Frühe Johannesschüsseln

Die Johannesschüsseln erzählen von der Passion Johannes des Täufers, in verkürzter und verdichteter Form: Abgebildet ist der soeben abgeschlagene Kopf des Täufers auf der Schale, wie er der Tochter der Herodias dargebracht worden ist. Die frühesten skulpturalen Umsetzungen dieses Motivs stammen aus dem 13. Jahrhundert, sind annähernd lebensgroß, zumeist aus Holz gefertigt, farbig gefasst und bemerkenswert in ihrem Versuch, Realität zu imitieren. Die meisten Bildwerke sind jedoch aus dem 15. und 16. Jahrhundert bekannt, hergestellt wurden Johannesschüsseln bis ins 20. Jahrhundert. Die ursprüngliche Funktion dieser ehemals so populären Skulpturen ist bisher noch nicht untersucht; die Frage, warum man im 13. Jahrhundert dieses neue Bildwerk entwickelte, ist ohne das Wissen um diese jedoch nicht zu klären. Das Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit ist daher, den ursprünglichen Verwendungszweck der Johannesschüsseln herauszufinden. Um sich diesem annähern zu können, werden jene Exemplare auf Aussehen, Beschaffenheit und Kontext untersucht, die im 13. und 14. Jahrhundert im deutschsprachigen Raum entstanden sind – die frühen Johannesschüsseln. In der gängigen kunsthistorischen Literatur fand man bisher drei Meinungen zur Funktion der Johannesschüssel: Sie soll als Reliquiar, als Andachtsbild sowie als Requisit im geistlichen Spiel gedient haben. Zwar wurden in einigen Exemplaren Reliquien gefunden, dass sie als Reliquiare dienten, ist jedoch auszuschließen. Zum einen passt die Johannesschüssel nicht in die Reihe der gängigen Reliquiarformen, zum anderen musste – wie im 15. und 16. Jahrhundert fallweise geschehen – die Bildform adaptiert werden, damit sie als Reliquiar gelten kann: Die Johannesschüssel wurde auf einen Fuß gesetzt. Ob die Johannesschüssel ein Andachtsbild ist, hängt von der jeweiligen Definition dieses Bildtypus ab; ob sie als solches gedient hat, ist offen. Sicher ist, dass die Johannesschüssel verehrt wurde, wie ein Altarbild aus dem frühen 16. Jahrhundert zeigt. Für die frühen Exemplare gibt es aber nur wenige Hinweise auf die Ausstellungsart und den Kontext. Die Frage, ob, wo und wie die Johannesschüssel den Gläubigen zur Verehrung präsentiert worden ist, ist nach derzeitigem Forschungsstand nur unbefriedigend zu beantworten. Hingegen wird in der vorliegenden Arbeit dank einer Reihe von Indizien der Nachweis erbracht, dass die frühen Johannesschüsseln ursprünglich als Requisit im geistlichen Spiel eingesetzt worden sind. Die Eigenschaften dieser Bildwerke wie die lebensnahe Ausführung, die annähernde Lebensgröße, Zweiteiligkeit oder Tragbarkeit, das gleichzeitige Aufkommen der Johannesschüsseln und Johannesspiele sowie Regieanweisungen dieser geistlichen Spiele, die ein formal ähnliches Objekt fordern, sprechen dafür. Die Schilderungen der Bühnenszenerien in den genannten Anweisungen zeigen deutliche Parallelen zu einigen Darstellungen der Johannespassion in Fresken bzw. Reliefs in Deutschland, Frankreich und Italien. Diese bilden jenes Objekt ab, das im geistlichen Spiel als Kopf des Täufers auf der Schale verwendet wurde: die Johannesschüssel

Trends in yeast diversity discovery

Yeasts, usually defined as unicellular fungi, occur in various fungal lineages. Hence, they are not a taxonomic unit, but rather represent a fungal lifestyle shared by several unrelated lineages. Although the discovery of new yeast species occurs at an increasing speed, at the current rate it will likely take hundreds of years, if ever, before they will all be documented. Many parts of the earth, including many threatened habitats, remain unsampled for yeasts and many others are only superficially studied. Cold habitats, such as glaciers, are home to a specific community of cold-adapted yeasts, and, hence, there is some urgency to study such environments at locations where they might disappear soon due to anthropogenic climate change. The same is true for yeast communities in various natural forests that are impacted by deforestation and forest conversion. Many countries of the so-called Global South have not been sampled for yeasts, despite their economic promise. However, extensive research activity in Asia, especially China, has yielded many taxonomic novelties. Comparative genomics studies have demonstrated the presence of yeast species with a hybrid origin, many of them isolated from clinical or industrial environments. DNA-metabarcoding studies have demonstrated the prevalence, and in some cases dominance, of yeast species in soils and marine waters worldwide, including some surprising distributions, such as the unexpected and likely common presence of Malassezia yeasts in marine habitats.TG acknowledges support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation for grant PGC2018-099921-B-I00, cofounded by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF); from the Catalan Research Agency (AGAUR) SGR423; from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (ERC-2016–724173); from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (Grant # GBMF9742). JG acknowledges support from the Lendület Program (award no. 96049) of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Eötvös Lóránd Research Network. Q-MW was supported by grants No. 31961133020 and No. 31770018 from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). ASA and FEB were supported by grant 9343 from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation: https://doi.org/10.37807/GBMF9343."Article signat per 12 autors/es: Teun Boekhout, Anthony S. Amend, Fouad El Baidouri, Toni Gabaldón, József Geml, Moritz Mittelbach, Vincent Robert, Chen Shuhui Tan, Benedetta Turchetti, Duong Vu, Qi-Ming Wang & Andrey Yurkov "Postprint (published version

