GHATS, INDIA
J. Pratibha1, S. Raghukumar1 and D.J. Bhat2*
1Myko Tech Pvt. Ltd., Plot No. 12, Mapusa Industrial Estate, Mapusa Goa – 403 507, India
2Department of Botany, Goa University, Goa – 403 206 India
*Email: bhatdj@rediffmail.com
ABSTRACT
The forests of Western Ghats, are a treasure house for new and interesting fungi. Tropical forests
produce a large amount of litter which is a favoured source of nutrient for fungal colonization.
Fungi are the major degraders of plant litter which is basically composed of cellulose and lignin.
Plant litter is divided into leaf litter, branch litter, bark litter, fruit litter, flower litter and seed litter.
Litter fungi play a major role in carbon and nitrogen cycling in forest ecosystem. In an attempt
to document the biodiversity of litter fungi of the region, litter samples were collected from different
places in Goa and some parts of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamilnadu and Maharashtra. The fungi were
isolated and cultured by direct isolation, moist chamber incubation and particle filtration methods.
In all, 230 litter fungi belonging to 164 genera of hyphomycetes, ascomycetes and coelomycetes
were isolated. These included several rare and interesting species in the monotypic genera like
Bibanasiella, Cheiromyceopsis, Esdipatilia, Gliophragma, Megacapitula, Morrisiella,
Paradictyoarthrinium, Pseudogliophragma and Venustosynnema. New species belonging to
Dendryphiopsis, Digitoramispora, Natarajania, Spondylocladiopsis, Stauriella, Tetraploa and
Vamsapriya have been recorded. The study further deals with the distribution of the fungi in the
Western Ghats region of Goa.
Keywords: Litter fungi, Biodiversity, Distribution
INTRODUCTION
Western Ghats range, one of the mega biodiversity hotspots, is a treasure house for
several new and interesting fungi (Bhat, 2010). Tropical forests produce a large amount
of litter which is a favoured source of nutrient for fungal colonization. Generally, litter is
divided into leaf litter, branch litter, bark litter, fruit litter, flower litter and seed litter. Fungi
are the major degraders of plant litter which is composed of basically cellulose and lignin
and play a major role in carbon and nitrogen cycling in forest ecosystem (Johanna, 2009).
22
196 Biodiversity and Taxonomy
Fungi play an important role in leaf litter decomposition due to their ability to break down
the lignocellulose matrix, which other organisms are unable to digest.
Several studies have been made on the ecology of tropical forest litter fungi.
Subramanian and Vittal (1979, 1980) studied the fungi colonizing litter of Atlantia monophyla
and Gymnosporia emaginata from Madras. There have been a series of such studies
of saprobic fungal succession on the plants pertaining to various ecosystems. Some
examples are those of Manoharachary et al., (1976) on Cassia glauca, Sudha (1978) on
Glycosmis and Ixora, Mehrotra and Aneja (1979) on Chenopodium album, Vittal and
Sukumaran (1981) on Cymbopogon flexuosus, Sankaran (1993) on Paraserianthes
falcataria, Eucalyptus tereticornis and Tectona grandis, Tiwari et al., (1994) on Ananas
comosus and Srivastava et al., (1998) on Saccharum officinarum). Miriam and Bhat
(2000) isolated 54 fungi, while studying the diversity and abundance of microfungi on
decaying leaf litter of Ficus benghalensis. Ramesh and Chalannavar (2000) studied the
fungal colonization of Achras sapota and Swietenia mahagoni leaf litter and recorded
18 species of fungi belonging to 16 genera from Achras sapota and 17 species belonging
to 15 genera from Swietenia mahagoni. Shanthi and Vittal (2010) studied the diversity
of microfungi associated with litter of Pavetta indica from Tambaram, Chennai, India,
and recorded 54 fungal species belonging to 40 genera.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Sampling
Collection trips were conducted to several places in Goa and some parts of Karnataka,
Kerala, Tamilnadu and Maharashtra and different fungal substrates were gathered from
diverse habitats. The samples were brought to the laboratory in plastic bags and subjected
to direct, moist chamber incubation, single spore and particle plating isolation methods
(Bhat, 2010).
Isolation of Fungi
The samples were examined for associated fungi. Some of the specimens which did not
show sporulating structures were subjected to moist chamber incubation so as to enable
the fungi to grow and sporulate (Hawksworth, 1974). Single spores or fungal spore
masses were picked up with the help of sterilized needle under a stereoscope and the
fungi were cultured (Wang and Wen, 1997). The litter samples were also subjected to
particle plating method (Bills and Polishook, 1994). The litter was thoroughly washed
under running tap water followed by sterile distill water and ground into fine particles. The
pulverized sample was filtered through two superimposed metal sieves of mesh size of
250 and 100 µm. The particles trapped in the lower sieve, those between 100 and 250
µm size were washed repeatedly with sterile distilled water and plated on 2% potato
Diversity of Litter Degrading Microfungi from the Forests of Western Ghats, India 197
dextrose agar or any suitable medium with antibiotics. The plates were incubated at 22-
25°C. Colonies originating from each particle were individually and aseptically transferred
to fresh plate.
Characterization and Identification of Fungi
Fungi with sporulating structures were observed under a compound microscope for detailed
diagnostic features which aided in their identification. Sporulating structures such as
conidiophores and conidia in case of hyphomycetes, pycnidia, conidiogenous cells and
conidia in case of coelomycetes and ascocarp, asci and ascospores in ascomycetes were
considered as diagnostic features in the identification of fungi. Using appropriate references
(Carmichael et al., 1980; Ellis, 1971, 1976; Matsushima 1975), the isolates were identified
and assigned to respective genera and species. Illustrations of fungi with all morphological
details were made under different magnifications using a camera lucida drawing tube and
photomicrographs were taken using an Olympus DP12 digital camera fitted to an Olympus
BX41 microscope.
