Hongos orquidioides del género-forma Rhizoctonia asociados a las raíces de Chloraea cuneata Lindl. de la Araucanía, Chile

Chloraea cuneata es una orquídea endémica de Chile en Peligro Crítico de Extinción. Se aislaron e identificaron hongos orquidioides apartir de pelotones ubicados en células corticales de sus raíces pertenecientes al género-forma Rhizoctonia, teleomorfo Thanatephorus(multinucleado), los que podrían ser usados en iniciativas de conservación.Chloraea cuneata es una orquídea endémica de Chile en Peligro Crítico de Extinción. Se aislaron e identificaron hongos orquidioides apartir de pelotones ubicados en células corticales de sus raíces pertenecientes al género-forma Rhizoctonia, teleomorfo Thanatephorus(multinucleado), los que podrían ser usados en iniciativas de conservación

Pushing the Frontiers of Biodiversity Research: Unveiling the Global Diversity, Distribution, and Conservation of Fungi

Fungi comprise approximately 20% of all eukaryotic species and are connected to virtually all life forms on Earth. Yet, their diversity remains contentious, their distribution elusive, and their conservation neglected. We aim to flip this situation by synthesizing current knowledge. We present a revised estimate of 2–3 million fungal species with a “best estimate” at 2.5 million. To name the unknown >90% of these by the end of this century, we propose recognition of species known only from DNA data and call for large-scale sampling campaigns. We present an updated global map of fungal richness, highlighting tropical and temperate ecoregions of high diversity. We call for further Red List assessments and enhanced management guidelines to aid fungal conservation. Given that fungi play an inseparable role in our lives and in all ecosystems, and considering the fascinating questions remaining to be answered, we argue that fungi constitute the next frontier of biodiversity research

Hongos micorrícicos asociados a Codonorchis lessonii (Brongn.) Lindl., una orquídea terrestre de Chile

Almost all orchid species depend on association with fungal partners. These fungal species facilitate orchid seed germinationand promote growth and possibly stress tolerance in adult plants, both in the field and laboratory conditions. Codonorchislessonii is a terrestrial orchid, endemic to southern Chile and Argentina with a currently unknown conservation status.Previous studies have reported Rhizoctonia-like fungi associated with C. lessonii in Argentina, but their fungal partnersin Chilean populations are unknown. This study aims to characterize and isolate the mycorrhizal fungi associated withadult individuals of C. lessonii from three different populations in Central-South Chile. Root sections showing pelotonswere used for the isolation and identification of the fungal taxa. Radial fungal growth was measured for all mycelialisolates. The presence of binucleate cells placed all isolates within the families Ceratobasidiaceae and Tulasnellaceaeand the identification was confirmed by molecular analysis. Fungal isolates belonging to Ceratobasidiaceae grew at ahigher rate than those from Tulasnellaceae. Phylogenetic analyses showed that different fungal partners associate with thisorchid, suggesting relatively low specificity. The isolation and identification of the fungal partners of C. lessonii could helpunderstand its ecology and contribute in future restoration and propagation initiatives for the species.La mayoría de las especies de orquídeas dependen de la asociación con hongos. Estas especies de hongos facilitan lagerminación de las semillas promueven el crecimiento y, posiblemente, la tolerancia al estrés en plantas adultas tanto enterreno como en condiciones de laboratorio. Codonorchis lessonii es una orquídea terrestre, endémica del sur de Chile yArgentina, con un estado de conservación desconocido. Estudios previos han reportado hongos tipo Rhizoctonia asociadoscon C. lessonii en Argentina, pero los hongos asociados a las poblaciones chilenas no se conocen. Este estudio apuntaa caracterizar y aislar los hongos micorrícicos asociados con individuos adultos de C. lessonii de tres poblaciones en lazona centro-sur de Chile. Secciones de raíz con evidencia de pelotones se usaron para aislación e identificación de lostaxa fúngicos. El crecimiento radial de los hongos se midió en todos los aislados de micelio. La presencia de célulasbinucleadas ubica a todos los aislados dentro de las familias Ceratobasidiaceae y Tulasnellaceae, identificación confirmadacon el análisis molecular. Los aislados de las Ceratobasidiaceae crecieron a una tasa mayor que los de las Tulasnellaceae.El análisis filogenético mostró que diferentes hongos se asocian con esta orquídea, sugiriendo una baja especificidad. Laidentificación y aislamiento de hongos asociados con C. lessonii podría ayudar a entender su ecología y contribuir a futurasiniciativas de propagación y restauración de esta especie

Ecology of Alpine Macrofungi - Combining Historical with Recent Data

Historical datasets of living communities are important because they can be used to document creeping shifts in species compositions. Such a historical data set exists for alpine fungi. From 1941 to 1953, the Swiss geologist Jules Favre visited yearly the region of the Swiss National Park and recorded the occurring fruiting bodies of fungi >1 mm (so-called “macrofungi”) in the alpine zone. Favre can be regarded as one of the pioneers of alpine fungal ecology not least because he noted location, elevation, geology, and associated plants during his numerous excursions. However, some relevant information is only available in his unpublished field-book. Overall, Favre listed 204 fungal species in 26 sampling sites, with 46 species being previously unknown. The analysis of his data revealed that the macrofungi recorded belong to two major ecological groups, either they are symbiotrophs and live in ectomycorrhizal associations with alpine plant hosts, or they are saprotrophs and decompose plant litter and soil organic matter. The most frequent fungi were members of Inocybe and Cortinarius, which form ectomycorrhizas with Dryas octopetala or the dwarf alpine Salix species. The scope of the present study was to combine Favre’s historical dataset with more recent data, either with the “SwissFungi” database or with data from major studies of the French and German Alps, and with the data from novel high-throughput DNA sequencing techniques of soils from the Swiss Alps. Results of the latter application revealed, that problems associated with these new techniques are manifold and species determination remains often unclear. At this point, the fungal taxa collected by Favre and deposited as exsiccata at the “Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques de la Ville de Genève” could be used as a reference sequence dataset for alpine fungal studies. In conclusion, it can be postulated that new improved databases are urgently necessary for the near future, particularly, with regard to investigating fungal communities from alpine regions using new techniques

The state of the world’s urban ecosystems: What can we learn from trees, fungi, and bees?

