Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

Global disparities in surgeons’ workloads, academic engagement and rest periods: the on-calL shIft fOr geNEral SurgeonS (LIONESS) study

: The workload of general surgeons is multifaceted, encompassing not only surgical procedures but also a myriad of other responsibilities. From April to May 2023, we conducted a CHERRIES-compliant internet-based survey analyzing clinical practice, academic engagement, and post-on-call rest. The questionnaire featured six sections with 35 questions. Statistical analysis used Chi-square tests, ANOVA, and logistic regression (SPSS® v. 28). The survey received a total of 1.046 responses (65.4%). Over 78.0% of responders came from Europe, 65.1% came from a general surgery unit; 92.8% of European and 87.5% of North American respondents were involved in research, compared to 71.7% in Africa. Europe led in publishing research studies (6.6 ± 8.6 yearly). Teaching involvement was high in North America (100%) and Africa (91.7%). Surgeons reported an average of 6.7 ± 4.9 on-call shifts per month, with European and North American surgeons experiencing 6.5 ± 4.9 and 7.8 ± 4.1 on-calls monthly, respectively. African surgeons had the highest on-call frequency (8.7 ± 6.1). Post-on-call, only 35.1% of respondents received a day off. Europeans were most likely (40%) to have a day off, while African surgeons were least likely (6.7%). On the adjusted multivariable analysis HDI (Human Development Index) (aOR 1.993) hospital capacity > 400 beds (aOR 2.423), working in a specialty surgery unit (aOR 2.087), and making the on-call in-house (aOR 5.446), significantly predicted the likelihood of having a day off after an on-call shift. Our study revealed critical insights into the disparities in workload, access to research, and professional opportunities for surgeons across different continents, underscored by the HDI

Quantifying Citrus Tree Health Using True Color UAV Images

Huanglongbing (HLB) and Phytophthora foot and root rot are diseases that affect citrus production and profitability. The symptoms and physiological changes associated with these diseases are diagnosed through expensive and time-consuming field measurements. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) using red/green/blue (RGB, true color) imaging, may be an economic alternative to diagnose diseases. A methodology using a UAV with a RGB camera was developed to assess citrus health. The UAV was flown in April 2018 on a grapefruit field infected with HLB and foot rot. Ten trees were selected for each of the following disease classifications: (HLB-, foot rot–), (HLB+, foot rot–), (HLB-, foot rot+) (HLB+, foot rot+). Triangular greenness index (TGI) images were correlated with field measurements such as tree nutritional status, leaf area, SPAD (leaf greenness), foot rot disease severity and HLB. It was found that 61% of the TGI differences could be explained by Na, Fe, foot rot, Ca, and K. This study shows that diseased citrus trees can be monitored using UAVs equipped with RGB cameras, and that TGI can be used to explain subtle differences in tree health caused by multiple diseases

Considerations and consequences of allowing DNA sequence data as types of fungal taxa

Nomenclatural type definitions are one of the most important concepts in biological nomenclature. Being physical objects that can be re-studied by other researchers, types permanently link taxonomy (an artificial agreement to classify biological diversity) with nomenclature (an artificial agreement to name biological diversity). Two proposals to amend the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN), allowing DNA sequences alone (of any region and extent) to serve as types of taxon names for voucherless fungi (mainly putative taxa from environmental DNA sequences), have been submitted to be voted on at the 11th International Mycological Congress (Puerto Rico, July 2018). We consider various genetic processes affecting the distribution of alleles among taxa and find that alleles may not consistently and uniquely represent the species within which they are contained. Should the proposals be accepted, the meaning of nomenclatural types would change in a fundamental way from physical objects as sources of data to the data themselves. Such changes are conducive to irreproducible science, the potential typification on artefactual data, and massive creation of names with low information content, ultimately causing nomenclatural instability and unnecessary work for future researchers that would stall future explorations of fungal diversity. We conclude that the acceptance of DNA sequences alone as types of names of taxa, under the terms used in the current proposals, is unnecessary and would not solve the problem of naming putative taxa known only from DNA sequences in a scientifically defensible way. As an alternative, we highlight the use of formulas for naming putative taxa (candidate taxa) that do not require any modification of the ICN.Peer reviewe

