Septoglomus deserticola emended and new combinations in the emended definition of the family Diversisporaceae

An updated morphology of spores of Septoglomus deserticola, an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus of the phylum Glomeromycota, is presented based on the original description of the species, only one other its definition recently published and spores produced in pot cultures inoculated with the rhizosphere soil and root fragments of an unrecognized grass colonizing maritime sand dunes of the Hicacos Peninsula, Cuba. Phylogenetic analyses of sequences of the large subunit (LSU) nrDNA region of the Cuban fungus confirmed its affinity with S. deserticola deposited in the International Bank for the Glomeromycota (BEG) and indicated that its closest relatives are S. fuscum and S. xanthium. Phylogenetic analyses of sequences of the small subunit (SSU) nrDNA confirmed the Cuban fungus x S. fuscum x S. xanthium relationship revealed in analyses of the LSU sequences and thereby suggested the Cuban Septoglomus is S. deserticola. However, it was impossible to prove directly the identity of the Cuban fungus and S. deserticola from BEG based on SSU sequences due to the lack of S. deserticola SSU sequences in public databases. In addition, phylogenetic analyses of LSU and SSU sequences confirmed the uniqueness of the recently erected genus Corymbiglomus with the type species C. corymbiforme (formerly Glomus corymbiforme) in the family Diversisporaceae and proved that its LSU sequences group in a clade with LSU sequences of G. globiferum and G. tortuosum. Consequently, the two latter species were transferred to Corymbiglomus and named C. globiferum comb. nov. and C. tortuosum comb. nov., and the definitions of the family Diversisporaceae and the genus Diversispora were emended

Glomus eburneum and Scutellospora fulgida, species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Glomeromycota) new for Europe

Morphological characters of spores and mycorrhizae of Glomus eburneum and spores of Scutellospora fulgida, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi of the phylum Glomeromycota, are described and illustrated. Additionally, the known distribution of these species in both Poland and other regions of the world is presented. Both species were not earlier reported from Europe

A new genus, Desertispora, and a new species, Diversispora sabulosa, in the family Diversisporaceae (order Diversisporales, subphylum Glomeromycotina)

Phylogenetic analyses of sequences of the SSU-ITS-LSU nrDNA segment and the RPB1 gene showed that the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus originally described as Diversispora omaniana does not belong to the genus Diversispora, but represents a separate clade at the rank of genus in the family Diversisporaceae of the order Diversisporales. The closest natural relatives of the fungus proved to be species of the genera Corymbiglomus and Redeckera. Consequently, the new genus was named Desertispora, and Di. omaniana was renamed De. omaniana comb. nov. In addition, the morphological and histochemical features of spores and mycorrhizal structures of a new Diversispora sp., Di. sabulosa, were described and the closest relatives of the species were determined based on phylogenetic analyses of sequences of the two loci mentioned above. The new fungus was grown in single-species cultures established from spores extracted from a trap culture inoculated with a mixture of the rhizosphere soil and root fragments of Ammophila arenaria that had colonized maritime sand dunes of the Curonian Spit located in the north of Lithuania. Diversispora sabulosa was never found before in many different sites of the world which were sampled during the last 34 years by the last author of the paper. Also, the lack of molecular sequences in public databases of identity ≥ 97% to sequences of Di. sabulosa suggests that the fungus is rare on the Earth

Arbuscular mycorrhiza of plants spontaneously colonizing the soda heap in Jaworzno (Southern Poland)

The results of studies of the mycorrhizal status of plant species spontaneously established on the soda heap located in Jaworzno (upper silesia, Poland) are presented. Additionally, the species of arbuscular fungi of the phylum Glomeromycota extracted from field-collected rhizosphere substrate samples of the heap are showed. Arbuscular mycorrhizae were described in 17 plant species. Five Glomus spp. were recognized in the spore populations of arbuscular fungi isolated. The investigation presented in this paper for the first time revealed Centaurea stoebe and Trifolium montanum to be hosts of arbuscular fungi

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associations of vascular plants confined to river valleys : towards understanding the river corridor plant distribution

