Les champignons ectomycorrhiziens consommés par les Bassar et les Kabyè, peuples riverains du Parc National Fazao-Malfakassa (PNFM) au Togo (Afrique de l'Ouest)

The wild edible mushrooms are often used by people who live around the PNFM of Togo. To know better the ecto-mycorrhizal taxa used and to document the endogenous knowledge, surveys on ethno-mycological knowledge were conducted in the city of Bassar from the ethnic group of Bassar and in the village of Hezoudè from Kabyè ethnic group. During this study, based on semi-structural ethno-mycological survey, 432 people aged 10 to 80 years from the Kabyè and Bassar areas are interviewed via focus group and/or individual interviews. After ethno-mycological investigations, 23 taxa are known as edible. The ethno-mycological indices such as Use Value (UV), Index of Fisher (p) and Index of Importance Value (IVI) are calculated to test the knowledge on the different use of mushrooms by the two ethnic groups. The study revealed that there is no significant difference regarding the number of consumed taxa for each ethnic group and the levels of their traditional knowledge. The study also showed that the traditional ethno-mycological knowledge of the population varies according to age, the ethnical group and sex. The elders are proven to be the holders of the best mycological knowledge. The most ecto-mycorrhizal mushrooms consumed are Amanita loosii, Russula oleifera and Cantharellus congolensis. These preliminary data indicate that the ecto-mycorrhizal mushrooms and their uses are well known by the people who live around the PNFM. Keywords: Edible ecto-mycorrhizal mushrooms, exploitation, ethnic groups, National Park Fazao-Malfakassa, Togo.Les champignons sauvages sont très prisés par les populations riveraines du PNFM du Togo. Pour mieux connaître les taxa ecto-mycorrhiziens consommés et documenter les connaissances endogènes, une étude réalisée sur les connaissances ethno-mycologiques traditionnelles dans la ville de Bassar auprès des peuples Bassar et dans le village de Hezoudè auprès des peuples Kabyè a été couplée à des observations de terrain. Les enquêtes ethno-mycologiques semi-structurées ont été réalisées sur 432 personnes d’âge compris entre 10 ans et 80 ans. Vingt trois (23) taxa sont connus comme étant comestibles. Les indices ethno-mycologiques tels que la valeur d’usage (VU), l’indice de diversité de Fisher (p), l’indice de valeur d’importance (IVI) ont été calculés pour tester les connaissances sur les différents usages des champignons. L’étude a révélé qu’il n’existe pas de différence significative en ce qui concerne les niveaux de connaissances traditionnelles par chaque groupe ethnique et le nombre de taxa consommés. L’étude a montré que les connaissances mycologiques traditionnelles de ces populations varient en fonction de l’âge, de l’ethnie et du sexe. Les champignons ecto-mycorrhiziens les plus consommés sont Amanita loosii, Russula oleifera et Cantharellus congolensis. Ces données préliminaires ont montré que les champignons ecto-mycorrhiziens sont bien connus des populations riveraines du PNFM. Mots clés: Champignons ecto-mycorrhiziens comestibles, exploitation, groupes ethniques, Parc National Fazao-Malfakassa, Togo

Miscellaneous Contribution to the Anatomy and Molecular phylogeny of tropical African resupinate Thelephorales (Basidiomycota, Fungi)