GWAS and meta-analysis identifies 49 genetic variants underlying critical COVID-19

Data availability: Downloadable summary data are available through the GenOMICC data site (https://genomicc.org/data). Summary statistics are available, but without the 23andMe summary statistics, except for the 10,000 most significant hits, for which full summary statistics are available. The full GWAS summary statistics for the 23andMe discovery dataset will be made available through 23andMe to qualified researchers under an agreement with 23andMe that protects the privacy of the 23andMe participants. For further information and to apply for access to the data, see the 23andMe website (https://research.23andMe.com/dataset-access/). All individual-level genotype and whole-genome sequencing data (for both academic and commercial uses) can be accessed through the UKRI/HDR UK Outbreak Data Analysis Platform (https://odap.ac.uk). A restricted dataset for a subset of GenOMICC participants is also available through the Genomics England data service. Monocyte RNA-seq data are available under the title ‘Monocyte gene expression data’ within the Oxford University Research Archives (https://doi.org/10.5287/ora-ko7q2nq66). Sequencing data will be made freely available to organizations and researchers to conduct research in accordance with the UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care Research through a data access agreement. Sequencing data have been deposited at the European Genome–Phenome Archive (EGA), which is hosted by the EBI and the CRG, under accession number EGAS00001007111.Extended data figures and tables are available online at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06034-3#Sec21 .Supplementary information is available online at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06034-3#Sec22 .Code availability: Code to calculate the imputation of P values on the basis of SNPs in linkage disequilibrium is available at GitHub (https://github.com/baillielab/GenOMICC_GWAS).Acknowledgements: We thank the members of the Banco Nacional de ADN and the GRA@CE cohort group; and the research participants and employees of 23andMe for making this work possible. A full list of contributors who have provided data that were collated in the HGI project, including previous iterations, is available online (https://www.covid19hg.org/acknowledgements).Change history: 11 July 2023: A Correction to this paper has been published at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06383-z. -- In the version of this article initially published, the name of Ana Margarita Baldión-Elorza, of the SCOURGE Consortium, appeared incorrectly (as Ana María Baldion) and has now been amended in the HTML and PDF versions of the article.Copyright © The Author(s) 2023, Critical illness in COVID-19 is an extreme and clinically homogeneous disease phenotype that we have previously shown1 to be highly efficient for discovery of genetic associations2. Despite the advanced stage of illness at presentation, we have shown that host genetics in patients who are critically ill with COVID-19 can identify immunomodulatory therapies with strong beneficial effects in this group3. Here we analyse 24,202 cases of COVID-19 with critical illness comprising a combination of microarray genotype and whole-genome sequencing data from cases of critical illness in the international GenOMICC (11,440 cases) study, combined with other studies recruiting hospitalized patients with a strong focus on severe and critical disease: ISARIC4C (676 cases) and the SCOURGE consortium (5,934 cases). To put these results in the context of existing work, we conduct a meta-analysis of the new GenOMICC genome-wide association study (GWAS) results with previously published data. We find 49 