Kalapuya brunnea gen. & sp. nov. and its relationship to the other sequestrate genera in Morchellaceae

Kalapuya is described as a new, monotypic truffle genus in the Morchellaceae known only from the Pacific northwestern United States. Its relationship to other hypogeous genera within Morchellaceae is explored by phylogenetic analysis of the ribosomal LSU and EF1α protein coding region. The type species, K. brunnea, occurs in Douglas-fir forests up to about 50 y old on the west slope of the Cascade Range in Oregon and in the Coastal Ranges of Oregon and northern California. It has a roughened, warty, reddish brown to brown peridium, a solid whitish gleba that develops grayish brown mottling as the spores mature, and produces a cheesy-garlicky odor at maturity. Its smooth, ellipsoid spores resemble those of Morchella spp. but are much larger. The four hypogeous genera known in the Morchellaceae, Kalapuya, Fischerula, Imaia and Leucangium, are distinct from the epigeous genera Morchella and Verpa, but it is uncertain whether they resulted from a single transition to a hypogeous fruiting habit or from multiple independent transitions. Kalapuya, locally known as the Oregon brown truffle, has been commercially harvested for culinary use.Keywords: LSU rDNA, taxonomy, Pezizales, EF1α, Douglas-fir, Ascomycota, Fischerula, Morchellaceae, Leucangium, hypogeous fungus, truffl

The enigmatic truffle Fevansia aurantiaca is an ectomycorrhizal member of the Albatrellus lineage

Fevansia aurantiaca is an orange-colored truffle that has been collected infrequently in the Pacific Northwest of the USA. This sequestrate, hypogeous fungus was originally thought to be related to the genera Rhizopogon or Alpova in the Boletales, but the large, inflated cells in the trama and the very pale spore mass easily segregated it from these genera. To date, no molecular phylogenetic studies have determined its closest relatives. F. aurantiaca was originally discovered in leaf litter beneath Pinaceae, leading Trappe and Castellano (Mycotaxon 75:153–179, 2000) to suggest that it is an ectomycorrhizal symbiont of various members of the Pinaceae. However, without direct ecological or phylogenetic data, it is impossible to confirm the trophic mode of this truffle species. In this study, we combined phylogenetic analysis of the ITS and 28S ribosomal DNA with data on microscopic morphology to determine that F. aurantiaca is a member of the Albatrellus ectomycorrhizal lineage (Albatrellaceae, Russulales).Keywords: Albatrellaceae, Russulales, Albatrellus, Sequestrate fungi, Truffles, Ectomycorrhiz

Exploring the phylogenetic affiliations and the trophic mode of Sedecula pulvinata (Sedeculaceae)

Sedecula is a monotypic genus of hypogeous fungi that is rare and endemic to dry conifer forests of the western United States. The only known species, Sedecula pulvinata, was described in 1941 and its taxonomic placement and trophic status have remained uncertain ever since. Here we employ isotopic and molecular phylogenetic analyses to determine its nutritional mode and placement on the fungal tree of life. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that S. pulvinata is closely related to the genus Coniophora, in Coniophoraceae (Boletales). Stable isotope comparisons with known ectomycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungi together with phylogenetic evidence also suggest that S. pulvinata is saprotrophic. We conclude that Sedecula likely represents a unique morphological transition between a resupinate basidiocarp morphology (in Coniophora and relatives) and a hypogeous, sequestrate basidiocarp morphology (in Sedecula). Spore dimensions are amended from the original description.This is an author's peer-reviewed final manuscript, as accepted by the publisher. The published article is copyrighted by the Mycological Society of America and can be found at: https://doi.org/10.3852/14-11

Exploring Cosmic Origins with CORE: Cosmological Parameters

We forecast the main cosmological parameter constraints achievable with theCORE space mission which is dedicated to mapping the polarisation of the CosmicMicrowave Background (CMB). CORE was recently submitted in response to ESA'sfifth call for medium-sized mission proposals (M5). Here we report the resultsfrom our pre-submission study of the impact of various instrumental options, inparticular the telescope size and sensitivity level, and review the great,transformative potential of the mission as proposed. Specifically, we assessthe impact on a broad range of fundamental parameters of our Universe as afunction of the expected CMB characteristics, with other papers in the seriesfocusing on controlling astrophysical and instrumental residual systematics. Inthis paper, we assume that only a few central CORE frequency channels areusable for our purpose, all others being devoted to the cleaning ofastrophysical contaminants. On the theoretical side, we assume LCDM as ourgeneral framework and quantify the improvement provided by CORE over thecurrent constraints from the Planck 2015 release. We also study the jointsensitivity of CORE and of future Baryon Acoustic Oscillation and Large ScaleStructure experiments like DESI and Euclid. Specific constraints on the physicsof inflation are presented in another paper of the series. In addition to thesix parameters of the base LCDM, which describe the matter content of aspatially flat universe with adiabatic and scalar primordial fluctuations frominflation, we derive the precision achievable on parameters like thosedescribing curvature, neutrino physics, extra light relics, primordial heliumabundance, dark matter annihilation, recombination physics, variation offundamental constants, dark energy, modified gravity, reionization and cosmicbirefringence. (ABRIDGED

Exploring the phylogenetic affiliations and the trophic mode of Sedecula pulvinata (Sedeculaceae)

Sedecula is a monotypic genus of hypogeous fungi that is rare and endemic to dry conifer forests of the western United States. The only known species, Sedecula pulvinata, was described in 1941 and its taxonomic placement and trophic status have remained uncertain ever since. Here we employ isotopic and molecular phylogenetic analyses to determine its nutritional mode and placement on the fungal tree of life. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that S. pulvinata is closely related to the genus Coniophora, in Coniophoraceae (Boletales). Stable isotope comparisons with known ectomycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungi together with phylogenetic evidence also suggest that S. pulvinata is saprotrophic. We conclude that Sedecula likely represents a unique morphological transition between a resupinate basidiocarp morphology (in Coniophora and relatives) and a hypogeous, sequestrate basidiocarp morphology (in Sedecula). Spore dimensions are amended from the original description

Diversity of Mat-Forming Fungi in Relation to Soil Properties, Disturbance, and Forest Ecotype at Crater Lake National Park, Oregon, USA

In forest ecosystems, fungal mats are functionally important in nutrient and water uptake in litter and wood decomposition processes, in carbon resource allocation, soil weathering and in cycling of soil resources. Fungal mats can occur abundantly in forests and are widely distributed globally. We sampled ponderosa pine/white fir and mountain hemlock/noble fir communities at Crater Lake National Park for mat-forming soil fungi. Fungus collections were identified by DNA sequencing. Thirty-eight mat-forming genotypes were identified; members of the five most common genera (Gautieria, Lepiota, Piloderma, Ramaria, and Rhizopogon) comprised 67% of all collections. The mycorrhizal genera Alpova and Lactarius are newly identified as ectomycorrhizal mat-forming taxa, as are the saprotrophic genera Flavoscypha, Gastropila, Lepiota and Xenasmatella. Twelve typical mat forms are illustrated, representing both ectomycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungi that were found. Abundance of fungal mats was correlated with higher soil carbon to nitrogen ratios, fine woody debris and needle litter mass in both forest ecotypes. Definitions of fungal mats are discussed, along with some of the challenges in defining what comprises a fungal “mat”