RESULTS
A total of 470 taxa assignable to 230 fungi were recovered from different litter samples
collected from 18 places in Goa, 3 localities in Karnataka, 2 in Kerala, 2 in Tamilnadu and
2 in Maharashtra. A total of 164 genera were recovered of which 136 fungi were
identified up to species level. The remaining remained as undetermined taxa. This study
yielded the isolation of several novel taxa which included one new genus (Natarajania)
and 7 new species (Dendryphiopsis goanensis (Pratibha et al., 2010), Digitoramispora
tambdisurlensis (Pratibha et al., 2009), Natarajania indica (Pratibha and Bhat, 2005),
Spondylocladiopsis aseptata (Pratibha et al., 2009), Stauriella indica (Pratibha et al.,
2010), Tetraploa circinata (Pratibha and Bhat, 2008) and Vamsapriya
mahabaleshwarensis (Pratibha and Bhat, 2008), (Table 1, Figs. 1-7). Six species of the
monotypic genera, viz. Bibanasiella, Cheiromyceopsis, Esdipatilia, Gliophragma,
Megacapitula, Morrisiella, Paradictyoarthrinium, Pseudogliophragma and
Venustosynnema were isolated during the course of the study (Table 2, Figs. 8-16). Some
rare and interesting fungi such as Bahusandhika indica, Cancellidium applanatum,
Costantinella palmicola, Cryptophialoidea secunda, Dicranidion fragile,
Dictyoarthrinium sacchari, Gangliostilbe indica, Gangliostilbe malabarica,
Hyphodiscosia jaipurensis, Kostermansinda magna, Moorella speciosa,
Phialosporastilbe setosa, Physalidiella elegans, Piricaudiopsis elegans, Polyscytalum
fecundissimum, Sadasivania girisa, Shrungabeeja vadirajensis and Spegazzinia
deightonii were isolated (Table 3, Figs. 17-35). Besides many common litter fungi were
also recovered (Table 4, Figs. 36-65).
198 Biodiversity and Taxonomy
Table 1: Novel fungi isolated
Sl. Fungi Place of collection Substrate
No.
1
Dendryphiosis goanensis
sp. nov. Mashem Branch litter
2
Digitoramispora tambdisurlensis
sp. nov. Tamdi Surla Branch litter
3
Natarajania indica
gen. et sp. nov. Netravali Leaf litter
4
Spondylocladiopsis aseptata
sp. nov. Calicat Leaf litter
5
Stauriella indica
sp. nov. Mashem Palm spathe litter
6
Tetraploa circinata
sp. nov. Mahabaleshwar Branch litter
7
Vamsapriya mahabaleshwarensis
sp. nov. Mahabaleshwar Branch litter
Table 2: Species isolated from monotypic genera
Sl. Fungi Place of collection Substrate
No.
1
Bibanasiella ramispora
Amboli Branch litter
2
Cheiromyciopsis
verrucosa
Kathlekan Bark litter
3
Esdipatilia indica
Netravali Branch litter
4
Gliophragma setosum
Mahabaleshwar Leaf litter
5
Morrisiella indica
Agastimalai Leaf litter
6
Megacapitula villosa
Banastari Branch litter
7
Paradictyoarthrinium
diffractum
Mashem Branch litter
8
Pseudogliophragma indica
Valpai Branch litter
9
Venustosynnema ciliata
Valpai Branch litter
Table 3: Rare and interesting species
Sl. Fungi Place of collection Substrate
No.
1
Bahusandhika indica
Mashem Palm spathe litter
2
Brachiosphaera tropicalis
Satre Branch litter
3
Cancellidium applanatum
Amboli Branch litter
4
Costantinella palmicola
Tamdi Surla Palm spathe litter
5
Cryptophialoidea secunda
Kathlekan Leaf litter
6
Dicranidion fragile
Bondla Branch litter
7
Dictyoarthrinium sacchari
Mashem Palm spathe litter
8
Gangliostilbe indica
Bondla Branch litter
9
Gangliostilbe malabarica
Tamdi Surla Palm spathe litter
10
Hyphodiscosia jaipurensis
Mashem Leaf litter
[Table Contd.
Diversity of Litter Degrading Microfungi from the Forests of Western Ghats, India 199
Contd. Table]
Sl. Fungi Place of collection Substrate
No.
11
Kostermansinda magna
Tamdi Surla Palm spathe litter
13
Moorella speciosa
Mashem Branch litter
14
Phialosporastilbe setosa
Calicat Branch litter
15
Physalidiella elegans
Banastari Branch litter
16
Piricaudiopsis elegans
Yana Branch litter
17
Polyscytalum fecundissimum
Bondla Leaf litter
18
Sadasivania girisa
Mudumalai Branch litter
19
Shrungabeeja vadirajensis
Calicat Branch litter
20
Spegazzinia deightonii
Chandreshwar Leaf litter
Table 4: Some commonly isolated litter fungi
Sl. Fungi Place of collection Substrate
No.
1
Acrodictys globulosa
Yana Branch litter
2
Acrodictys sacchari
Calicat Branch litter
3
Acrodictys
sp. Ooty Bot. garden Bark litter
4
Acrogenospora sphaerocephala
Tamdi Surla Palm spathe litter
5
Acrostalagmus luteoalbus
Vaiguinim Valley Palm spathe litter
6
Alternaria alternata
Yana Leaf litter
7
Alternaria
sp. Yana Leaf litter
8
Amerosympodula
sp. Amboli Branch litter
9
Anaselenosporella
sp. Bondla Branch litter
10
Ardhachandra
crystaspora
Mashem Leaf litter
11
Arthrinium
phaeospermum
Yana Branch litter
12
Bactrodesmium
longispora
Netravali Bark litter
13
Bactrodesmium
leonense
Mashem Branch litter
14
Bahusutrabeeja dwaya
Kathlekan Bark litter
15
Beltrania rhombica
Yana Leaf litter
16
Beltraniella
odinae
Chorla Leaf litter
17
Berkleasmium
sp. Mashem Palm spathe litter
18
Berkleasmium leonense
Netravali Branch litter
19
Berkleasmium typhae
Bondla Branch litter
20
Bispora
sp. Bondla Branch litter
21
Bisporomyces
chlamydosporis
Surla Branch litter
[Table Contd.
200 Biodiversity and Taxonomy
Contd. Table]
Sl. Fungi Place of collection Substrate
No.
22
Botrydiplodea
theobromae
Yana Branch litter
23
Botryosporium
sp. Goa Uni. Campus Branch litter
24
Brachisporiellagayana
Bondla Branch litter
25
Calosphaeria
sp. Mashem Branch litter
26
Camposporium
sp. Netravali Palm spathe litter
27
Canalisporium
caribens
Valpai Branch litter
28
Catenularia myriocarpa
Yana Leaf litter
29
Catenularia
sp. Bondla Branch litter
30
Ceratocladium
sp. Siddhanath hill Branch litter
31
Chaetomium
sp. Ooty bot.garden Branch litter
32
Chaetopsina fulva
Yana Leaf litter
33
Chalara
aurea
Valpoi Leaf litter
34
Chalara
sp. Ooty Bot. Garden Branch litter
35
Choanephora
sp.1 Mashem Flower litter
36
Choanophora
sp.2 Banastari Flower litter
37
Circinotrichum
sp. Yana Branch litter
38
Cladosporium
cladpsporoides
Calicat Branch litter
39
Colletotrichum
sp. Mashem Leaf litter
40
Cordana
sp. Netravali Branch litter
41
Corynespora casiicola
Yana Branch litter
42
Corynespora
sp.1 Yana Leaf litter
43
Corynespora
sp.2 Tamdi Surla Palm spathe litter
44
Costantinella
sp. Mashem Branch litter
45
Craspedodidymum
sp.1 Surla Branch litter
46
Craspedodidymum
sp.2 Valpai Branch litter
47
Cryptophiale
kakombensis
Surla Leaf litter
48
Cryptophiale
apicalis
Netravali Branch litter
49
Cryptophiale
sp.1 Kathlekan Bark litter
50
Cryptophiale
sp.2 Kathlekan Bark litter
51
Cryptophiale
sp. 3 Agastimalai Leaf litter
52
Curvularia lunata
Netravali Branch litter
53
Curvulariopsis
sp. Mashem Branch litter
54
Cylindrocarpon curtum
Yana Leaf litter
55
Cylindrocarpon
sp. Yana Leaf litter
56
Cylindrocladium
sp.1 Bondla Bark litter
[Table Contd.
