Evaluation of microbiological quality of commercially available bottled drinking water in Colombo district, Sri Lanka

In recent times, the consumption of bottled water has dramatically increased in Sri Lanka. However, compliance by the producers with the bottled water regulations is debatable, which poses questions about bottled water quality. This study aimed at evaluating the microbiological quality of bottled water in the Colombo district, Sri Lanka. Twenty-six brands of drinking water were collected from the Colombo district (19 locations) microbial quality was detected by checking the total coliforms (TC), fecal coliforms (FC), heterotrophic bacteria, fungi and algae. The results revealed that 50 % of drinking water brands violated the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI) and WHO guidelines, and the Sri Lanka Health Ministry regulation (0 cfu/100 ml). Twenty-three percent of brands exceeded the limits for presumptive FC (0 cfu/100 ml in accordance with WHO guidelines, SLSI, and the Sri Lanka Health Ministry requirement). Moreover, 35% showed higher heterotrophic bacteria which exceeded the WHO guidelines (50 cfu/ml). The dominant fungi found in the bottled water were Aspergillus spp., Rhizopus sp., Trichoderma sp. and Mucor sp. Chlorella vulgaris was identified as the algal species that was present in the drinking water samples and it was 8 % of the samples checked. Additionally, the statistical analysis of water sources revealed no significant differences in the levels of fecal and total coliforms in samples across springs, tube wells, and dug wells. However, the tube wells have a significant difference in HPC and algae than dug wells and springs. The findings of this study concluded that the bottled water industry needs to be closely supervised by competent authorities to provide customers with more healthy bottled water in Sri Lanka

New and noteworthy lichen-forming and lichenicolous fungi 5

Data on 54 new for China, India, Korea and Russia species of lichen-forming and lichenicolous fungi, including 22 new for science taxa of lichen-forming and lichenicolous fungi, i.e.: Acarospora ulleungdoensis, Amandinea trassii, Aspicilia geumodoensis, Biatora ivanpisutii, Caloplaca patwolseleyae, Catillaria ulleungdoensis, Coenogonium agonimieoides, Gyalidea austrocoreana, G. ropalosporoides, Opegrapha briancoppinsii, O. ulleungdoensis, Phyllopsora loekoesii, Psoroglaena coreana, Psorotichia gyelnikii, Rinodina oxneriana, Scoliciosporum jasonhurii, Staurothele oxneri, Stigmidium coarctatae, Thelocarpon ulleungdoense, Thelopsis loekoesii, Toninia poeltiana, Unguiculariopsis helmutii, and and 7 new species to China (Caloplaca ussuriensis, Megaspora rimisorediata, Rinodina xanthophaea, Rusavskia dasanensis, Xanthoria splendens, Zeroviella coreana, Z. esfahanensis), and 1 new species to India (Zeroviella esfahanensis), and 24 new species to Korea (Agonimia blumii, Arthonia rinodinicola, Buelliella minimula, Dactylospora australis, Endococcus propinguus, Halecania santessonii, Laeviomyces aff. fallaciosus, Lecanora albescens, L. layana, Lecidella scabra, Micarea farinosa, Minutoexcipula aff. mariana, Opegrapha anomaea, O. aff. xerica, Phoma aff. lecanorina, Polycoccum rubellianae, Porina nucula, Pyrenidium actinellum, Rhexophiale rhexoblephara, Rimularia badioatra, Rinodina confragosa, R. milvina, R. occulta, Tremella phaeophysciae), as well as 1 new species to Russia (Verseghya klarae) are provided. Furthermore new for science species of lichenicolous fungus Polycoccum clauderouxii from China is described. Four new combinations, i.e.: Biatora pseudosambuci (Basionym: Lecanora pseudosambuci S. Y. Kondr., L. Lőkös et J.-S. Hur), Buellia pseudosubnexa (Basionym: Hafellia pseudosubnexa S. Y. Kondr., L. Lőkös et J.-S. Hur), Buellia extremoorientalis (Basionym: Hafellia extremorientalis S. Y. Kondr., L. Lőkös et J.-S. Hur), and Sagedia nunatakkorum (Basionym: Lecanora nunatakkorum Poelt) are proposed. Data on conidiomata and conidia for lichenicolous fungus Opegrapha anomea Nyl are for the first time provided

