A New Species and Eight New Records of Ascomycetes from Freshwater Niches in Korea.

Freshwater ascomycetes are fungi that play an important role in the decomposition of submerged plant debris in freshwater habitats. At present, approximately 3000 species of ascomycetes have been described from freshwater habitats. However, the number of fungi in freshwater habitats in South Korea is small, and many species are still completely unknown.

The Impact of Species Tree Estimation Error on Cophylogenetic Reconstruction.

Just as a phylogeny encodes the evolutionary relationships among a group of organisms, a cophylogeny represents the coevolutionary relationships among symbiotic partners. Both are primarily reconstructed using computational analysis of biomolecular sequence data. The most widely used cophylogenetic reconstruction methods utilize an important simplifying assumption: species phylogenies for each set of coevolved taxa are required as input and assumed to be correct.

Pangeneric analyses reveal the divergent genome evolution and ecologies between morels and truffles in the Morchellaceae.

Morels are iconic macrofungi known for their culinary value and spring emergence. Molecular phylogenetic studies have hitherto failed to elucidate the evolution of the ecological lifestyles of true and false morels, impeding their capacity to resolve longstanding debates regarding the extent of their saprotrophy and the potential for biotrophic associations with plants. In this study, we examined the evolutionary history and molecular innovations of Morchellaceae by generating high-quality genomes from species encompassing all the major clades within this family.

Pezizales in Israel: Molecular Phylogenetic and δCδN Stable Isotope Data Reveal New Records and Potential Discrepancies in Their Trophic Ecology.

The order Pezizales (Ascomycota) consists of cup and truffle fungi growing in a wide range of habitats and geographical zones worldwide, exhibiting diverse nutritional behaviors. In Israel, morphological studies have designated most Pezizales as saprotrophs. We re-screened Pezizales mushrooms collected in northern Israel between 2020-2022 using molecular tools based on DNA sequences of partial large subunit rRNA (28S), internal transcribed spacer (ITS), and partial heat shock protein () regions, along with macro images of each freshly collected samples.

Biochemical and molecular characterization of fungal isolates from California annual grassland soil.

Fungi play a pivotal role in ecosystem functionality, driving processes such as decomposition, nutrient cycling, and symbiotic interactions. Their wide enzymatic strategies enable the breakdown of complex organic materials and the valorization of organic waste streams, providing sustainable pathways for bioproduct development. Fungi also exhibit significant potential in industrial applications, particularly in biofuel and nutraceutical production, owing to their high lipid content and adaptability to diverse feedstocks.

The Composition and Function of Bacterial Communities Associated with the Northern Root-Knot Nematode () Populations Showing Parasitic Variability.

The co-existence of microbial communities and populations showing high, medium, and low levels of parasitic variability (PV) in mineral and muck soils with different soil health conditions in Michigan vegetable production fields is established. However, if PV relates or not to bacterial communities is unknown. This study characterized bacterial communities present on and in the body of nine field and greenhouse sub-populations isolated from the mineral and muck fields.

Characterisation and comparative analysis of mitochondrial genomes of false, yellow, black and blushing morels provide insights on their structure and evolution.

species have considerable significance in terrestrial ecosystems, exhibiting a range of ecological lifestyles along the saprotrophism-to-symbiosis continuum. However, the mitochondrial genomes of these ascomycetous fungi have not been thoroughly studied, thereby impeding a comprehensive understanding of their genetic makeup and ecological role. In this study, we analysed the mitogenomes of 30 species, including yellow, black, blushing and false morels.

Phylogenomic insights into the taxonomy, ecology, and mating systems of the lorchel family Discinaceae (Pezizales, Ascomycota).

Lorchels, also known as false morels (Gyromitra sensu lato), are iconic due to their brain-shaped mushrooms and production of gyromitrin, a deadly mycotoxin. Molecular phylogenetic studies have hitherto failed to resolve deep-branching relationships in the lorchel family, Discinaceae, hampering our ability to settle longstanding taxonomic debates and to reconstruct the evolution of toxin production. We generated 75 draft genomes from cultures and ascomata (some collected as early as 1960), conducted phylogenomic analyses using 1542 single-copy orthologs to infer the early evolutionary history of lorchels, and identified genomic signatures of trophic mode and mating-type loci to better understand lorchel ecology and reproductive biology.

Monitoring the impact of confinement on hyphal penetration and fungal behavior.

Through their expansive mycelium network, soil fungi alter the physical arrangement and chemical composition of their local environment. This can significantly impact bacterial distribution and nutrient transport and can play a dramatic role in shaping the rhizosphere around a developing plant. However, direct observation and quantitation of such behaviors is extremely difficult due to the opacity and complex porosity of the soil microenvironment.

, two new edible species from eastern North America discovered by truffle-hunting dogs.

Ectomycorrhizal fungi in the genus form hypogeous fruiting bodies called truffles. Many species are highly prized due to their edible and aromatic ascomata. Historically, there has been attention on cultivating and selling European truffle species, but there is growing interest in cultivating, wild-harvesting, and selling species of truffles endemic to North America.

