Mineral composition of hypogeous fungi in Hungary

In the course of the work, 93 samples from 17 hypogeous fungus species belonging to 6 genera were taken from various habitats in Hungary and were analysed for the concentrations of 22 elements using the inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy ICP method. All the measurements were made in three independent replications.The data were compared with the element contents of 625 epigeous fungi, previously determined using the same method. For all the genera, the elements present in the highest concentrations on a dry matter basis were potassium (6990-29590 ppm) and phosphorus (3400-9140 ppm). These were followed by the macroelements calcium (330-2190 ppm), magnesium (810-1000 ppm) and sodium (110-2990), and the microelements aluminium (30-450 ppm), zinc (60-340 ppm), iron (30-120 ppm) and copper (25-75 ppm), in different orders for each genus.Until now the element contents of fungi have mostly been analysed to determine the nutritional value of edible fungi, and the data on other elements for instance total minerals are insuffi cient for further comparisons (MATTILA et al., 2001).Very little work has been published on the mineral contents of hypogeous large fungi, despite the fact that these include commercially important species such as Tuber aestivum and T. melanosporum (IAN et al., 2003). Most of the previous papers exhibited the following characteristics: (1) some species (e.g. Terfezia species, Tuber melanosporum) were investigated more frequently, and others rarely, if at all; (2) the analyses concentrated chiefly on toxicological and/or environmental aspects; (3) measurements were only made on a few elements (important from the nutritional point of view); (4) only cultivated fungi were included in the studies. The aim of the present work was to determine the element contents of various species of hypogeous fungi in order to answer the following questions: (1) Which characteristic differences can be observed between the element contents of hypogeous and epigeous fungi? (2) Which differences characterise the element contents of various genera of hypogeous fungi? (3) Is there any signifi cant difference between the element contents of hypogeous Ascomycota and Basidiomycota genera? (4) Can any significant difference be observed between the element contents of edible and non-edible hypogeous fungi

Preliminary notes on dual relevance of ITS sequences and pigments in Hygrocybe taxonomy

The relationships based on ITS sequences of 48 Hygrocybe s.l. specimens were studied and compared with previously described taxonomic groups. Our specimens formed two well separated genetic groups. The first one includes the species characterized by vivid yellow and red colours, while species belonging to other clades were pallid or pale brown, and in most cases with pink or olive tones. This separation is supported by the presence of muscaflavin pigments among some species referred to Hygrocybe (Bresinsky & Kronawitter 1986). The subgenera distinguished by morphological features can be relatively well recognized on phylogenetic trees, however, the majority of sections were not supported. Variability in the ITS region of Hygrocybe species is unusually high. In some cases sequences differed by more than 25 %, and the lengths of ITS regions also showed large differences. Taxa that were considered as closely related, e.g. the H. conica aggregate, were found to have identical or highly similar sequences. Our results seem to confirm the taxonomic concept of Bresinsky (2008) who proposed the division of the genus Hygrocybe. Hence H. calyptriformis and all examined members of subg. Gliophorus (H. irrigata, H. laeta, H. nitrata, H. psittacina) and subg. Cuphophyllus could be excluded from the genus Hygrocybe s.str. Based on these results further research using DNA markers at the intergeneric level is suggested to revaluate the taxonomy of former Hygrocybe species

Species Delimitation in Taxonomically Difficult Fungi: The Case of Hymenogaster

False truffles are ecologically important as mycorrhizal partners of trees and evolutionarily highly interesting as the result of a shift from epigeous mushroom-like to underground fruiting bodies. Since its first description by Vittadini in 1831, inappropriate species concepts in the highly diverse false truffle genus Hymenogaster has led to continued confusion, caused by a large variety of prevailing taxonomical opinions.In this study, we reconsidered the species delimitations in Hymenogaster based on a comprehensive collection of Central European taxa comprising more than 140 fruiting bodies from 20 years of field work. The ITS rDNA sequence dataset was subjected to phylogenetic analysis as well as clustering optimization using OPTSIL software.Among distinct species concepts from the literature used to create reference partitions for clustering optimization, the broadest concept resulted in the highest agreement with the ITS data. Our results indicate a highly variable morphology of H. citrinus and H. griseus, most likely linked to environmental influences on the phenology (maturity, habitat, soil type and growing season). In particular, taxa described in the 19(th) century frequently appear as conspecific. Conversely, H. niveus appears as species complex comprising seven cryptic species with almost identical macro- and micromorphology. H. intermedius and H. huthii are described as novel species, each of which with a distinct morphology intermediate between two species complexes. A revised taxonomy for one of the most taxonomically difficult genera of Basidiomycetes is proposed, including an updated identification key. The (semi-)automated selection among species concepts used here is of importance for the revision of taxonomically problematic organism groups in general

Changes of hypogeous fungi in the Carpathian-Pannonian region in the past centuries

The exploration of hypogeous fungi in the Carpathian-Pannonian region speeded up in the past decades, owing to the widespread of truffle hunting with dogs. As a result, not only several new species were found in the region, but our view of the frequency of truffles also changed fundamentally. It became evident that Tuber aestivum, T. brumale, T. macrosporum, T. magnatum, T. mesentericum and Mattirolomyces terfezioides can be collected in commercial quantity. Among the dog preferred hypogeous fungi (DPH) several species, earlier believed to be rare like Octaviania asterosperma and Stephensia bombycina, also occurred. The taxonomic alterations and revisions brought about changes in the list of hypogeous fungi, and further changes are expected from molecular taxonomy research on a number of genera at present

Description of am fungi species from semiarid open sandy grasslands in Hungary

The spores of 6 species of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi (Glomeromycota) were collected, described and illustrated in three different habitats of semiarid open sandy grasslands in Hungary (Nagykáta, Domonyvölgy, Fülöpháza). Glomus constrictum, G. corymbiforme, G. microcarpum, Sclerocystis sinuosa, Scutellospora dipurpurescens, and S. persica are reported firstly from Hungary