Outline of Fungi and fungus-like taxa

This article provides an outline of the classification of the kingdom Fungi (including fossil fungi. i.e. dispersed spores, mycelia, sporophores, mycorrhizas). We treat 19 phyla of fungi. These are Aphelidiomycota, Ascomycota, Basidiobolomycota, Basidiomycota, Blastocladiomycota, Calcarisporiellomycota, Caulochytriomycota, Chytridiomycota, Entomophthoromycota, Entorrhizomycota, Glomeromycota, Kickxellomycota, Monoblepharomycota, Mortierellomycota, Mucoromycota, Neocallimastigomycota, Olpidiomycota, Rozellomycota and Zoopagomycota. The placement of all fungal genera is provided at the class-, order- and family-level. The described number of species per genus is also given. Notes are provided of taxa for which recent changes or disagreements have been presented. Fungus-like taxa that were traditionally treated as fungi are also incorporated in this outline (i.e. Eumycetozoa, Dictyosteliomycetes, Ceratiomyxomycetes and Myxomycetes). Four new taxa are introduced: Amblyosporida ord. nov. Neopereziida ord. nov. and Ovavesiculida ord. nov. in Rozellomycota, and Protosporangiaceae fam. nov. in Dictyosteliomycetes. Two different classifications (in outline section and in discussion) are provided for Glomeromycota and Leotiomycetes based on recent studies. The phylogenetic reconstruction of a four-gene dataset (18S and 28S rRNA, RPB1, RPB2) of 433 taxa is presented, including all currently described orders of fungi

Current Insight into Culture-Dependent and Culture-Independent Methods in Discovering Ascomycetous Taxa

Culture techniques are vital in both traditional and modern fungal taxonomy. Establishing sexual-asexual links and synanamorphs, extracting DNA and secondary metabolites are mainly based on cultures. However, it is widely accepted that a large number of species are not sporulating in nature while others cannot be cultured. Recent ecological studies based on culture-independent methods revealed these unculturable taxa, i.e., dark taxa. Recent fungal diversity estimation studies suggested that environmental sequencing plays a vital role in discovering missing species. However, Sanger sequencing is still the main approach in determining DNA sequences in culturable species. In this paper, we summarize culture-based and culture-independent methods in the study of ascomycetous taxa. High-throughput sequencing of leaf endophytes, leaf litter fungi and fungi in aquatic environments is important to determine dark taxa. Nevertheless, currently, naming dark taxa is not recognized by the ICN, thus provisional naming of them is essential as suggested by several studies

Correlation of atmospheric purity index to the diversity of lichens in the Horton Plains National Park, Sri Lanka

Horton Plains National Park (HPNP) has been declared as a world heritage site, because of its unique biodiversity. Die-back of certain areas of this park is widely believed to be due to acidic precursor depositions carried over from other parts of the country and also from neighboring countries. Air pollution data for the two pollutants, NO2 and SO2 were obtained from the passive air sampling method. The data revealed that the concentrations of ambient NO2 and SO2 were very low in the HPNP. The variations of ambient NO2 and SO2 concentrations during the study period showed insignificant positive correlation (p≥ 0.05) with the rainfall data. Considering the variations of these two pollutants with Relative Humidity and the number of vehicles visiting HPNP, both pollutants had insignificant positive correlation. The Index of Atmospheric Purity (IAP) value obtained for the whole area of the HPNP was 54.22. This value belongs to the quality level 5 which represents the ‘very low’ pollution level. The results including lichen distribution and air quality data could confirm that the ambient air quality at HPNP is very high. The high diversity of lichens and the minimum levels of air pollutants suggested that the forest health of HPNP is at a favorable level. Therefore, it is essential to maintain at least the current air pollution level of HPNP in order to conserve the forest and its biodiversity

Antioxidant and cytotoxic activity of lichens collected from Bidoup Nui Ba National Park, Vietnam

[[abstract]]Lichens were some of the earliest colonizers of terrestrial habitats on Earth. They represent a unique symbiont between fungi (mycobionts) and algae and/or cyanobacteria (photobionts). Lichens have been used as a cure for diabetes, coughs, pulmonary tuberculosis, wound healing, and dermatological diseases. The aim of this study is to investigate the in vitro antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of methanol lichen extracts. Fourteen lichen species from Bidoup Nui Ba National Park were identified according to their morphology and anatomical and chemical characteristics. The antioxidant activity of the methanol lichen extracts was evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity assay. The results showed that, of the lichens tested, L5 had the highest free radical activity with 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 59.9 ± 4.65 mg mL−1. The methanol extract of L5 also showed the highest total flavonoid and polyphenol contents. In a cytotoxic assay, it was observed that the methanol extract of U38.1 exhibited high cytotoxic effect against MCF-7 cells, with IC50 of 34.27 ± 1.25 mg mL−1. The tested lichen extracts were also found to have slight cytotoxic effect on fibroblasts at screening concentration of 100 µg mL−1. All of the extracts were found to possess different cytotoxic activities against MO-91 cells, with IC50 values ranging from 10.50 ± 1.56 to over 50 mg mL−1. All of the extracts except U38.1 induced normal peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) proliferation, especially after 48 h of treatment at 25 µg/mL.[[notice]]補正完

Hymenochaete subpurpurascens Berk. & Broome, J. Linn. Soc., Bot.