genome-wide significant associations, of which 16 have not been reported previously. To investigate the therapeutic implications of these findings, we infer the structural consequences of protein-coding variants, and combine our GWAS results with gene expression data using a monocyte transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) model, as well as gene and protein expression using Mendelian randomization. We identify potentially druggable targets in multiple systems, including inflammatory signalling (JAK1), monocyte–macrophage activation and endothelial permeability (PDE4A), immunometabolism (SLC2A5 and AK5), and host factors required for viral entry and replication (TMPRSS2 and RAB2A).GenOMICC was funded by Sepsis Research (the Fiona Elizabeth Agnew Trust), the Intensive Care Society, a Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellowship (to J.K.B., 223164/Z/21/Z), the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Illumina, LifeArc, the Medical Research Council, UKRI, a BBSRC Institute Program Support Grant to the Roslin Institute (BBS/E/D/20002172, BBS/E/D/10002070 and BBS/E/D/30002275) and UKRI grants MC_PC_20004, MC_PC_19025, MC_PC_1905 and MRNO2995X/1. A.D.B. acknowledges funding from the Wellcome PhD training fellowship for clinicians (204979/Z/16/Z), the Edinburgh Clinical Academic Track (ECAT) programme. This research is supported in part by the Data and Connectivity National Core Study, led by Health Data Research UK in partnership with the Office for National Statistics and funded by UK Research and Innovation (grant MC_PC_20029). Laboratory work was funded by a Wellcome Intermediate Clinical Fellowship to B.F. (201488/Z/16/Z). We acknowledge the staff at NHS Digital, Public Health England and the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre who provided clinical data on the participants; and the National Institute for Healthcare Research Clinical Research Network (NIHR CRN) and the Chief Scientist’s Office (Scotland), who facilitate recruitment into research studies in NHS hospitals, and to the global ISARIC and InFACT consortia. GenOMICC genotype controls were obtained using UK Biobank Resource under project 788 funded by Roslin Institute Strategic Programme Grants from the BBSRC (BBS/E/D/10002070 and BBS/E/D/30002275) and Health Data Research UK (HDR-9004 and HDR-9003). UK Biobank data were used in the GSMR analyses presented here under project 66982. The UK Biobank was established by the Wellcome Trust medical charity, Medical Research Council, Department of Health, Scottish Government and the Northwest Regional Development Agency. It has also had funding from the Welsh Assembly Government, British Heart Foundation and Diabetes UK. The work of L.K. was supported by an RCUK Innovation Fellowship from the National Productivity Investment Fund (MR/R026408/1). J.Y. is supported by the Westlake Education Foundation. SCOURGE is funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (COV20_00622 to A.C., PI20/00876 to C.F.), European Union (ERDF) ‘A way of making Europe’, Fundación Amancio Ortega, Banco de Santander (to A.C.), Cabildo Insular de Tenerife (CGIEU0000219140 ‘Apuestas científicas del ITER para colaborar en la lucha contra la COVID-19’ to C.F.) and Fundación Canaria Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Canarias (PIFIISC20/57 to C.F.). We also acknowledge the contribution of the Centro National de Genotipado (CEGEN) and Centro de Supercomputación de Galicia (CESGA) for funding this project by providing supercomputing infrastructures. A.D.L. is a recipient of fellowships from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq)-Brazil (309173/2019-1 and 201527/2020-0)

Considerations and consequences of allowing DNA sequence data as types of fungal taxa