The group of river corridor plants (RCP) includes vascular plant species which grow mainly or exclusively in the valleys of large rivers. Despite the long recognized fact that some plant species display a corridorlike distribution pattern in Central Europe, there is still no exhaustive explanation of the mechanisms generating this peculiar distribution. The main goal of this study was therefore to investigate whether arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and fungal root endophytes influence the RCP distribution. Arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) were observed in 19 out of 33 studied RCP. Dark septate endophytes (DSE) and Olpidium spp. were recorded with low abundance in 15 and 10 plant species, respectively. The spores of AMF were found only in 32 % of trap cultures established from the soils collected in the river corridor habitats. In total, six widespread AMF species were identified. Because the percentage of non-mycorrhizal species in the group of RCP is significant and the sites in river corridors are characterized by low AMF species diversity, RCP can be outcompeted outside river valleys by the widespread species that are able to benefit from AM associations in more stable plant-AMF communities in non-river habitats

New glomeromycotan taxa, Dominikia glomerocarpica sp. nov. and Epigeocarpum crypticum gen. nov. et sp. nov. from Brazil, and Silvaspora gen. nov. from New Caledonia

Examination of fungal specimens collected in the Atlantic rain forest ecosystems of Northeast Brazil revealed many potentially new epigeous and semihypogeous glomerocarp-producing species of the phylum Glomeromycota. Among them were two fungi that formed unorganized epigeous glomerocarps with glomoid spores of almost identical morphology. The sole structure that distinguished the two fungi was the laminate layer 2 of their three-layered spore wall, which in spores of the second fungus crushed in PVLG-based mountants contracted and, consequently, transferred into a crown-like structure. Surprisingly, phylogenetic analyses of sequences of the 18SITS- 28S nuc rDNA and the rpb1 gene indicated that these glomerocarps represent two strongly divergent undescribed species in the family Glomeraceae. The analyses placed the first in the genus Dominikia, and the second in a sister clade to the monospecific generic clade Kamienskia with Kamienskia bistrata. The first species was described here as Dominikia glomerocarpica sp. nov. Because D. glomerocarpica is the first glomerocarp-forming species in Dominikia, the generic description of this genus was emended. The very large phylogenetic distance and the fundamental morphological differences between the second species and K. bistrata suggested us to introduce a new genus, here named as Epigeocarpum gen. nov., and name the new species Epigeocarpum crypticum sp. nov. In addition, our analyses also focused on an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus originally described as Rhizophagus neocaledonicus, later transferred to the genus Rhizoglomus. The analyses indicated that this species does not belong to any of these two genera but represents a new clade at the rank of genus in the Glomeraceae, here described as Silvaspora gen. nov

Arbuscular mycorrhiza of Deschampsia cespitosa (Poaceae) at different soil depths in highly metal-contaminated site in southern Poland

This study presents root colonization of Deschampsia cespitosa growing in the immediate vicinity of a former Pb/Zn smelter by arbuscular mycorhizal fungi (AMF) and dark septated endophytes (DSE) at different soil depths. AMF spores and species distribution in soil profile were also assessed. Arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) and DSE were found in D. cespitosa roots at all investigated soil levels. However, mycorrhizal colonization in topsoil was extremely low with sporadically occurring arbuscules. AM parameters: frequency of mycorrhization of root fragments (F%), intensity of root cortex colonization (M%), intensity of colonization within individual mycorrhizal roots (m%), and arbuscule abundance in the root system (A%) were markedly higher at 20-40, 40-60 cm soil levels and differed in a statistically significant manner from AM parameters from 0-10 and 10-20 cm layers. Mycorrhizal colonization was negatively correlated with bioavailable Cd, Pb and Zn concentrations. The number of AMF spores in topsoil was verlow and increased with soil depth (20-40 and 40-60 cm). At the study area spores of three morphologically distinctive AMF species were found: Archaeospora trappei, Funneliformis mosseae and Scutellospora dipurpurescens. The fourth species Glomus tenue colonized roots of D. cespitosa and was observed in the root cortex at 20-40 and 40-60 soil depth, however, its spores were not found at the site