<i> <i>S</i>.</i> <i>subpurpurascens</i> Berk. & Broome, J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 14 (no. 74): 66 (1873) [1875]/IF: 203170 <p> Current name: <i>Hymenochaete subpurpurascens</i> (Berk. & Broome) Massee, J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 27: 103 (1890) (New classification: <i>Hymenochaetaceae, Hymenochaetales, Agaricomycetes</i>)</p> <p>Typification Details: not indicated, On dead wood, Sri Lanka</p> <p>Reference: Berkeley & Broome (1875)</p>Published as part of <i>Karunarathna, Samantha C., Priyashantha, K Hasith, Tibpromma, Saowaluck, Galappaththi, Mahesh C. A., Premarathne, Bhagya M., Wijayawardene, Nalin N., Wimalasena, Madhara K., Jayalal, Udeni, Wickramanayake, Kawmini D., Dangalla, Hasanka, Jayathunga, Hashini, Brahmanage, Rashika S., Weerakoon, Gothamie, Ariyawansa, Kahandawa G. S. U., Yapa, Neelamanie, Nanayakkara, Chandrika M., Ediriweera, Surani, Fan, Xin-Lei, Kirk, Paul M., Zhang, Gui-Qing, Ediriweera, Aseni, Bhat, Jayarama, Dawoud, Turki M., Kumara, Wasantha & Deng, Chun Ying, 2023, Checklist, typification details, and nomenclature status of Basidiomycota, originally described from Sri Lanka, pp. 1-86 in Phytotaxa 621 (1)</i> on page 66, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.621.1.1, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10065102">http://zenodo.org/record/10065102</a&gt

Mutinus proximus Berk. & Broome, J. Linn. Soc., Bot.

<i> <i>M</i>.</i> <i>proximus</i> Berk. & Broome, J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 14 (no. 73): 37 (1873) [1875]/IF: 203636 <p>Typification Details: Holotype K (M), Gardner 93, On dead sticks, Sri Lanka</p> <p>Reference: Berkeley & Broome (1875)</p>Published as part of <i>Karunarathna, Samantha C., Priyashantha, K Hasith, Tibpromma, Saowaluck, Galappaththi, Mahesh C. A., Premarathne, Bhagya M., Wijayawardene, Nalin N., Wimalasena, Madhara K., Jayalal, Udeni, Wickramanayake, Kawmini D., Dangalla, Hasanka, Jayathunga, Hashini, Brahmanage, Rashika S., Weerakoon, Gothamie, Ariyawansa, Kahandawa G. S. U., Yapa, Neelamanie, Nanayakkara, Chandrika M., Ediriweera, Surani, Fan, Xin-Lei, Kirk, Paul M., Zhang, Gui-Qing, Ediriweera, Aseni, Bhat, Jayarama, Dawoud, Turki M., Kumara, Wasantha & Deng, Chun Ying, 2023, Checklist, typification details, and nomenclature status of Basidiomycota, originally described from Sri Lanka, pp. 1-86 in Phytotaxa 621 (1)</i> on page 35, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.621.1.1, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10065102">http://zenodo.org/record/10065102</a&gt

Favolus scaber Berk. & Broome, J. Linn. Soc., Bot.

<i> <i>F</i>.</i> <i>scaber</i> Berk. & Broome, J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 14 (no. 73): 57 (1873) [1875]/IF: 241279 <p> Current name: <i>Favolus tenuiculus</i> P. Beauv., Fl.Oware 1(8): 74[tab. 43,fig.2] (1806) (New classification: <i>Polyporaceae, Polyporales, Agaricomycetes</i>)</p> <p>Typification Details: K (M), Gardner 618; K (M), Gardner 46, On dead wood, Sri Lanka</p> <p>Reference: Berkeley & Broome (1873)</p>Published as part of <i>Karunarathna, Samantha C., Priyashantha, K Hasith, Tibpromma, Saowaluck, Galappaththi, Mahesh C. A., Premarathne, Bhagya M., Wijayawardene, Nalin N., Wimalasena, Madhara K., Jayalal, Udeni, Wickramanayake, Kawmini D., Dangalla, Hasanka, Jayathunga, Hashini, Brahmanage, Rashika S., Weerakoon, Gothamie, Ariyawansa, Kahandawa G. S. U., Yapa, Neelamanie, Nanayakkara, Chandrika M., Ediriweera, Surani, Fan, Xin-Lei, Kirk, Paul M., Zhang, Gui-Qing, Ediriweera, Aseni, Bhat, Jayarama, Dawoud, Turki M., Kumara, Wasantha & Deng, Chun Ying, 2023, Checklist, typification details, and nomenclature status of Basidiomycota, originally described from Sri Lanka, pp. 1-86 in Phytotaxa 621 (1)</i> on page 53, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.621.1.1, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10065102">http://zenodo.org/record/10065102</a&gt