Expeditionen ins Pilzreich Panamas : Pionierarbeit in einer der artenreichsten Regionen unserer Erde

Als Bindeglied zwischen Nord- und Südamerika ist Panama ein »Biodiversitäts-Hotspot« – es beherbergt eine außerordentlich hohe Artenvielfalt an Pflanzen, Tieren und Pilzen. Pilze übernehmen in tropischen Ökosystemen wichtige Aufgaben: Sie zersetzen totes organisches Material, helfen den Pflanzen bei der Aufnahme von Wasser und Mineralstoffen aus dem Boden, und sie leisten sogar als Parasiten einen Beitrag zum Erhalt einer großen Artenvielfalt. Aufgrund einzelner Stichproben wissen wir, dass die Anzahl der Pilzarten in den Tropen diejenige der Pflanzen um ein Vielfaches übertrifft. Doch während für Panama zirka 9500 verschiedene Arten von Gefäßpflanzen bekannt sind, zählt eine im Rahmen unserer Arbeit erstellte Checkliste der Pilze nur zirka 1800 Arten. Das zeigt, dass für die Erforschung der Pilze noch umfangreiche Pionierarbeit geleistet werden muss. Zwischen 2003 und 2006 geschah dies im Rahmen einer Universitätspartnerschaft der Universität Frankfurt mit der Universidad Autónoma de Chiriquí, die durch den Deutschen Akademischen Austauschdienst (DAAD) gefördert wurde. Im Zentrum eines Projekts der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) steht die Erforschung der Vielfalt und Ökologie pflanzenparasitischer Pilze. Des Weiteren untersucht unsere Arbeitsgruppe Pilze an Insekten sowie an menschlichen Haut- und Nagelläsionen

New records and host plants of fly-speck fungi from Panama

Fly-speck fungi are inconspicuous Ascomycota mainly found in the tropics and subtropics. They form small scutellate fruiting bodies, called thyriothecia, on the surface of host organs. They are plant parasites on living leaves and stems (Theissen, 1913; Stevens and Ryan, 1939), saprobes on dead leaves and stems (Ellis, 1976) or commensals (fungal epiphylls) on living leaves (Gilbert et al., 2006). Saprobes are found in temperate zones as well as in the tropics or subtropics. True plant parasites and commensals, which are thought to be species-rich, are delimited to tropical or subtropical regions of the world. Most fly-speck fungi belong to one of two subclasses of bitunicate Ascomycota: Chaetothyriomycetidae or Dothideomycetidae (Kirk et al., 2001). The systematic relationships between families, genera and species are not solved yet, as complete phylogenetic studies are lacking for this group, except for some members of Chaetothyriomycetidae (Berbee, 1996; Liu and Hall, 2004) and Dothideomycetidae (e.g. Tam et al., 2003). In the past, many authors described tropical fly-speck fungi (e.g. Theissen, 1913; Sydow, 1927; Hansford, 1946). During the last decades 55 members of fly-speck fungi have been described from many tropical and subtropical regions: Africa (Mibey and Hawksworth, 1997), Asia (e.g. Hosagoudar and Abraham, 1998; Song et al., 2004), Australia (Reynolds and Gilbert, 2005) and North America (e.g. Ahn and Crane, 2004). However, only Batista (1959), Batista et al. (1963) and Farr (1986, 1987) published morphologic and taxonomic studies on this group in the neotropics, and only from Brazil. As the diversity of fly-speck fungi is very high in tropical latitudes (Batista, 1959), our knowledge is still very incomplete. During recent field work in Panama, many tropical fly-speck fungi were observed. Only the flyspeck fungi Chaetothyrina panamensis (F. Stevens & Dorman) Arx (Dennis, 1970), Chaetothyriopsis panamensis F. Stevens & Dorman (Stevens, 1927), Micropeltis bakeri Syd. & P. Syd. (Cash and Watson, 1955), Yamamotoa carludovicae (Bat.) Arx & E. Müll. (Sivanesan, 1984), Scolecopeltidium bakeri (Syd. & P. Syd.) F. Stevens & Manter (Batista, 1959) and Scolecopeltidium mayteni Bat. & I.H. Lima (Gilbert et al., 1997) are known so far from Panama. In the present study six species new for Panama on several new host plants are described and illustrated. We are convinced that many more species will be found in Panama during future field work