Diversity of Litter Degrading Microfungi from the Forests of Western Ghats, India 201
Contd. Table]
Sl. Fungi Place of collection Substrate
No.
57
Cylindrocladium
sp.2 Tamdi Surla Branch litter
58
Dactylaria
sp. Yana Branch litter
59
Deightoniella torulosa
Yana Branch litter
60
Dendryphion
comosum
Ooty bot. garden Branch litter
61
Dendryphiopsis
atra
Ooty Bot.Garden Bark litter
62
Diatrype
sp. Doodhsagar Bark litter
63
Dictyochaeta assamica
Yana Leaf litter
64
Dictyochaeta tropicalis
Yana Leaf litter
65
Dictyochaeta
sp. Doodhsagar Branch litter
66
Dictyosporium elegans
Yana Leaf litter
67
Dreschlera
australiensis
Chandreshwar Branch litter
68
Dreschlera hawaiiensis
Valpai Branch litter
69
Dwayamala
sp. Bondla Bark litter
70
Edmundmasonia pulchra
Ooty bot. garden Bark litter
71
Emericella
nidulans
Goa Uni.Campus Leaf litter
72
Endocalyx melanoxanthus
Mashem Palm spathe litter
73
Endophragmia hyalospora
Yana Leaf litter
74
Excipularia
narsapurensis
Chandreshwar Branch litter
75
Exerticlava
vasiformis
Calicat Branch litter
76
Exerticlava
sp. Mashem Branch litter
77
Geniculosporium
sp. Yana Branch litter
78
Gliocladiopsis
sagarensis
Tamdi Surla Palm spathe litter
79
Gliomastix murorum
Mashem Branch litter
80
Gonatobotryum fuscum
Amboli Branch litter
81
Gonatobotryum apiculatum
Vaiguinim valley Bark litter
82
Gonytrichum
caesium
Surla Leaf litter
83
Gyrothrix podosperma
Agastimalai Leaf litter
84
Hansfordia
sp. Netravali Leaf litter
85
Haplographium
sp. Amboli Branch litter
86
Harzia acremonioides
Yana Branch litter
87
Helicoma
sp.1 Mashem Palm spathe litter
88
Helicoma
sp.2 Banastari Palm spathe litter
89
Helicoma
sp.3 Mudumalai Bamboo litter
90
Helicomyces
sp.1 Yana Branch litter
91
Helicomyces
sp. 2 Netravali Branch litter
92
Helicosporium
sp.1 Ooty bot. garden Branch litter
[Table Contd.
202 Biodiversity and Taxonomy
Contd. Table]
Sl. Fungi Place of collection Substrate
No.
93
Helicosporium
sp.2 Netravali Branch litter
94
Helicosporium
sp.3 Chorla Branch litter
95
Helminthosporium
sp.1 Tamdi Surla Palm spathe litter
96
Helminthosporium
sp.2 Doodhsagar Branch litter
97
Hemicorynespora deightonii
Netravali Palm spathe litter
98
Hemicorynespora mitrata
Amboli Branch litter
99
Hermatomyces
tucumanensis
Tamdi Surla Branch litter
100
Hermatomyces
sp. Valpoi Branch litter
101
Hypoxylon
sp. Yana Branch litter
102
Idriella
lunata
Yana Branch litter
103
Intercalarispora
sp. Kathlekan Bark litter
104
Kionochaeta ramifera
Agastimalai Leaf litter
105
Lacellinopsis spiralis
Yana Branch litter
106
Lauriomyces
sp. Kathlekan Leaf litter
107
Mariannaea
elegans
Yana Branch litter
108
Memnoniella sp.
Mashem Branch litter
109
Menisporopsis pleiosetosa
Doodhsagar Leaf litter
110
Menisporopsis theobromae
Doodhsagar Leaf litter
111
Minimidochium setosum
Surla Leaf litter
112
Monodictys putredinis
Yana Branch litter
113
Monodictys sp.
Calicat Branch litter
114
Monotosporella sp.
Valpoi Branch litter
115
Moorella speciosa
Mashem Branch litter
116
Mortierella sp.
Netravali Branch litter
117
Mucor sp.
Yana Leaf litter
118
Myrothecium masonii
Yana Branch litter
119
Myrothecium roridum
Yana Leaf litter
120
Nigrospora sphaerica
Chandreshwar Branch litter
121
Nodulisporium sp.1
Calicat Branch litter
122
Nodulisporium sp.2
Surla Branch litter
123
Nodulisporium sp.3
Netravali Branch litter
124
Oideodendron sp.
Calicat Branch litter
125
Ophiostoma sp.
Chorla Branch litter
126
Periconia atropurpurea
Yana Leaf litter
127
Periconia byssoides
Calicat Leaf litter
128
Periconia lateralis
Yana Branch litter
[Table Contd.
Diversity of Litter Degrading Microfungi from the Forests of Western Ghats, India 203
Contd. Table]
Sl. Fungi Place of collection Substrate
No.
129
Pesotum sp.
Mashem Leaf litter
130
Phaeoisaria sp.1
Yana Branch litter
131
Phaeoisaria sp.2
Tamdi Surla Branch litter
132
Phalangispora constricta
Bondla Leaf litter
133
Phialocephala sp.
Valpai Branch litter
134
Phialophora fastigiata
Netravali Branch litter
135
Physalidiopsis sp.
Netravali Bark litter
136
Piricauda cichinensis
Calicat Branch litter
137
Pithomyces elisii
Valpai Branch litter
138
Pithomyces flavus
Doodhsagar Palm spathe litter
139
Pithomyces subramanii
Banastari Branch litter
140
Pithomyces sp.1
Yana Leaf litter
141
Pithomyces sp.2
Amboli Branch litter
142
Pleurophragmium simplex
Valpai Branch litter
143
Pleurophragmium sp.