Halimium as an ectomycorrhizal symbiont: new records and an appreciation of known fungal diversity

AbstractHalimium is a genus of Cistaceae, containing a small group of shrub species found in open vegetation types and in degraded forest patches throughout the western and central Mediterranean region. We recently described the morpho-anatomical features of the ectomycorrhizae formed by Scleroderma meridionale on Halimium halimifolium, but the mycorrhizal biology of this host plant genus is still largely unexplored. Here, we report new data on the ectomycorrhizal fungal symbionts of Halimium, based on the collection of sporocarps and ectomycorrhizal root tips in pure stands occurring in Sardinia, Italy. To obtain a broader view of Halimium mycorrhizal and ecological potential, we compiled a comprehensive and up-to-date checklist of fungal species reported to establish ectomycorrhizae on Halimium spp. on the basis of field observations, molecular approaches, and mycorrhiza synthesis. Our list comprises 154 records, corresponding to 102 fungal species and 35 genera, revealing a significant diversity of the Halimium ectomycorrhizal mycobiota. Key ectomycorrhizal genera like Russula, Lactarius/Lactifluus, Amanita, Inocybe, and Cortinarius account for more than half of all mycobionts. A large proportion of Halimium fungal species are shared with other host plants in various ecological settings, suggesting a critical role of common mycorrhizal networks in the function played by this shrub in various Mediterranean ecosystems

Soil Fungal Communities under Pinus patula Schiede ex Schltdl. & Cham. Plantation Forests of Different Ages in Ethiopia

Producción CientíficaThe cultivation of plantation forests is likely to change the diversity and composition of soil fungal communities. At present, there is scant information about these communities in Ethiopian plantation forest systems. We assessed the soil fungal communities in Pinus patula Schiede ex Schltdl. & Cham. stands aged 5, 11, or 36-years-old using DNA metabarcoding of ITS2 amplicons. The ecological conditions of each plot, such as climate, altitude, and soil, were similar. Stand age and soil fertility influenced soil fungal species diversity and ecological guilds. In total, 2262 fungal operational taxonomic units were identified, of which 2% were ectomycorrhizal (ECM). The diversity of ECM fungi was higher in the 5 and 36-year-old stands than in the 11-year-old P. patula stands. Contrary to our expectations, a high level of ECM species diversity was observed in young stands, suggesting that these ECM species could compensate for the effects of nutrient stress in these stands. Our results also suggested that the abundance of plant pathogens and saprotrophs was not affected by stand age. This study provides baseline information about fungal community changes across tree stands of different ages in P. patula plantations in Ethiopia that are likely related to ECM fungi in young stands where relatively low soil fertility prevails. However, given that the plots were established in a single stand for each age class for each treatment, this study should be considered as a case study and, therefore, caution should be exercised when applying the conclusions to other stands.Agencia Española de Cooperación y Desarrollo Internacional - SUSTIFUNGI_ET (Sustfungi_Eth:2017/ACDE/002094)Ministerio de Educación y Cultura - Salvador de Madariaga grant agreement (PRX17/00315

Neofabraea kienholzii, a novel causal agent of grapevine trunk diseases in Hungary

Recently, more and more new fungal pathogens have been described as causal agents of grapevine trunk diseases (GTDs), which lead to increasingly significant economic losses in viticulture worldwide. The genus Neofabraea consists of species mainly known as important plant pathogens causing perennial canker and bull’s eye rot, a common postharvest disease of apple (Malus domestica) and pear (Pyrus communis) fruits. Neofabraea kienholzii also causes lesions on pome fruits and canker on woody tissues, but its pathogenicity has not been demonstrated on grapevine yet. In 2015, two strains, identified as N. kienholzii based on ITS sequence data, were isolated from vines showing symptoms of GTDs in Hungary. For an unambiguous taxonomic placement of the isolates, four loci (ITS, LSU, TUB2 and RPB2) were amplified and sequenced. The phylogenetic analysis confirmed that the two isolates represent N. kienholzii. Pathogenicity tests performed on potted grapevines, shoots, and canes confirmed the virulence of these fungi. Their growth and sporulation on different media were also investigated. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first proof of N. kienholzii might cause symptoms on Vitis and might have a role in GTDs