HONGOS ENTOMOPATÓGENOS ASOCIADOS A INSECTOS RECOLECTADOS EN PLANTACIONES DE CAFÉ EN EL OESTE DE PANAMÁ

This study was carried out in order to determine the diversity of native entomopathogenic fungi associated to insects present in coffee plantations in Boquete (without the presence of Hipothenemus hampei Ferrari). Fieldwork was conducted between October and November 2005. Insects were collected with the symptoms of entomopathogenic fungi attack and were isolated and identified. A total of 33 fungal cultures were obtained from the isolation of mycelia present in samples of insects collected in the field. The cultures correspond to 7 species in 5 genera of pathogenic fungi: Acremonium charticola, A. crassum, Beauveria bassiana, B. brongniartii, Fusarium oxysporum, Lecanicillium tenuipes, Metarhizium anisopliae and Torrubiella tenuis, which were found on insects of the orders Dermaptera and Hemiptera. Of these species, only Beauveria and Acremonium have been documented in other studies as natural enemies of H. hampei. T. tenuis was the only teleomorph found infesting scale insects.  Este estudio se realizó con la finalidad de determinar la diversidad de hongos entomopatógenos nativos asociados a insectos presentes en plantaciones de café en Boquete (sin la presencia de Hypothenemus hampei Ferrari).  El trabajo de campo se realizó entre octubre y noviembre de 2005. Se recolectaron insectos con la sintomatología del ataque de hongos entomopatógenos y se aislaron e identificaron. Un total de 33 cultivos de hongos se obtuvieron del aislamiento de micelio presente en las muestras de insectos. Los cultivos corresponden a siete especies en cinco géneros de hongos patógenos: Acremonium charticola, A. crassum, Beauveria bassiana, B. brongniartii, Fusarium oxysporum, Lecanicillium tenuipes, Metarhizium anisopliae y Torrubiella tenuis, los cuales se encontraron en insectos de los órdenes Dermáptera y Hemiptera. De éstas especies, solo Acremonium y Beauveria han sido documentadas en otros estudios como enemigos naturales de H. hampei. Torrubiella tenuis fue el único teleomorfo encontrado parasitando insectos escamas

An overview of the higher level classification of Pucciniomycotina based on combined analyses of nuclear large and small subunit rDNA sequences

Mycologia, Vol. 98, nº6In this study we provide a phylogenetically based introduction to the classes and orders of Pucciniomycotina (5Urediniomycetes), one of three subphyla of Basidiomycota. More than 8000 species of Pucciniomycotina have been described including putative saprotrophs and parasites of plants, animals and fungi. The overwhelming majority of these(,90%) belong to a single order of obligate plant pathogens, the Pucciniales (5Uredinales), or rust fungi. We have assembled a dataset of previously published and newly generated sequence data from two nuclear rDNA genes (large subunit and small subunit) including exemplars from all known major groups in order to test hypotheses about evolutionary relationships among the Pucciniomycotina. The utility of combining nuc-lsu sequences spanning the entire D1-D3 region with complete nuc-ssu sequences for resolution and support of nodes is discussed. Our study confirms Pucciniomycotina as a monophyletic group of Basidiomycota. In total our results support eight major clades ranked as classes (Agaricostilbomycetes, Atractiellomycetes, Classiculomycetes,Cryptomycocolacomycetes,Cystobasidiomycetes, Microbotryomycetes,Mixiomycetes and Pucciniomycetes) and 18 orders

Global patterns in endemicity and vulnerability of soil fungi

Fungi are highly diverse organisms, which provide multiple ecosystem services. However, compared with charismatic animals and plants, the distribution patterns and conservation needs of fungi have been little explored. Here, we examined endemicity patterns, global change vulnerability and conservation priority areas for functional groups of soil fungi based on six global surveys using a high-resolution, long-read metabarcoding approach. We found that the endemicity of all fungi and most functional groups peaks in tropical habitats, including Amazonia, Yucatan, West-Central Africa, Sri Lanka, and New Caledonia, with a negligible island effect compared with plants and animals. We also found that fungi are predominantly vulnerable to drought, heat and land-cover change, particularly in dry tropical regions with high human population density. Fungal conservation areas of highest priority include herbaceous wetlands, tropical forests, and woodlands. We stress that more attention should be focused on the conservation of fungi, especially root symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal fungi in tropical regions as well as unicellular early-diverging groups and macrofungi in general. Given the low overlap between the endemicity of fungi and macroorganisms, but high conservation needs in both groups, detailed analyses on distribution and conservation requirements are warranted for other microorganisms and soil organisms