Abstract Nomenclatural type definitions are one of the most important concepts in biological nomenclature. Being physical objects that can be re-studied by other researchers, types permanently link taxonomy (an artificial agreement to classify biological diversity) with nomenclature (an artificial agreement to name biological diversity). Two proposals to amend the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN), allowing DNA sequences alone (of any region and extent) to serve as types of taxon names for voucherless fungi (mainly putative taxa from environmental DNA sequences), have been submitted to be voted on at the 11th International Mycological Congress (Puerto Rico, July 2018). We consider various genetic processes affecting the distribution of alleles among taxa and find that alleles may not consistently and uniquely represent the species within which they are contained. Should the proposals be accepted, the meaning of nomenclatural types would change in a fundamental way from physical objects as sources of data to the data themselves. Such changes are conducive to irreproducible science, the potential typification on artefactual data, and massive creation of names with low information content, ultimately causing nomenclatural instability and unnecessary work for future researchers that would stall future explorations of fungal diversity. We conclude that the acceptance of DNA sequences alone as types of names of taxa, under the terms used in the current proposals, is unnecessary and would not solve the problem of naming putative taxa known only from DNA sequences in a scientifically defensible way. As an alternative, we highlight the use of formulas for naming putative taxa (candidate taxa) that do not require any modification of the ICN.Publisher’s Note A first version of this text was prepared by the first eight authors and the last one, given here. The other listed co-authors in the article PDF support the content, and their actual contributions varied from only support to additions that substantially improved the content. The full details of all co-authors, with their affiliations, are included in Supplementary Table 1 after p.175 of the article for reasons of clarity and space. Slavomír Adamčík Institute of Botany, Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 23 Bratislava, Slovakia Teuvo Ahti Finnish Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 7, 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland M. Catherine Aime Purdue University, 915 W. State St., West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, U.S.A. A. Martyn Ainsworth Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AB, United Kingdom László Albert Hungarian Mycological Society, 1087 Könyves Kálmán krt. 40, Budapest, Hungary Edgardo Albertó Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas-Instituto Tecnológico de Chascomús, Universidad Nacional de San Martin-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Buenos Aires, Argentina Alberto Altés García Facultad de Biología, Ciencias Ambientales y Química, Universidad de Alcalá, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain Dmitry Ageev SIGNATEC Ltd., 630090, Novosibirsk, Akademgorodok (Novosibirsk Scientific Center), Inzhenernaya str., 22, Russia Reinhard Agerer Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Menzinger Str. 67, 80638 München, Germany Begona Aguirre-Hudson Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AB, United Kingdom Joe Ammirati University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-1800, U.S.A. Harry Andersson Eichhahnweg 29a, 38108 Braunschweig, Germany Claudio Angelini Jardín Botánico Nacional Dr. Rafael Ma. Moscoso, Apartado 21-9, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Vladimír Antonín Moravian Museum, Zeny trh 6, 659 37 Brno, Czech Republic Takayuki Aoki Genetic Resources Center, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 2-1-2 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8602, Japan André Aptroot ABL Herbarium, G.v.d.Veenstraat 107, 3762 XK Soest, The Netherlands Didier Argaud 40 rue du Justemont, 57290 Fameck, France Blanca Imelda Arguello Sosa Instituto Tecnológico de Ciudad Victoria, Tecnológico Nacional de México, Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico Arne Aronsen Torødveien 54, 3135 Torød, Norway Ulf Arup Biological Museum, Lund University, Box 117, 221 00 Lund, Sweden Bita Asgari Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization, Tehran, Iran Boris Assyov Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2 Gagarin Str., 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria Violeta Atienza Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universitat de València, C/Dr Moliner 50, 46100, Burjasot, Valencia, Spain Ditte Bandini Panoramastr 47, 69257 Wiesenbach, Germany João Luís Baptista-Ferreira Instituto de Biossistemas e Ciências Integrativas, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal Hans-Otto Baral Blaihofstr. 