Chorla Branch litter
144
Plurothecium sp.
Netravali Branch litter
145
Podosporium rigidum
Bondla Branch litter
146
Pyricularia sp.
Yana Branch litter
147
Scopulariopsis sp.
Shirgao Palm spathe litter
148
Selenoidriella sp.
Amboli Branch litter
149
Selenosporella curvispora
Yana Leaf litter
150
Speiropsis pedatospora
Yana Leaf litter
151
Speiropsis simplex
Amboli Leaf litter
152
Speiropsis sp.
Chandreshwar Leaf litter
153
Sporidesmiella claviformis
Bondla Branch litter
154
Sporidesmium cookei
Valpai Branch litter
155
Sporidesmium macrurum
Mudumalai Bark litter
156
Sporidesmium leptosporum
Netravali Branch litter
157
Sporidesmium tropicale
Yana Branch litter
158
Sporidesmium sp.
Amboli Branch litter
159
Sporoschisma mirabile
Mashem Branch litter
160
Sporoschisma uniseptatum
Doodhsagar Branch litter
161
Stachybotrys nilgirica
Satre Branch litter
162
Stachybotrys sp.
Mudumalai Leaf litter
163
Stachylidium bicolor
Valpai Branch litter
164
Stellomyces kendrickii
Tamdi Surla Bark litter
[Table Contd.
204 Biodiversity and Taxonomy
Contd. Table]
Sl. Fungi Place of collection Substrate
No.
165
Stromatographium stromaticum
Netravali Branch litter
166
Subramaniomyces sp.
Kathlekan Leaf litter
167
Sympodiella sp.
Calicat Leaf litter
168
Sympodioplanus sp.
Bondla Branch litter
169
Taeniolella stilbospora
Kathlekan Bark litter
170
Taeniolella sp.
Agastyamalai Branch litter
171
Tetraploa aristata
Yana Branch litter
172
Thozetella nivea
Yana Leaf litter
173
Thozetella toklaensis
Tamdi Surla Palm spathe litter
174
Thozetella sp.
Netravali Bark litter
175
Torula herbarum
Yana Branch litter
176
Trichobotrys effusa
Yana Branch litter
177
Trichoderma sp.
Amboli Branch litter
178
Trichothecium roseum
Agastimalai Leaf litter
179
Uberispora sp.
Tamdi Surla Dead twig
180
Vanakripa gigaspora
Tamdi Surla Palm spathe litter
181
Vanakripa parva
Calicat Branch litter
182
Vanakripa sp.
Amboli Branch litter
183
Vermiculariopsiella sp.
Yana Leaf litter
184
Veronaea botryosa
Mashem Branch litter
185
Verticillium sp.
Banastari Branch litter
186
Virgariella atra
Tamdi Surla Branch litter
187
Virgatospora echinofibrosa
Puttur Branch litter
188
Volutella sp.
Chorla Branch litter
189
Weisneriomyces javanicus
Mashem Leaf litter
190
Xenosporium africanum
Valpoi Branch litter
191
Xenosporium ovatum
Mashem Branch litter
192
Xenosporium sp.
Tamdi Surla Branch litter
193
Xylaria sp.
Yana Branch litter
194
Zygosporium masonii
Cotigao Leaf litter
195
Zygosporium oscheoides
Yana Branch litter
196
Zygosporium sp.
Yana Leaf litter
Diversity of Litter Degrading Microfungi from the Forests of Western Ghats, India 205
Fig. 1: Fungi described as new to science:
1. Dendryphiosis goanensis, 2. Digitoramispora
tambdisurlensis, 3. Natarajania indica, 4. Spondylocladiopsis aseptata, 5. Stauriella
indica, 6. Tetraploa circinata, 7. Vamsapriya mahabaleshwarensis
206 Biodiversity and Taxonomy
Fig. 2: Species from monotypic genera:
8. Bibanasiella ramispora, 9. Cheiromyciopsis
verrucosa, 10. Esdipatilia indica, 11. Gliophragma setosum, 12. Morrisiella indica,
13. Megacapitula villosa, 14. Paradictyoarthrinium diffractum, 15.
Pseudogliophragma indica, 16. Venustosynnema ciliata
Diversity of Litter Degrading Microfungi from the Forests of Western Ghats, India 207
Fig. 3: Rare and interesting fungi:
17. Bahusandhika indica, 18. Brachiosphaera tropicalis,
19. Cancellidium applanatum, 20. Costantinella palmicola, 21. Cryptophialoidea
secunda, 22. Dicranidion fragile, 23. Dictyoarthrinium sacchari, 24. Gangliostilbe
indica, 25. Gangliostilbe malabarica, 26. Hyphodiscosia jaipurensis, 27.
Kostermansinda magna, 28. Moorella speciosa, 29. Phialosporastilbe setosa, 30.
Physalidiella elegans, 31. Piricaudiopsis elegans, 32. Polyscytalum fecundissimum,
33. Sadasivania girisa, 34. Shrungabeeja vadirajensis, 35. Spegazzinia deightonii
208 Biodiversity and Taxonomy
Fig. 4: Commonly isolated litter fungi:
36. Acrodictys globulosa, 37. Ardhachandra
crystaspora, 38. Beltrania rhombic, 39. Berkleasmium typhae, 40. Camposporium
sp., 41. Canalisporium caribens, 42. Catenularia myriocarpa, 43. Cordana sp.,
44. Cryptophiale apicalis, 45. Deightoniella torulosa, 46. Dictyosporium elegans,
47. Edmundmasonia pulchra, 48. Excipularia narsapurensis, 49. Exerticlava
vasiformis, 50. Helicoma sp., 51. Helminthosporium sp., 52. Hermatomyces
tucumanensis, 53. Memnoniella sp., 54. Menisporopsis pleiosetosa, 55. Nigrospora
sphaerica, 56. Periconia byssoides, 57. Pithomyces sp., 58. Podosporium rigidum,
59. Speiropsis simplex, 60. Sporidesmiella claviformis, 61. Sporidesmium sp.,
62. Sporoschisma mirabile, 63. Subramaniomyces sp., 64. Xenosporium ovatum,
65. Zygosporium masonii
Diversity of Litter Degrading Microfungi from the Forests of Western Ghats, India 209
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The UGC, New Delhi, is thanked for a DRS level special assistance support to the
Department of Botany, Goa University. The CSIR, New Delhi, is thanked for a project
grant during the tenure of which this worked was carried out.
REFERENCES
Bhat, D.J. (2010). Fascinating Microfungi (Hyphomycetes) of Western Ghats, India. Broadway
Book Centre, Panaji, Goa.