The Thelephorales (Basidiomycota, Fungi) form a monophyletic group with approximately 177 accepted species. The Thelephorales are cosmopolitan and encompass mainly ectomycorrhizal species. Unlike many fungal lineages, evolutionary trends within and between members of Thelephorales still remain incompletely assessed. Additionally, most phylogenetic investigations on fungi have failed to include representative samples from tropical Africa. In the present study started four years ago, we have assessed and documented some of the diversity of tropical African Thelephorales. It represents a part of a future broader but continuous project aiming for a complete monograph, and highlighting the anatomical and molecular relevance of tropical species in the evolutionary interpretation of Thelephorales in general. The study was started in the northern Guinean seasonal forests, located from central to north Benin (West Africa). Northern Guinean seasonal forests are characterised by a low specific plant richness, but predominated by a few ectomycorrhizal trees of the Caesalpiniaceae (Isoberlinia doka Craib & Stapf Isoberlinia tomenteosa (Harms) Craib & Stapf, Burkea africana Hook., and Afzelia africana Smith), Dipterocarpaceae (Monothes kerstingii Gilg.) and Euphorbiaceae (Uapaca guineensis Müll. Arg.). Four collecting trips were undertaken during the rainy seasons of 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006. Specimens of Thelephorales and soil cores were randomly sampled under native ectomycorrhizal trees. The collecting trips yielded over 800 specimens of Thelephorales and 60 EcM samples in total. Taxonomic investigations and species concepts of the specimens were assessed using a combination of both molecular and anatomo-morphological approaches. All examined specimens were sorted into 19 morphologically different species. In this dissertation four new species are described and illustrated. A full description is provided for each species, together with reliable line drawings and, where possible, with SEM micrographs. Anatomic studies have confirmed and emphasised the commonality of irregularly shaped thin hyphae on the rhizomorph surfaces of many African species. Novel anatomical features hitherto unknown within Thelephorales, and rarely recorded for Hymenomycetes in general, are recorded. Detailed anatomical comparison with type species has enabled us to depict fundamental arguments about the discrimination of thelephoroid genera. We report fundamental differences in spore ornamentation between African and temperate tomentelloid species. Using molecular PCR methods, we confirmed the high divergence rate of the ITS regions of thelephoroid fungi. Within morphologically close specimens, the ITS rDNA sequence deviation generally ranges between 0.0 to 2.68%. However, genetic distance between some specimens (e.g.Tomentella furcata Yorou & Agerer and T. cf. furcata nom. prov.) illustrates how morphologically convergent specimens may be greatly divergent with regard to their ITS rDNA. Phylogenetically, tropical African species of Thelephorales are either basal or terminal within various clades of investigated temperate, boreal and tropical species. Generally, they highly deviate from temperate and boreal closest species by 4.3 to 12.9% with regard to the ITS rDNA sequences. Northern Guinean seasonal forests harbour a great diversity of Thelephorales that are, however, hard to detect due to the down-facing growth of fruit bodies of most resupinate Thelephorales, and the annual burning of required substrates. Only one species, Tomentella africana Yorou & Agerer, is widespread and commonly recorded. Many other species occur scarcely on fragmented substrates. Though the Thelephorales are cosmopolitan, we failed to record species that are reported to have a worldwide distribution. Notably, representatives of the resupinate thelephoroid genera Pseudotomentella Svrček and Tomentellopsis Hjortstam were missing, as well as species of the mainly temperately distributed family Bankeraceae. In this study, we provide evidence of the ectomycorrhizal formation between Thelephorales and native tropical African forest trees. Anatomical and molecular characterisation of ectomycorrhizae formed between Thelephorales and native West African forest trees (namely Afzelia africana and Uapaca guineensis) are provided for the first time. The present studies are based on original material collected in some Ceasalpinioid /Euphorbiaceae-dominated vegetation types found from central to north Benin. The Zambesian Centre of Endemism, located in South-East Africa, also harbours a variety of different ectomycorrhizal trees including Brachstegia spp, Julbernadia spp, and Isoberlinia spp. Stands dominated by monospecific ectomycorrhizal forest trees are also present in the rain forests of South Cameroon. The variety of ectomycorrhizal tree species present in tropical Africa implies a greater species richness of Thelephorales than that currently reported from Benin. The present thesis represents a keystone study and provides baseline data for a continuing monograph of Thelephorales in tropical Africa. Intensive monographic and taxonomical investigations will undoubtedly reveal many interesting, and probably plesiomorphic, anatomical features from tropical Thelephorales. In this context, detailed anatomical investigations integrated with DNA sequence analyses and phylogenetic inferences are promising tools for discriminating thelephoroid species in general, and tropical ones in particular. Taxonomic novelties in this study: Tomentella capitata Yorou & Agerer Tomentella brunneocystidia Yorou & Agerer Tomentella furcata Yorou & Agerer Tomentella africana Yorou & Agere