42, 72074 Tübingen, Germany Tim Baroni The State University of New York, 340 Bowers Hall, P.O. Box 2000, Cortland, New York 13045, U.S.A. Robert Weingart Barreto Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 36570-000, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil Henry Beker (1) Royal Holloway, University of London, United Kingdom; (2) Botanic Garden Meise, Nieuwelaan 38, 1860 Meise, Belgium Ann Bell 45 Gurney Road, Lower Hutt, New Zealand Jean-Michel Bellanger CEFE UMR5175, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier, EPHE, INSERM, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cédex 5, France Francesco Bellù Naturmusem of Bolzano, CP 104, 39100, Bolzano, Italy Martin Bemmann Kleingemünderstraße 111, 69118 Heidelberg, Germany Mika Bendiksby NTNU, University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway Egil Bendiksen Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Gaustadalleen 21, 0349 Oslo, Norway Katriina Bendiksen Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1172 Blindern, 0318 Oslo, Norway Lajos Benedek Szent Istvan University, Hungary Anna Bérešová-Guttová Institute of Botany, Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 23 Bratislava, Slovakia Franz Berger University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria Reinhard Berndt Herbaria Z+ZT, ETH Zürich, CHN D37, Universitätstr. 16, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland Annarosa Bernicchia Via A. Guidotti 39, 40134 Bologna, Italy Alona Yu. Biketova Institute of Biochemistry, BRC-HAS, 6726 Szeged, Temesvari krt. 62, 6726 Szeged, Hungary Enrico Bizio Società Veneziana di Micologia, Società Veneziana di Scienze Naturali, Fontego dei Turchi, Santa Croce 1730, 30135 Venice, Italy Curtis Bjork UBC Herbarium, Beaty Biodiversity Museum, University of British Columbia, Canada Teun Boekhout (1) Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, P.O. Box 85167, 3508 AD, Utrecht, The Netherlands; (2) Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands David Boertmann Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark Tanja Böhning AG Geobotanik Schleswig-Holstein & Hamburg, c/o University of Kiel, Olshausenstraße 75, 24098 Kiel, Germany Florent Boittin Ascomycete.org, 36 rue de la Garde, 69005 Lyon, France Carlos G. Boluda Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève, 1292 Genève, Switzerland Menno W. Boomsluiter T.v.Lohuizenstraat 34, 8172xl, Vaassen, The Netherlands Jan Borovička Institute of Geology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Rozvojova 269, 165 00 Prague 6, Czech Republic Tor Erik Brandrud Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Gaustadalleen 21, 0349 Oslo, Norway Uwe Braun Martin-Luther-Universität, Institut für Biologie, Bereich Geobotanik, und Botanischer Garten, Herbarium, Neuwerk 21, 06099 Halle, Germany Irwin Brodo Canadian Museum of Nature, 240 McLeod Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Tatiana Bulyonkova A.P. Ershov Institute of Informatics Systems, Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian Branch, 6 Acad. Lavrentjev pr., Novosibirsk 630090, Russia Harold H. Burdsall Jr. Fungal & Decay Diagnostics, LLC, 9350 Union Valley Road, Black Earth, Wisconsin 53515, U.S.A. Bart Buyck Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CP 39, ISYEB, UMR 7205 CNRS MNHN UPMC EPHE, 12 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France Ana Rosa Burgaz Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain Vicent Calatayud Fundación CEAM, c/ Charles R. Darwin, 14, Parque Tecnológico, 46980 Paterna, Valencia, Spain Philippe Callac INRA, MycSA, CS 20032, 33882 Villenave d’Ornon, France Emanuele Campo Associazione Micologica Bresadola, Via Alessandro Volta 46, 38123 Trento, Italy Massimo Candusso Via Ottone Primo 90, 17021, Alassio, Savona, Italy Brigitte Capoen Queffioec, rue de Saint Gonval, 22710 Penvenan, France Joaquim Carbó Roser, 60, 17257 Torroella de Montgrí, Girona, Spain Matteo Carbone Via Don Luigi Sturzo 173 16148 Genova, Italy Rafael F. Castañeda-Ruiz Instituto de Investigaciones Fundamentales en Agricultura, Tropical ‘Alejandro de Humboldt’, OSDE, Grupo Agrícola, Calle 1 Esq. 2, Santiago de Las Vegas, C. Habana 17200, Cuba Michael A. Castellano USDA, Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Corvallis, Oregon 97330, U.S.A. Jie Chen Mae Fah Luang University, Chang Wat Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand Philippe Clerc Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève, 1292 Genève, Switzerland Giovanni Consiglio Via C. Ronzani 61, 40033 Casalecchio Bologna, Italy Gilles Corriol National Botanical Conservatory for Pyrenees and Midi-Pyrénées Region of France and BBF Herbarium, Vallon de Salut. B.P. 315. 