Bills G.F. and Polishook J.D. (1994). Abundance and diversity of microfungi in leaf litter of a
lowland rain forest in Costa Rica. Mycologia, 86: 187-198.
Carmichael, J.W., Kendrick, W.B., Conners, I.L. and Singler, L. (1980). Genera of Hyphomycetes.
University of Albert Press, Endmomton.
Ellis, M.B. (1971). Dematiaceous Hyphomycetes. Commonwealth Mycological Institute, Kew
Surrey, England.
Ellis, M.B. (1976). More Dematiaceous Hyphomycetes. Commonwealth Mycological Institute, Kew
Surrey, England.
Hawksworth D.L. (1974). Mycologist's Handbook. Commonwealth Mycological Institute, Kew
England.
Johanna, B. (2009). Litter Decomposing Fungi in Boreal Forests. Their Function in Carbon and
Nitrogen Circulation. PhD thesis. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Uppsala.
Fig. 5: Number of fungi (percent) isolated from different substrates
Bark litter
7%
Palm spathe
litter
11%
Flower litter
1%
Leaf litter
22% Branch litter
59%
210 Biodiversity and Taxonomy
Manoharachary C., Rehana A.R. and Rao P.R. (1976). Mycoflora associated with leaf litter of
Cassia glauca var. glauca Lamk. and Euphorbia geniculata Orteg. Geobios, 3: 91-92.
Matsushima, T. (1975). Icones microfungorum a Matsushima lectorum. Kobe. 209pp.
Mehrotra R.S. and Aneja KR. (1979). Microbial decomposition of Chenopodium albumlitter. I.
Succession of decomposers. Journal of the Indian Botanical Society, 58: 189-196.
Miriam, J. and Bhat D.J. (2000). Diversity and abundance of microfungi on decaying leaf-litter of
Ficus bengalensis Linn. In: Ecology of Fungi (D.J. Bhat and S. Raghukumar, eds.), pp.
33-38.
Pratibha J. and. Bhat, D.J. (2005). Natarajania indica gen. et sp. nov., a dematiaceous hyphomycete
from the Western Ghats, India. Kavaka, 33: 129-133.
Pratibha J. and Bhat, D.J. (2008). New and unusual fungi from Mahabaleshwar, India. Mycotaxon,
105: 423-431.
Pratibha J., Raghukumar, S. and Bhat, D.J. (2009). New species of Digitoramispora and
Spondylocladiopsis from the forests of Western Ghats, India. Mycotaxon, 107: 383-3901.
Pratibha J., Raghukumar, S. and. Bhat, D.J. (2010). New species of Dendryphiopsis and Stauriella
from Goa, India Mycotaxon, 113: 297-303.
Ramesh C. and Chalannavar R.K. (2000). Studies on litter fungi: Fungal colonization of Achras
sapota and Swietenia mahagoni leaf litter. In: In: Ecology of Fungi (D.J. Bhat and S.
Raghukumar, eds.), pp. 28-32.
Sankaran K.V. (1993). Decomposition of leaf litter of albizia (Paraserianthes falcataria) eucalypt
(Eucalyptus tereticornis) and teak (Tectona grandis) in Kerala, India. Forest Ecology and
Management, 56: 225-242.
Shanthi, S. and Vittal B.P.R. (2010). Biodiversity of microfungi associated with litter of Pavetta
indica. Mycosphere, 1: 23-37.
Srivastava, S., Maheswari, R.C., Wallia, D.S. and Srivasta, S. (1998). Ecology of phylloplane and
litter of sugarcane. International Journal of Tropical Plant Diseases, 11: 167-182.
Subramanian, C.V. and Vittal B.P.R. (1979). Studies on litter fungi II. Fungal colonization of Atlantia
monophylla Corr. leaves and litter. Nova Hedwigia, 63: 361-369.
Subramanian, C.V. and Vittal, B.P.R. (1980). Studies on litter fungi. V. Quantitative studies of the
mycoflora of Gymnosporia emarginata litter. Transactions of the Mycological Society of
Japan, 21: 345-350.
Sudha, K. (1978). Study of mycoflora of leaves and litter. Ph.D Thesis, University of Madras.
Tiwari, S.C., Tiwari, B.K. and Mishra, R.R. (1994). Succession of microfungi associated with the
decomposing litter of pineapple (Ananas comosus). Pedobiologia, 38: 185-192.
Vittal, B.P.R. and Sukumaran, M. (1981). Studies on litter fungi VI. Mycoflora of Cymbopogon
flexuosus Wats. Kavaka, 9: 63-66.
Wang C.H and Wen H.K. (1997). A simple method for obtaining single-spore isolates of fungi.
Bot. Bull. Acad. Sci., 38: 41-44.
... Unknown. Habitat and geographical distribution: Saprobe on woody roots, leaf litter, leaf spots and decaying petioles of Acacia mangium, Camelia sinensis, Cedrela odorata, Cyperus radians, and other unidentified hosts in Central and South America and Asia: Brazil, Cuba, India, and Malaysia [3,25,36,53,134,135]. Rambelli et al. [35] reported C. assamica on fallen leaves of 10 hosts from Africa from Ivory Coast, namely Anthonotha fragrans, Calpocalyx brevibracteatus, Chrysophyllum taiense, Dialium aubrevillei, Hypselodelphys violacea, Lophira alata, Manniophyton fulvum, Memecylon lateriflorum, Pentaclethra macrophylla, and Piptadeniastrum africanum. ...
... Conidia of two morphologically distinct types: macroconidia variable in shape and size, the first conidium is broadly oblong or pyriform 15.5-22 × 10.5-14.5 µm (mean ± SD = 18.7 ± 2.1 × 13 ± 2.8 µm), subsequent conidia globose 15-16 µm diam (mean ± SD = 15.5 ± 0.5 µm), thick-walled, aseptate, hyaline, with 6-10 straight or gently curved setulae distributed over the surface, 6-10.5 µm long; microconidia 4.5-6.5 × 2-2.5 µm (mean ± SD = 5.1 ± 0.8 × 2.4 ± 0.2 µm), formed from the same conidiogenous loci, ellipsoidal to oblong, aseptate, hyaline, with a miniature setula at one end 1-1.5 µm long; macroconidia and microconidia accumulate in slimy whitish fascicles. Habitat and geographical distribution: Saprobe on decaying bark and wood of Coffea arabica and other unknown hosts, known from Asia from China and India [120,135,137,138]. The GlobalFungi database did not contain similar sequences (≥98% sequence identity) of this species. ...