New species and a new record of Phylloporia from Benin

Gefördert durch den Publikationsfonds der Universität Kasse

Unravelling unexplored diversity of cercosporoid fungi (Mycosphaerellaceae, Mycosphaerellales, Ascomycota) in tropical Africa

Cercosporoid fungi (Mycosphaerellaceae, Mycosphaerellales, Ascomycota) are one of the largest and most diverse groups of hyphomycetes causing a wide range of diseases of economically important plants as well as of plants in the wild. Although more than 6000 species are known for this group, the documentation of this fungal group is far from complete. Especially in the tropics, the diversity of cercosporoid fungi is poorly known. The present study aims to identify and characterise cercosporoid fungi collected on host plants belonging to Fabaceae in Benin, West Africa. Information on their morphology, host species and DNA sequence data (18S rDNA, 28S rDNA, ITS and tef1) is provided. DNA sequence data were obtained by a simple and non-culture-based method for DNA isolation which has been applied for cercosporoid fungi for the first time in the context of the present study. Among the loci used for the phylogenetic analysis, tef1 provided the best resolution together with the multigene dataset. Species delimitation in many cases, however, was only possible by combining molecular sequence data with morphological characteristics. Based on forty specimens recently collected in Benin, 18 species are presented with morphological descriptions, illustrations and sequence data. Among these, six species in the genus Cercospora and two species in Pseudocercospora are proposed as species new to science. The newly described species are Cercospora (C.) beninensis on Crotalaria macrocalyx, C. parakouensis on Desmodium tortuosum, C. rhynchophora on Vigna unguiculata, C. vignae-subterraneae on Vigna subterranea, C. tentaculifera on Vigna unguiculata, C. zorniicola on Zornia glochidiata, Pseudocercospora sennicola on Senna occidentalis and Pseudocercospora tabei on Vigna unguiculata. Eight species of cercosporoid fungi are reported for Benin for the first time, three of them, namely C. cf. canscorina, C. cf. fagopyri and C. phaseoli-lunati are new for West Africa. The presence of two species of cercosporoid fungi on Fabaceae previously reported from Benin, namely Nothopassalora personata and Passalora arachidicola, is confirmed

Genetic diversity and population differentiation in Earliella scabrosa, a pantropical species of Polyporales

Abstract Earliella scabrosa is a pantropical species of Polyporales (Basidiomycota) and well-studied concerning its morphology and taxonomy. However, its pantropical intraspecific genetic diversity and population differentiation is unknown. We initiated this study to better understand the genetic variation within E. scabrosa and to test if cryptic species are present. Sequences of three DNA regions, the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS), the large subunit ribosomal DNA (LSU), and the translation elongation factor (EF1α) were analysed for 66 samples from 15 geographical locations. We found a high level of genetic diversity (haplotype diversity, Hd = 0.88) and low nucleotide diversity (π = 0.006) across the known geographical range of E. scabrosa based on ITS sequences. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) indicates that the genetic variability is mainly found among geographical populations. The results of Mantel tests confirmed that the genetic distance among populations of E. scabrosa is positively correlated with the geographical distance, which indicates that geographical isolation is an important factor for the observed genetic differentiation. Based on phylogenetic analyses of combined dataset ITS-LSU-EF1α, the low intraspecific divergences (0–0.3%), and the Automated Barcode Gap Discovery (ABGD) analysis, E. scabrosa can be considered as a single species with five different geographical populations. Each population might be in the process of allopatric divergence and in the long-term they may evolve and become distinct species

Diversity of Trametes (Polyporales, Basidiomycota) in tropical Benin and description of new species Trametes parvispora