Global patterns in endemicity and vulnerability of soil fungi

Fungi are highly diverse organisms, which provide multiple ecosystem services. However, compared with charismatic animals and plants, the distribution patterns and conservation needs of fungi have been little explored. Here, we examined endemicity patterns, global change vulnerability and conservation priority areas for functional groups of soil fungi based on six global surveys using a high-resolution, long-read metabarcoding approach. We found that the endemicity of all fungi and most functional groups peaks in tropical habitats, including Amazonia, Yucatan, West-Central Africa, Sri Lanka, and New Caledonia, with a negligible island effect compared with plants and animals. We also found that fungi are predominantly vulnerable to drought, heat and land-cover change, particularly in dry tropical regions with high human population density. Fungal conservation areas of highest priority include herbaceous wetlands, tropical forests, and woodlands. We stress that more attention should be focused on the conservation of fungi, especially root symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal fungi in tropical regions as well as unicellular early-diverging groups and macrofungi in general. Given the low overlap between the endemicity of fungi and macroorganisms, but high conservation needs in both groups, detailed analyses on distribution and conservation requirements are warranted for other microorganisms and soil organisms

Connecting the multiple dimensions of global soil fungal diversity

How the multiple facets of soil fungal diversity vary worldwide remains virtually unknown, hindering the management of this essential species-rich group. By sequencing high-resolution DNA markers in over 4000 topsoil samples from natural and human-altered ecosystems across all continents, we illustrate the distributions and drivers of different levels of taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity of fungi and their ecological groups. We show the impact of precipitation and temperature interactions on local fungal species richness (alpha diversity) across different climates. Our findings reveal how temperature drives fungal compositional turnover (beta diversity) and phylogenetic diversity, linking them with regional species richness (gamma diversity). We integrate fungi into the principles of global biodiversity distribution and present detailed maps for biodiversity conservation and modeling of global ecological processes

Smut fungi (Ustilaginomycetes and Microbotryales, Basidiomycota) in Panama

This is the first publication dedicated to the diversity of smut fungi in Panama based on field work, thestudy of herbarium specimens, and references taken from literature. It includes smuts parasitizing cultivated andwild plants. The latter are mostly found in rural vegetation. Among the 24 species cited here, 14 species arerecorded for the first time for Panama. One of them, Sporisorium ovarium, is observed for the first time in CentralAmerica. Entyloma spilanthis is found on the host species Acmella papposa var. macrophylla (Asteraceae) for thefirst time. Entyloma costaricense and Entyloma ecuadorense are considered synonyms of Entyloma compositarumand Entyloma spilanthis respectively. For the new conbination Sponsorium panamensis see note at the end of thispublication. Descriptions of the species are complemented by some illustrations, a checklist, and a key.Esta es la primera publicación dedicada a ladiversidad de carbones en Panamá. Tiene su base en trabajode campo, estudio de especímenes herborizados yreferencias de la literatura. Se incluyen carbones patógenosde plantas cultivadas y silvestres. Las últimas seencontraron sobre todo en zonas rurales. Entre las 24especies citadas en este estudio, 14 especies son primerosregistros para Panamá y una de éstas, Sporisorium ovarium,para América Central. Se encontró Entyloma spilanthis porprimera vez en la planta hospedera Acmella papposa var.macrophylla (Asteraceae). Entyloma costaricense yEntyloma ecuadorense son sinónimos de Entylomacompositarum y Entyloma spilanthis respectivamente."Sphacelotheca" panamensis es una especie dudosa. Secomplementan las descripciones de las especies conalgunas ilustraciones, una lista de especies y una clave

Smut fungi (Ustilaginomycetes and Microbotryales, Basidiomycota) in Panama

This is the first publication dedicated to the diversity of smut fungi in Panama bases on field work, the study of herbarium specimens, and referentes taken from literatura. It includes smuts parasitizing cultivated and wild plants. The latter are mostly found in rural vegetation. Among the 24 species cites here, 14 species are recorded for the first time for Panama. One of them, Sporisorium ovarium, is observes for the first time in Central America. Entyloma spilanthis is found on the host species Acmella papposa var. macrophylla (Asteraceae) for the first time. Entyloma costaricense and Entyloma ecuadorense are considered synonyms of Entyloma compositarum and Entyloma spilanthis respectively. For the new conbination Sponsorium panamensis see note at the end of this publication. Descriptions of the species are complemented by some illustrations, a checklist, and a key.<br>Esta es la primera publicación dedicada a la diversidad de carbones en Panamá. Tiene su base en trabajo de campo, estudio de especímenes herborizados y referencias de la literatura. Se incluyen carbones patógenos de plantas cultivadas y silvestres. Las últimas se encontraron sobre todo en zonas rurales. Entre las 24 especies citadas en este estudio, 14 especies son primeros registros para Panamá y una de éstas, Sporisorium ovarium, para América Central. Se encontró Entyloma spilanthis por primera vez en la planta hospedera Acmella papposa var.macrophylla (Asteraceac). Entyloma costaricense y Entyloma ecuadorense son sinónimos de Entyloma compositarum y Entyloma spilanthis respectivamente. "Sphacelotheca" panamensis es una especie dudosa. Se complementan las descripciones de las especies con algunas ilustraciones, una lista de especies y una clave