Phylogenetic Reassessment, Taxonomy, and Biogeography of Codinaea and Similar Fungi
Article
Full-text available
  • Dec 2021
  • J. Fungi
The genus Codinaea is a phialidic, dematiaceous hyphomycete known for its intriguing morphology and turbulent taxonomic history. This polyphasic study represents a new, comprehensive view on the taxonomy, systematics, and biogeography of Codinaea and its relatives. Phylogenetic analyses of three nuclear loci confirmed that Codinaea is polyphyletic. The generic concept was emended; it includes four morphotypes that contribute to its morphological complexity. Ancestral inference showed that the evolution of some traits is correlated and that these traits previously used to delimit taxa at the generic level occur in species that were shown to be congeneric. Five lineages of Codinaea-like fungi were recognized and introduced as new genera: Codinaeella, Nimesporella, Stilbochaeta, Tainosphaeriella, and Xyladelphia. Dual DNA barcoding facilitated identification at the species level. Codinaea and its segregates thrive on decaying plants, rarely occurring as endophytes or plant pathogens. Environmental ITS sequences indicate that they are common in bulk soil. The geographic distribution found using GlobalFungi database was consistent with known data. Most species are distributed in either the Holarctic realm or tropical geographic regions. The ancestral climatic zone was temperate, followed by transitions to the tropics; these fungi evolved primarily in Eurasia and Americas, with subsequent transitions to Africa and Australasia.
View
... as a parasite and Z. gibbum (Sacc., M. Rousseau & E. Bommer) S. Hughes as a hyperparasite (Hughes 1951;Carreón andRomero 1999 Manimohan andMannethody 2011;Bučková et al. 2014;Gupta and Upadhyaya 2015). With a cosmopolitan distribution, Zygosporium species are more commonly found in the tropics than in temperate regions (Photita et al. 2001;Whitton et al. 2003;Pratibha et al. 2012;Taheriyan et al. 2014;Farr and Rossman 2015). ...
Zygosporium palaeogibbum sp. nov. (Xylariales, Ascomycota) associated with Cinnamomum Schaeff. (Lauraceae) leaves from the Siwalik (Middle Miocene) of eastern Himalaya
Article
  • Apr 2024
Well-preserved remains of a mitosporic fungus were found on leaf cuticles of Cinnamomum sp. (Lauraceae) recovered from the lower Siwalik (Chunabati Formation; Middle Miocene) sedimentary stratum of Darjeeling foothills of eastern Himalaya. Based on the characteristic features (solitary vesicular conidiophores arising directly from a superficial mycelium and strongly curved, darkly pigmented, ovoid to pyriform vesicles with 1–3 celled stalk cells), it is here proposed as a new fossil species, Zygosporium palaeogibbum sp. nov. The in situ evidence of Z. palaeogibbum in appreciable numbers on the host leaf cuticles suggests the probable existence of a host-specific saprophytic relationship in the Darjeeling sub-Himalaya’s ancient warm humid tropical climate during the time of deposition. This conclusion on past climate is in agreement with published qualitative, quantitative, and palaeomycological climatic data obtained from the study of megafossil plant remains from the same fossil locality.
View
... The collected plant litter samples were processed using two methodological approaches (direct examination and submerged incubation). Leaves were directly examined for associated fungi usually on the leaves edge or on exposed veins in areas where decaying is occurring [34]. Also, submerged incubation following Bärlocher [35] was employed, some of the plant litters which did not show sporulating structures were vigorously washed with tap water to remove mud or other debris, then they were cut into segments of approximately 1 cm 2 and placed in Petri dishes (5 segments for each) containing sterile distilled water. ...
Seasonal fluctuations and diversity of Ingoldian mycobiota in two water bodies receiving different effluents at Assiut Governorate (Upper Egypt)
Article
Full-text available
  • Jun 2023
  • BMC MICROBIOL
In the current study, fifty-eight Ingoldain fungal species assignable to forty-one genera were recovered from two water bodies receiving the treated sewage and the effluents of oils and soaps factory at Assiut Governorate (Upper Egypt), of which Anguillospora, Amniculicola, Flagellospora, and Mycocentrospora were the most prevalent genera. The most widespread identified species were Anguillospora furtive, Amniculicola longissima and Flagellospora fusarioides. Forty-three species were identified for the first time in Egypt. The most Ingoldain taxa were estimated for El-Zinnar canal, with the highest recorded taxa in winter. Whereas, the highest dominance of Ingoldian fungi was estimated for the El-Ibrahimia canal. The highest Simpson and Shannon diversity indexes were estimated for El-Zinnar canal samples recording 0.9683 and 3.741, respectively. The poorest water sites with Ingoldian fungi were those exposed directly to either treated sewage or industrial effluents, with which relatively higher values of water conductivity, cations and anions. Water temperature was the main abiotic factor driving the seasonal occurrence of Ingoldian fungi. It is interesting to isolate some Ingoldian fungal species from the stressful water sites receiving the effluents which provide valuable insights regarding their adaptation, predictive and putative role as bioindicators and their potentiality in pollutants degradation, organic decomposition, and transformation of xenobiotic compounds.
View
... Zygosporium Mont., the type genus of the newly introduced family Zygosporiaceae (Xylariales, Sordariomycetes) (Li et al., 2017) is characterised by the presence of densely pigmented, incurved vesicular cells which can arise from setiform conidiophore or directly from the mycelia (Whitton et al., 2003). It is a cosmopolitan, epiphyllous saprobe associated with various angiosperms and distributed from temperate to tropical regions of the globe (Camposano, 1951;Photita et al., 2001;Whitton et al., 2003;Manoharachary et al., 2006;McKenzie et al., 2007;Abbas et al., 2011;Pratibha et al., 2012;Taheriyan et al., 2014;Farr and Rossman, 2017). Besides saprophytic relationship, other modes of interaction are also reported, such as, parasitism of Z. majus on leaves of Brillantaisia patula, hyperparasitism of Z. Gibbum on Plumeria-rust fungus Cleosporium plumeriae (Ellis, 1976;Abbas et al., 2011;Manimohan and Mannethody, 2011). ...
Occurrence of foliicolous fungus Zygosporium Mont. (Zygosporiaceae) from the Mio-Pliocene of eastern Himalaya
Article
  • Nov 2022
  • REV PALAEOBOT PALYNO
Zygosporium Mont. (Zygosporiaceae, Xylariales, Sordariomycetes) is known to have saprophytic or parasitic relationship with various modern angiosperms. Fossil record of such an interaction is unknown till date. Here, we report in situ occurrence of asexual morphs of two fossil species of Zygosporium from the Neogene Siwalik sedimentary strata of eastern Himalaya for the first time. Z. palaeotuberculatum sp. nov. is found interacting with leaves cf. Woodfordia sp. Khan et al. (Lythraceae) and Glochidion palaeogamblei Khan and Bera (Euphorbiaceae) from the lower Siwalik strata of Darjeeling (middle Miocene to late Miocene) and middle Siwalik strata of Arunachal sub-Himalaya (Pliocene) respectively, whereas, Z. miochinensis sp. nov. is found on the leaf cuticle of Terminalia panandhroensis Lakhanpal and Guleria (Combretaceae) from the Formation II (Pliocene) strata of Bhutan. These fungal morphotypes possibly developed in a tropical evergreen to deciduous forest under warm, moist environmental condition in the eastern Himalaya during deposition.