65203 Bagnères-de-Bigorre, France Régis Courtecuisse Université Lille, Fac. Pharma. Lille, EA4483 IMPECS, 59000 Lille, France Ana Crespo Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain Cathy Cripps Plant Sciences & Plant Pathology, 119 Plant Biosciences Building, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717, U.S.A. Pedro W. Crous Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, P.O. Box 85167, 3508 AD, Utrecht, The Netherlands Gladstone Alves da Silva Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Centro de Biociências, Avenida da Engenharia, S/N, Cidade Universitária, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil Meiriele da Silva Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 36570-000, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil Marjo Dam Hooischelf 13, 6581 SL Malden, The Netherlands Nico Dam Hooischelf 13, 6581 SL Malden, The Netherlands Frank Dämmrich The Bavarian Natural History Collections (SNSB Munich), Menzinger Strasse 71, 80638, München, Germany Kanad Das Botanical Survey of India, Cryptogamic Unit, P.O. Botanic Garden, Howrah 711103, W.B., India Linda Davies Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom Eske De Crop Ghent University K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Ghent, Belgium Andre De Kesel Botanic Garden Meise, Nieuwelaan 38, 1860 Meise, Belgium Ruben De Lange Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Gent, Belgium Bárbara De Madrignac Bonzi Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste, Universidad Nacional de Nordeste-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Sargento Cabral 2131, CC 209, Corrientes Capital, Argentina Thomas Edison E. dela Cruz University of Santo Tomas, Espana 1008 Manila, Philippines Lynn Delgat Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Gent, Belgium Vincent Demoulin Institut de Botanique, B.22, Université de Liège, 4000 Liège I, Belgium Dennis E. Desjardin HD Thiers Herbarium (SFSU), San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave, San Francisco, California 94132, U.S.A. Paul Diederich Musée national d’histoire naturelle, 25 rue Münster, 2160 Luxembourg, Luxembourg Bálint Dima (1) Institute of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/c, 1117 Budapest, Hungary; (2) Viikki Plant Science Centre, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 65, 00014 Helsinki, Finland Maria Martha Dios Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Catamarca, Av Belgrano 300, 4700 San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, Argentina Pradeep Kumar Divakar Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain Clovis Douanla-Meli Julius Kühn-Institut, Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Institute for National and International Plant Health, Messeweg 11-12, 38104 Braunschweig, Germany Brian Douglas Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AB, United Kingdom Elisandro Ricardo Drechsler-Santos Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Campus Universitário Reitor João David Ferreira Lima, Trindade, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina CEP 88040-900, Brazil Paul S. Dyer School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom Ursula Eberhardt Abt. Botanik, Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart, Rosenstein 1, 70191 Stuttgart, Germany Damien Ertz Botanic Garden Meise, Nieuwelaan 38, 1860 Meise, Belgium Fernando Esteve-Raventós Facultad de Biología, Ciencias Ambientales y Química, Universidad de Alcalá, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain Javier Angel Etayo Salazar Navarro Villoslada 16, 3º dcha., 31003 Pamplona, Navarra, Spain Vera Evenson Sam Mitchel Herbarium of Fungi, Denver Botanic Gardens, 1007 York Street, Denver, Colorado 80206, U.S.A. Guillaume Eyssartier Muséum national d’histoire naturelle, Jardin des plantes, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France Edit Farkas Institute of Ecology and Botany, MTA Centre for Ecological Research, 2163 Vácrátót, Hungary Alain Favre Fédération Mycologique et Botanique Dauphiné Savoie, Le Prieuré, 144 Place de l’Eglise, 