Mycorrhizal colonization by Tuber aestivum has a negative effect on the vitality of oak and hazel seedlings

Ectomycorrhizal fungi have a great impact on the ecosystem in boreal and temperate regions, and it has commercial, silvicultural and crop importance as well. The summer truffle (Tuber aestivum), a common mycorrhizal partner of several trees, is a valuable ectomycorrhizal fungus since its fruit bodies (ascomata) are a popular and expensive product on the global markets. To understand the physiology and ecology of a natural forest or a plantation, the participants and relationships between them should be examined. Hence, the maximal quantum efficiency of photosystem II centers, that is vitality of half a year old oak (Quercus robur) and hazel (Corylus avellana) seedlings inoculated with summer truffle was measured. The relation between the vitality of the plants and the rate of colonization of the fungus was examined applying single and multiple linear regressions. In the case of the oak seedlings contamination of Scleroderma spp. morphotype colonization was observed. Negative relationship between rate of colonization and the vitality was detected in the case of hazel seedling and non-contaminated oak seedlings. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that there is no effect of truffle and contaminant fungi together, but alone the truffle has a negative impact. Consequently, the Scleroderma ectomycorrhiza seemed to have a balancing effect on the negative impact of summer truffle

Changes of hypogeous funga 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

Sixty-one macrofungi species new to Hungary in Őrség National Park

In this paper, an annotated checklist of macrofungi from Őrség National Park, West Hungary, is provided. A total of 726 macrofungi taxa representing 214 genera, 84 classes and 2 phyla (Asco- and Basidiomycota) were revealed. Sixty-one macrofungi species were new to the mycobiota of Hungary. Sporocarps were collected three times (in May, August and September–October) between 2009 and 2010 in 35 (40 m × 40 m) forest stands with different tree species compositions. Preferred tree species compositions and substrata of registered macrofungi are also listed

Unmatched Level of Molecular Convergence among Deeply Divergent Complex Multicellular Fungi

Convergent evolution is pervasive in nature, but it is poorly understood how various constraints and natural selection limit the diversity of evolvable phenotypes. Here, we analyze the transcriptome across fruiting body development to understand the independent evolution of complex multicellularity in the two largest clades of fungi-the Agarico- and Pezizomycotina. Despite >650 My of divergence between these clades, we find that very similar sets of genes have convergently been co-opted for complex multicellularity, followed by expansions of their gene families by duplications. Over 82% of shared multicellularity-related gene families were expanding in both clades, indicating a high prevalence of convergence also at the gene family level. This convergence is coupled with a rich inferred repertoire of multicellularityrelated genes in the most recent common ancestor of the Agarico- and Pezizomycotina, consistent with the hypothesis that the coding capacity of ancestral fungal genomes might have promoted the repeated evolution of complex multicellularity. We interpret this repertoire as an indication of evolutionary predisposition of fungal ancestors for evolving complex multicellular fruiting bodies. Our work suggests that evolutionary convergence may happen not only when organisms are closely related or are under similar selection pressures, but also when ancestral genomic repertoires render certain evolutionary trajectories more likely than others, even across large phylogenetic distances

Genomes of fungi and relatives reveal delayed loss of ancestral gene families and evolution of key fungal traits

Fungi are ecologically important heterotrophs that have radiated into most niches on Earth and fulfil key ecological services. Despite intense interest in their origins, major genomic trends of their evolutionary route from a unicellular opisthokont ancestor to derived multicellular fungi remain poorly known. Here we provide a highly resolved genome-wide catalogue of gene family changes across fungal evolution inferred from the genomes of 123 fungi and relatives. We show that a dominant trend in early fungal evolution has been the gradual shedding of protist genes and the punctuated emergence of innovation by two main gene duplication events. We find that the gene content of non-Dikarya fungi resembles that of unicellular opisthokonts in many respects, owing to the conservation of protist genes in their genomes. The most rapidly duplicating gene groups included extracellular proteins and transcription factors, as well as ones linked to the coordination of nutrient uptake with growth, highlighting the transition to a sessile osmotrophic feeding strategy and subsequent lifestyle evolution as important elements of early fungal history. These results suggest that the genomes of pre-fungal ancestors evolved into the typical filamentous fungal genome by a combination of gradual gene loss, turnover and several large duplication events rather than by abrupt changes. Consequently, the taxonomically defined Fungi represents a genomically non-uniform assemblage of species. Fungi exhibit remarkable morphological and ecological diversity. An analysis of the genomes of 123 fungi and relatives shows gradual loss of protist genes, major gene turnover and duplication leading to the evolution of modern traits of filamentous fungi