View
... En la actualidad, su presencia se ha informado en algunos pocos países de regiones tropicales y subtropicales como: Brunéi, China, Costa de Marfil, Cuba, Ghana, Panamá, Singapur, Tailandia, Uganda Mercado, 1981;Fryar et al., 2004;Wu y Zhuang, 2005;MP;USDA). En la Ciénaga de Zapata se recolectó sobre lianas muertas, pero con anterioridad se había hallado sobre ramas y troncos muertos de plantas no identificadas en diferentes localidades del país (Mercado, 1981Arnold, 1986;Holubová-Jechová y Mercado, 1989;Minter et al., 2001 Etiopia, Ghana, Hong Kong, India, México, Panamá, Perú, Sierra Leona, Taiwán, (Ellis, 1971;Matsushima, 1993;Chang, 1995;Lu et al., 2000;Zhuang, 2001;Arias et al., 2010Arias et al., , 2018Pratibha et al., 2012;Koukol et al., 2018;MP, USDA). En Cuba, antes de este hallazgo sobre la inflorescencia de una palma no identificada, se había informado mayormente sobre diversas partes de diferentes especies de palmas Arnold, 1985;Holubová-Jechová y Mercado, 1989;Minter et al. 2001; Mena-Portales y Delgado-Rodríguez, 2017) Heteroconium citharexyli Petr., Sydowia 3: 265 (1949) Especie cosmopolita muy abundante sobre tallos herbáceos muertos y con menos frecuencia sobre otros restos vegetales (Sutton, 1993;Arias et al., 2010;USDA). ...
Hifomicetes de la Reserva de la Biosfera "Ciénaga de Zapata"
Article
Full-text available
  • Jun 2018
According to mycological literature, Fungi of Cuba Databases and collections made by authors were inventoried the hyphomycetes collected at the Biosphere Reserve Ciénaga de Zapata, Matanzas province. A total of 151 species belonging to 109 genera were compiled; of these Dictyosporium toruloides and Repetophragma moniliforme are recorded for the first time for the Cuban mycobiota and another 14 species are cited as new for the study area.
View
... In his original description he recognized only one type of conidia, the almost globose parenchymatic lenticular conidia, and interpreted the cylindrical ones as conidiophores. Later, this species was recorded from Ghana and Sierra Leone (Hughes 1953), Cuba (Mercado 1984), Peru (Matsushima 1993), Taiwan (Chang 1995), USA (Delgado 2013), and India (Pratibha et al. 2012, Prasher & Singh 2015 on dead leaves or wood of a wide range of plant species. Hughes (1953) also introduced the combination H. sphaericus for a hermatomyces-like fungus originally described as Stemphylium sphaericum with only lenticular conidia. ...
Panama, a hot spot for Hermatomyces (Hermatomycetaceae, Pleosporales) with five new species, and a critical synopsis of the genus
Article
Full-text available
  • Jun 2018
Five new species belonging to Hermatomyces (Hermatomycetaceae, Pleosporales) are described based on morphological investigations of specimens collected on rotten twigs and stems of various plants in Panama as well as phylogenetic analyses of sequence data of nuclear ribosomal and protein coding genes (EF1-α, RPB2, β-TUB). The new species are described as: Hermatomyces bifurcatus, H. constrictus, H. megasporus, H. sphaericoides, and H. verrucosus spp. nov. Previously described species such as H. sphaericus and H. tucumanensis were identified among the studied specimens. The new combination, H. reticulatus, is made for Subicularium reticulatum based on examination of the holotype and fresh collections. Hermatomyces subiculosus, originally described from Thailand, is reduced to synonymy with H. reticulatus; H. tectonae is synonymized under H. sphaericus based on morphological and molecular evidence; and H. chiangmaiensis and H. thailandicus are considered later synonyms of H. krabiensis and H. indicus, respectively. The type material of Scyphostroma mirum was found to be conspecific with H. tucumanensis and, therefore, the generic name Hermatomyces should be conserved or protected against the older name Scyphostroma and the binomial H. tucumanensis against S. mirum. Sixteen species of Hermatomyces are recognized, their distinctive characteristics are highlighted in line drawings and a key is provided for their identification. The peculiar morphology and consistent phylogeny of new and previously known Hermatomyces species supports the recognition of the recently introduced monotypic family Hermatomycetaceae as a well delimited monophyletic taxon within the order Pleosporales.
View
Palm Fungi and Their Key Role in Biodiversity Surveys: A Review
Article
Full-text available
  • Nov 2023
  • J. Fungi
Over the past three decades, a wealth of studies has shown that palm trees (Arecaceae) are a diverse habitat with intense fungal colonisation, making them an important substratum to explore fungal diversity. Palm trees are perennial, monocotyledonous plants mainly restricted to the tropics that include economically important crops and highly valued ornamental plants worldwide. The extensive research conducted in Southeast Asia and Australasia indicates that palm fungi are undoubtedly a taxonomically diverse assemblage from which a remarkable number of new species is continuously being reported. Despite this wealth of data, no recent comprehensive review on palm fungi exists to date. In this regard, we present here a historical account and discussion of the research on the palm fungi to reflect on their importance as a diverse and understudied assemblage. The taxonomic structure of palm fungi is also outlined, along with comments on the need for further studies to place them within modern DNA sequence-based classifications. Palm trees can be considered model plants for studying fungal biodiversity and, therefore, the key role of palm fungi in biodiversity surveys is discussed. The close association and intrinsic relationship between palm hosts and palm fungi, coupled with a high fungal diversity, suggest that the diversity of palm fungi is still far from being fully understood. The figures suggested in the literature for the diversity of palm fungi have been revisited and updated here. As a result, it is estimated that there are about 76,000 species of palm fungi worldwide, of which more than 2500 are currently known. This review emphasises that research on palm fungi may provide answers to a number of current fungal biodiversity challenges.
View
Establishment of Zygosporiaceae fam. nov. (Xylariales, Sordariomycetes) based on rDNA sequence data to accommodate Zygosporium
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2017
Zygosporium species are widespread on hosts and usually associated with monocotyledonous plants including Arecaceae (palms) and Pandanaceae. Zygosporium forms colonies as darkened spots on the host surface. This study recovers two Zygosporium species from China and Thailand and makes an attempt to clarify the systematic placement of Zygosporium based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses based on rDNA sequence data. Phylogenetic analyses of a combined LSU and ITS sequence data generated under Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian criteria indicate that Zygosporium species form a strongly supported monophyletic lineage basal to the Coniocessiaceae and not to the Microdochiaceae as previously assumed. Given the distinct morphological features of Zygosporium and its strongly supported monophyletic nature, a new family, Zygosporiaceae is introduced within the Xylariales.