Publication history: Accepted - 2 July 2020; Published online - 29 September 2020Trees are a foundation for biodiversity in urban ecosystems and therefore must be able to withstand global change and biological challenges over decades and even centuries to prevent urban ecosystems from deteriorating. Tree quality and diversity should be prioritized over simply numbers to optimize resilience to these challenges. Successful establishment and renewal of trees in cities must also consider belowground (e.g., mycorrhizas) and aboveground (e.g., pollinators) interactions to ensure urban ecosystem longevity, biodiversity conservation and continued provision of the full range of ecosystem services provided by trees. Positive interactions with nature inspire people to live more sustainable lifestyles that are consistent with stopping biodiversity loss and to participate in conservation actions such as tree‐planting and supporting pollinators. Interacting with nature simultaneously provides mental and physical health benefits to people. Since most people live in cities, here we argue that urban ecosystems provide important opportunities for increasing engagement with nature and educating people about biodiversity conservation. While advocacy on biodiversity must communicate in language that is relevant to a diverse audience, over‐simplified messaging, may result in unintended negative outcomes. For example, tree planting actions typically focus on numbers rather than diversity while the call to save bees has inspired unsustainable proliferation of urban beekeeping that may damage wild bee conservation through increased competition for limited forage in cities and disease spread. Ultimately multiple ecosystem services must be considered (and measured) to optimize their delivery in urban ecosystems and messaging to promote the value of nature in cities must be made widely available and more clearly defined.Animal Plant Health Agency (UK). Grant Number: 88566670

KEYLINK: towards a more integrative soil representation for inclusion in ecosystem scale models. I. review and model concept

The relatively poor simulation of the below-ground processes is a severe drawback for many ecosystem models, especially when predicting responses to climate change and management. For a meaningful estimation of ecosystem production and the cycling of water, energy, nutrients and carbon, the integration of soil processes and the exchanges at the surface is crucial. It is increasingly recognized that soil biota play an important role in soil organic carbon and nutrient cycling, shaping soil structure and hydrological properties through their activity, and in water and nutrient uptake by plants through mycorrhizal processes. In this article, we review the main soil biological actors (microbiota, fauna and roots) and their effects on soil functioning. We review to what extent they have been included in soil models and propose which of them could be included in ecosystem models. We show that the model representation of the soil food web, the impact of soil ecosystem engineers on soil structure and the related effects on hydrology and soil organic matter (SOM) stabilization are key issues in improving ecosystem-scale soil representation in models. Finally, we describe a new core model concept (KEYLINK) that integrates insights from SOM models, structural models and food web models to simulate the living soil at an ecosystem scale

Do Ectomycorrhizal Trees Select Ectomycorrhizal Fungi That Enhance Phosphorus Uptake under Nitrogen Enrichment?

Globally, forests are impacted by atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition, affecting their structure and functioning above and below ground. All trees form mutualistic root symbioses with mycorrhizal fungi. Of the two kinds of mycorrhizal symbioses of trees, the ectomycorrhizal (EcM) symbiosis is much more sensitive to N enrichment than the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis. Due to increasing N deposition, significant declines in the richness and abundance of EcM fungal species and shifts in community composition and functional traits have been recorded. Under increasing N deposition, ectomycorrhizal forests usually show enhanced foliar mass fractions of N, reduced foliar mass fractions of phosphorus (P), and, consequently, an increasing imbalance in the foliar N:P stoichiometry, ultimately impacting tree performance. The question has been raised of whether, under conditions of high N deposition, EcM trees can select EcM fungi that are both tolerant to high N availability and efficient in the acquisition of P, which could to some extent mitigate the negative impact of N deposition on nutrient balances. Here we evaluate the literature for mechanisms through which certain EcM fungi could increase P acquisition under increased N loading. We find very little evidence that under N enrichment, EcM fungi that have on average higher P efficiency might be selected and thereby prevent or delay tree N:P imbalances. However, methodological issues in some of these studies make it imperative to treat this conclusion with caution. Considering the importance of avoiding tree N:P disbalances under N enrichment and the need to restore EcM forests that have suffered from long-term excess N loading, further research into this question is urgently required

What’s for dinner? Undescribed species of porcini in a commercial packet

Accurate diagnosis of the components of our food and a standard lexicon for clear communication is essential for regulating global food trade and identifying food frauds. Reliable identification of wild collected foods can be particularly difficult, especially when they originate in under-documented regions or belong to poorly known groups such as Fungi. Porcini, one of the most widely traded wild edible mushrooms in the world, are large and conspicuous and they are used as a food both on their own and in processed food products. China is a major exporter of porcini, most of it ending up in Europe. We used DNA-sequencing to identify three species of mushroom contained within a commercial packet of dried Chinese porcini purchased in London. Surprisingly, all three have never been formally described by science and required new scientific names. This demonstrates the ubiquity of unknown fungal diversity even in widely traded commercial food products from one of the most charismatic and least overlooked groups of mushrooms. Our rapid analysis and description makes it possible to reliably identify these species, allowing their harvest to be monitored and their presence tracked in the food chain