Gefördert durch den Publikationsfonds der Universität Kasse

Soil Horizons Harbor Differing Fungal Communities

In the present study, the mycobiomes of two soils with different ecological conditions located in Benin (West Africa) were investigated by environmental sequencing (Illumina MiSeq) of the ITS2-region of ribosomal DNA to gain information about the influence of pedological stratification on fungal diversity. For each soil depth and horizon, fungal diversity and community composition were analyzed as well as the potential impact of site characteristics, like vegetation, on these traits. The retrieved sequences revealed in all their replicates high similarities between fungal communities of samples from the same site and soil horizon, but differed within one site in their horizons. It was possible to assign a saprotrophic, symbiotrophic, or parasitic lifestyle to 24% of the recorded fungal mOTUs. Plant parasites were found in all samples in similar proportions. The presence of ectomycorrhizal fungi in one site could be linked to the presence of ectomycorrhizal trees. Overall, it was observed that fungal diversity decreased with increasing depth if only one horizon was present, whereas a deeper horizon present at one site contained communities with a distinct composition regarding the taxonomical affiliations and lifestyles of the fungi found compared to the upper layer. Hence, soil horizonation seems to drive differences in the composition of fungal communities, and should be regarded with more attention when analyzing soil mycobiomes

Genetic diversity and symbiotic effectiveness of indigenous root nodulating bacteria associated with soybean in Benin (West Africa)

Nitrogen is one of the deficient nutrients for soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] cropping and can be fully supplied by the biological nitrogen fixation process. Assessment of soybean indigenous rhizobia is very important for identifying strains potentially useful as bio-fertilizer. This study was carried out to assess the genetic diversity, symbiotic effectiveness (SE) and tolerance to abiotic stresses of soybean rhizobia strains from three agroecological zones in Benin. Isolation was performed following standard procedures for Rhizobium study. Symbiotic effectiveness of strains was assessed by inoculating them to soybean seedling in greenhouse and ability of nineteen nodulated strains to promote tolerance to pH, salinity and temperature was tested on specific medium. Nodule number (NN), shoot, root and nodule dry weight (SDW, RDW and NDW respectively), shoot nitrogen content (SNC) and percent of nitrogen derived from the atmosphere (%Nfda) were recorded. Most of the strains were found to be sensitive to extreme pH (3 and 11), high temperature (45°C) and elevated salt concentration (3%), with the presence of some outliers. Nodulation on soybean roots was achieved in 58% of isolated strains. The highest and lowest NN were recorded for the strains BANIL1b and TCHBA2b (66 and 13 nodules plant-1 respectively). Interestingly, the strains varied greatly for their SE relative to the un-inoculated N-fertilized control, with values ranging from 39.95 to 109.09

New and Interesting Cantharellus from Tropical Africa

This paper deals with some of the larger, more or less yellowish or orange Cantharellus species from the tropical African woodlands and rain forests. Four new species with clamp connections are described: Cantharellus guineensis, C. mikemboensis, C. pseudomiomboensis and C. stramineus. The new taxa show moderate to strong resemblance to either Cantharellus rufopunctatus or C. miomboensis. A two-locus phylogeny, based on part of the protein coding genes rpb2 and tef-1, resolved them as a highly supported clade within Cantharellus subgenus Rubrinus, a subgenus still exclusively composed of tropical African species. This monophyletic clade is here described as a new section within subg. Rubrinus. As the subgenus was previously defined as being composed of chanterelles lacking clamp connections, the definition of the subgenus is here amended. Illustrations and new records are also presented for Cantharellus afrocibarius, C. defibulatus, C. miomboensis, C. rufopunctatus and C. sublaevis. This paper provides first sequences for C. defibulatus, C. rufopunctatus and C. sublaevis, all of which are here epitypified, as well as new sequences for more than a dozen other Cantharellus. Cantharellus cibarius var. latifolius is considered a synonym of C. afrocibarius. An identification key to all mainland African Cantharellus is proposed