View
Molecular phylogeny of Speiropsis pedatospora
Article
Full-text available
  • Oct 2016
Speiropsis pedatospora, an aero-aquatic fungus, was isolated from submerged plant litter in freshwater streams from India. Based on analysis of combined ITS and LSU sequence data, the species was positioned in the family Weisneriomycetaceae, as a sister group to Tubeufiales in the Dothideomycetes, instead of its current placement in the order Jahnulales. Speiropsis pedatospora, is the type species of the genus Speiropsis, is morphologically characterised by macronematous, mononematous, erect, branched conidiophores, polyblastic, denticulate, discrete conidiogeneous cells and long catenate conidia linearly joined by narrow, small isthmi. All asexual morph members of Weisneriomycetaceae with isthmospores are morphologically similar to the genus Speiropsis.
View
Natarajania indica gen. et sp. Nov., a dematiaceous hyphomycete from the Western Ghats, India
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2005
Natarajania indica gen. at sp. nov. genus of dematiaceous hyphomycetes
View
Abundance and Diversity of Microfungi in Leaf Litter of a Lowland Rain Forest in Costa Rica
Article
Full-text available
  • Mar 1994
An efficient method by which to bring tropical leaf-litter fungi into culture was sought in order to survey these organisms for pharmacologically useful metabolites. A simplified particle-filtration procedure, based on the method of soil washing, was tested to determine if the characteristic fungal genera of leaf litter could be preferentially isolated while minimizing recovery of soil and common saprobic fungi. At the same time, we made some preliminary measurements of the magnitude of fungal species richness in tropical forest litter. Litter from four sites in a primary rain forest of the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica were examined. Pulverized leaf litter from each site was separated into fine particles and repeatedly washed. From each leaf litter sample, a 1 -ml particle suspension was plated onto two selective media. One-ml suspensions of leaf litter from the four samples yielded a total 1709 isolates, ranging from 281 to 559 isolates/sample (mean = 424). The number of species/sample ranged from 78 to 134. Rarefaction curves based on the number of species expected in random subsamples were used to compare species richness among samples. Many uncommon genera of litter fungi were recovered as well as coelomycetes, sterile strains, endophytes, and phytopathogens. Typical soil fungi were a relatively minor component of the total isolates. Species-abundance distributions showed that there were few abundant species and a high proportion of rare species. In no sample did the single most abundant species account for more than 23% of the total isolates. Species present in all samples were Cylindrosympodiella sp., Glomerella cingulata, Lasiodiplodia theobromae, Pestalotiopsis guepinii and an unidentified coelomycete. Particle filtration of leaf litter appears to be practical for use in a microbial screening program because it circumvents the tedious process of hand isolation of uncommon genera of litter fungi. However, if endophytic or soil fungal communities from the same region are being examined simultaneously as reservoirs for screening isolates, then redundant taxa distributed vertically through different forest strata will need to be eliminated.
View
Abundance and diversity of microfungi in leaf litter of a lowland rain forest in Costa Rica
Article
  • Mar 1994
An efficient method by which to bring tropical leaf-litter fungi into culture was sought in order to survey these organisms for pharmacologically useful metabolites. A simplified particle-filtration procedure, based on the method of soil washing, was tested to determine if the characteristic fungal genera of leaf litter could be preferentially isolated while minimizing recovery of soil and common saprobic fungi. At the same time, we made some preliminary measurements of the magnitude of fungal species richness in tropical forest litter. Litter from four sites in a primary rain forest of the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica were examined. Pulverized leaf litter from each site was separated into fine particles and repeatedly washed. From each leaf litter sample, a 1-ml particle suspension was plated onto two selective media. One-ml suspensions of leaf litter from the four samples yielded a total 1709 isolates, ranging from 281 to 559 isolates/sample (mean = 424). The number of species/sample ranged from 78 to 134. Rarefaction curves based on the number of species expected in random subsamples were used to compare species richness among samples. Many uncommon genera of litter fungi were recovered as well as coelomycetes, sterile strains, endophytes, and phy- topathogens. Typical soil fungi were a relatively minor component of the total isolates. Species-abundance distributions showed that there were few abundant species and a high proportion of rare species. In no sample did the single most abundant species account for more than 23% of the total isolates. Species present in all samples were Cylindrosympodiella sp., Glomerella cingulata, Lasiodiplodia theobromae, Pestalotiopsis guepinii and an unidentified coelomycete. Particle filtration of leaf litter appears to be practical for use in a microbial screening program because it circumvents the tedious process of hand isolation of uncommon genera of litter fungi. However, if endophytic or soil fungal communities from the same region are being examined simultaneously as reservoirs for screening isolates, then redundant taxa distributed vertically through different forest strata will need to be eliminated.
View
View
View
View
A simple method for obtaining single-spore isolates of fungi
Article
  • Jan 1997
  • BOT BULL ACAD SINICA
A new method of single spore isolation was developed. A 0.1 μl spore suspension was placed on water agar above one of 50-100 circles marked on the bottom of a plate. After 12-24 h, the number of spores in each circle was counted. Single germinating spores in each circle were transferred separately. For all six species of fungi tested, the number of spores in each micro-drop ranged from 0 to 4. More than 50% of the micro-drops contained a single spore with an unbranched germ tube. This method made it easy to locate well separated spores for single-spore isolation, shortened the isolation time by halt, and reduced the incubation period from two days to one.
View
View
New species of Dendryphiopsis and Stauriella from Goa, India
Article
  • Jul 2010
Two new species of hyphomycetes isolated from decaying plant litter collected from Goa, India, are described and illustrated. Dendryphiopsis goanensis, found on decaying bark of an unidentified tree, is characterized by mostly polytretic, integrated, discrete, terminal, and intercalary conidiogenous cells. Stauriella indica, collected from decaying spathe of coconut tree, is characterized by sub-hyaline, spinulate, staurosporous conidia with 15–20 cells.
View
New species of Digitoramispora and Spondylocladiopsis from the forests of Western Ghats, India
Article
  • Mar 2009
Two new species of hyphomycetes, Digitoramispora tambdisurlensis and Spondylocladiopsis aseptata, isolated from decaying plant litter collected from the Western Ghat forests of Tambdi Surla in Goa State, and Calicut in Kerala State, India, respectively, are described and illustrated.
View