74320 Sevrier, France Anna G. Fedosova Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2 Prof. Popov Street, St. Petersburg, 197376, Russia Mario Filippa Regione Monsarinero 36, 14041 Agliano Terme, Italy Péter Finy 8000 Székesfehérvár, Zsombolyai u. 56, Hungary Adam Flakus W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lubicz 46, 31-512 Krakow, Poland Simón Fos Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universitat de València, C/Dr Moliner 50, 46100, Burjasot, Valencia, Spain Jacques Fournier Las Muros, F. 09420 Rimont, France André Fraiture Botanic Garden Meise, Nieuwelaan 38, 1860 Meise, Belgium Paolo Franchi Associazione Micologica Bresadola, Via Alessandro Volta 46, 38123 Trento, Italy Ana Esperanza Franco Molano Escuela de Microbiología, Universidad de Antioquia, AA1226, Fundación Biodiversa Colombia, Medellín, Colombia Gernot Friebes Centre of Natural History, Botany & Mycology, Universalmuseum Joanneum, Weinzöttlstraße 16, 8045 Graz, Austria Andreas Frisch NTNU, University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway Alan Fryday Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, U.S.A. Giuliana Furci The Fungi Foundation, Paseo Bulnes 79 of. 112A, Santiago, Chile Ricardo Galán Márquez Facultad de Biología, Ciencias Ambientales y Química, Universidad de Alcalá, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain Matteo Garbelotto University of California, 130 Mulford Hall #3114 Berkeley, California 94720, U.S.A. Joaquina Maria Garcia-Martin Real Jardín Botánico-CSIC, Plaza de Murillo 2, 28014, Madrid, Spain Mónica A. García Otálora Herbaria Z+ZT, ETH Zürich, CHN D37, Universitätstr. 16, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland Dania García Sánchez Universitat Rovira i Virgili, C/ Sant Llorenç 21, 43201 Reus, Tarragona, Spain Alain Gardiennet 14 rue Roulette, 21260 Véronnes, France Sigisfredo Garnica Instituto de Bioquímica y Microbiología, Universidad Austral de Chile, Isla Teja Campus, Casilla 567, Valdivia, Chile Isaac Garrido Benavent Real Jardín Botánico-CSIC, Plaza de Murillo 2, 28014, Madrid, Spain Genevieve Gates Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, Private Bag 54, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia Alice da Cruz Lima Gerlach Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques de la ville de Genève, Genève, Switzerland Masoomeh Ghobad-Nejhad Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology, P.O. Box 15815-3538, Tehran 15819, Iran Tatiana B. Gibertoni Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Centro de Biociências, Avenida da Engenharia, S/N, Cidade Universitária, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil Tine Grebenc Slovenian Forestry Institute, Vecna pot 2, 100 Ljubljana, Slovenia Irmgard Greilhuber University of Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030 Vienna, Austria Bella Grishkan Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Aba Khoushi Ave. 199, Mt. Carmel, Haifa 3498838, Israel Johannes Z. Groenewald Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, P.O. Box 85167, 3508 AD, Utrecht, The Netherlands Martin Grube Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Holteiasse 6, 8010 Graz, Austria Gérald Gruhn Office National des Forêts, 2 Avenue de Saint-Mandé, 75570 Paris Cedex 12, France Cécile Gueidan CSIRO — Australian National Herbarium, Clunies Ross Street, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia Gro Gulden Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1172 Blindern, 0318 Oslo, Norway Luis FP Gusmão Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Av. Transnordestina, s/n, Bairro Novo Horizonte, CEP:44036-900, Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil Josef Hafellner Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Holteiasse 6, 8010 Graz, Austria Michel Hairaud 2 Impasse des Marronniers, 79360 Poivendre de Marigny, France Marek Halama Museum of Natural History, Wrocław University, ul. H. Sienkiewicza 5, 50-335 Wrocław, Poland Nils Hallenberg University of Gothenburg, Box 461, 40530 Göteborg, Sweden Roy E. Halling Institute of Systematic Botany, New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Blvd, Bronx, New York 10458-5126, U.S.A. Karen Hansen Swedish Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 50007, 104 05 Stockholm, Sweden Christoffer Bugge Harder Texas Tech University, Box 42122, Lubbock, Texas 79409, U.S.A. Jacob Heilmann-Clausen Natural History Museum of Denmark, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 København, Denmark Stip Helleman Sweelinck 78, 5831KT Boxmeer, The Netherlands Alain Henriot Mycological Society of France, 20 rue Rottembourg, 12th arrondissement, Paris, France Margarita Hernandez-Restrepo Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, P.O. Box 85167, 3508 AD, Utrecht, The Netherlands Raphaël Herve 24 rue des Fougères, 86550 Mignaloux-Beauvoir, France Caroline Hobart 84 Stafford Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S2 2SF, United Kingdom Mascha Hoffmeister Julius Kühn-Institut, Institute for Epidemiology and Pathogen Diagnostics, Braunschweig, Germany Klaus Høiland University of Oslo, P.O.Box 1066, Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway Jan Holec National Museum, Herbarium PRM, Cirkusová 1740, 193 00 Praha 9, Czech Republic Håkon Holien Faculty of Bioscience and Aquaculture, NORD University, P.O. Box 2501, 7729 Steinkjer, Norway Karen Hughes University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, U.S.A. Vit Hubka Faculty of Science, Charles University, Benátská 2, 128 01 Praha 2, Czech Republic Seppo Huhtinen Herbarium TUR, Biodiversity Unit, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland Boris Ivančević Natural History Museum, Njegoševa 51, P.O. Box 401, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia Marian Jagers Reelaan 13, 7522 LR Enschede, The Netherlands Walter Jaklitsch Institute of Forest Entomology, Forest Pathology and Forest Protection, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Vienna, Austria AnnaElise Jansen Stationsstraat 10, 6701 AM Wageningen, the Netherlands Ruvishika S. Jayawardena Mae Fah Luang University, Chang Wat Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand Thomas Stjernegaard Jeppesen Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 København Ø, Denmark Mikael Jeppson Lilla Håjumsgatan 4, 46135 Trollhättan, Sweden Peter Johnston Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, Private Bag 92170, Auckland 1072, New Zealand Per Magnus Jørgensen University of Bergen, Allégaten 41, P.O. Box 7800, 5020 Bergen, Norway Ingvar Kärnefelt Biological Museum, Lund University, Box 117, 221 00 Lund, Sweden Liudmila B. Kalinina Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2 Prof. Popov Street, St. Petersburg, 197376, Russia Gintaras Kantvilas Tasmanian Herbarium (HO), Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, P.O. Box 5058, UTAS LP.O., Sandy Bay, Tasmania 7005, Australia Mitko Karadelev Institute of Biology, Faculty of Natural Science and Mathematics, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Arhimedova 5, 1000 Skopje, Republic of Macedonia Taiga Kasuya Faculty of Risk and Crisis Management, Chiba Institute of Science, 3 Shiomi-cho, Choshi, Chiba 288-0025, Japan Ivona Kautmanová Natural History Museum, Slovak National Museum, Bratislava, Slovakia Richard W. Kerrigan RWK Research, Kittanning, Pennsylvania 16201, U.S.A. Martin Kirchmair Institut für Mikrobiologie, Universität Innsbruck, Technikerstraße 25, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria Anna Kiyashko Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2 Prof. Popov Street, St. Petersburg, 197376, Russia Dániel G. Knapp Institute of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/c, 1117 Budapest, Hungary Henning Knudsen Natural History Museum of Denmark, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 København, Denmark Kerry Knudsen Faculty of Environmental Sciences, University of Life Sciences at Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Tommy Knutsson Nedra Västerstad 111, 380 62 Mörbylånga, Sweden Miroslav Kolařík Institute of Microbiology ASCR, Videnska 1083, 142 20 Prague 4, Czech Republic Urmas Kõljalg Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, 40 Lai Street, Tartu 51005, Estonia Alica Košuthová Swedish Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 50007, 104 05 Stockholm, Sweden Attila Koszka Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Kaposvar University, 7400 Kaposvar, Hungary Heikki Kotiranta Finnish Environment Institute, P.O. Box 140, 00251 Helsinki, Finland Vera Kotkova Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2 Prof. Popov Street, St. Petersburg, 197376, Russia Ondřej Koukol Faculty of Science, Charles University, Benátská 2, 128 01 Praha 2,