A new species of true morel from Switzerland: , sp. nov.

, sp. nov. ( sect.

Signatures of Mollicutes-related endobacteria in publicly available Mucoromycota genomes.

Mucoromycota fungi and their Mollicutes-related endobacteria (MRE) are an ideal system for studying bacterial-fungal interactions and evolution due to the long-term and intimate nature of their interactions. However, methods for detecting MRE face specific challenges due to the poor representation of MRE in sequencing databases coupled with the high sequence divergence of their genomes, making traditional similarity searches unreliable. This has precluded estimations on the diversity of MRE associated with Mucoromycota.

Fungal necromass contribution to carbon sequestration in global croplands: A meta-analysis of driving factors and conservation practices.

Fungal necromass carbon (FNC) contributes significantly to the build-up of soil organic carbon (SOC) by supplying abundant recalcitrant polymeric melanin present in the fungal cell wall. However, the influence of a wide range of conservation practices and associated factors on FNC accumulation and contribution to SOC in global croplands remains unexplored. Here, a meta-analysis was performed using 873 observations across three continents, together with structural equation modeling, to evaluate conservation practices and factors responsible for the enhancement of FNC and SOC.

Evolutionary history of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and genomic signatures of obligate symbiosis.

Background: The colonization of land and the diversification of terrestrial plants is intimately linked to the evolutionary history of their symbiotic fungal partners. Extant representatives of these fungal lineages include mutualistic plant symbionts, the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in Glomeromycota and fine root endophytes in Endogonales (Mucoromycota), as well as fungi with saprotrophic, pathogenic and endophytic lifestyles. These fungal groups separate into three monophyletic lineages but their evolutionary relationships remain enigmatic confounding ancestral reconstructions.

Ecology and evolution of algal-fungal symbioses.

Ecological interactions and symbiosis between algae and fungi are ancient, widespread, and diverse with many independent origins. The heterotrophic constraint on fungal nutrition drives fungal interactions with autotrophic organisms, including algae. While ancestors of modern fungi may have evolved as parasites of algae, there remains a latent ability in algae to detect and respond to fungi through a range of symbioses that are witnessed today in the astounding diversity of lichens, associations with corticoid and polypore fungi, and endophytic associations with macroalgae.

Multilevel analysis between Physcomitrium patens and Mortierellaceae endophytes explores potential long-standing interaction among land plants and fungi.

The model moss species Physcomitrium patens has long been used for studying divergence of land plants spanning from bryophytes to angiosperms. In addition to its phylogenetic relationships, the limited number of differential tissues, and comparable morphology to the earliest embryophytes provide a system to represent basic plant architecture. Based on plant-fungal interactions today, it is hypothesized these kingdoms have a long-standing relationship, predating plant terrestrialization.

Associated bacterial communities, confrontation studies, and comparative genomics reveal important interactions between with spp.

Members of the fungal genus are widely known for their important ecological roles and significant economic value. In this study, we used amplicon and genome sequencing to characterize bacterial communities associated with sexual fruiting bodies from wild specimens, as well as vegetative mycelium and sclerotia obtained from isolates grown . These investigations included diverse representatives from both Elata and Esculenta clades.

Characterizing microbial communities associated with northern root-knot nematode () occurrence and soil health.

The northern root-knot nematode () causes extensive damage to agricultural crops globally. In addition, populations with no known genetic or morphological differences exhibit parasitic variability (PV) or reproductive potential based on soil type. However, why populations from mineral soil with degraded soil health conditions have a higher PV than populations from muck soil is unknown.

Species-specific coral microbiome assemblages support host bleaching resistance during an extreme marine heatwave.

Scleractinian assemblages are threatened by marine heat waves with coral survivorship depending on host genetics and microbiome composition. We documented an extreme marine heat wave in Fiji and the response of corals in two thermally stressed reef flats. Through high-throughput amplicon sequencing of 16S and ITS rDNA phylogenetic markers, we assessed coral microbiomes (Symbiodiniaceae, prokaryotes, fungi, and Apicomplexa) of paired bleached and unbleached colonies of four common coral species representative of dominant genera in the South Pacific.

Terpenes modulate bacterial and fungal growth and sorghum rhizobiome communities.

Terpenes are among the oldest and largest class of plant-specialized bioproducts that are known to affect plant development, adaptation, and biological interactions. While their biosynthesis, evolution, and function in aboveground interactions with insects and individual microbial species are well studied, how different terpenes impact plant microbiomes belowground is much less understood. Here we designed an experiment to assess how belowground exogenous applications of monoterpenes (1,8-cineole and linalool) and a sesquiterpene (nerolidol) delivered through an artificial root system impacted its belowground bacterial and fungal microbiome.

Contrasting effects of bioenergy crops on biodiversity.

Agriculture is driving biodiversity loss, and future bioenergy cropping systems have the potential to ameliorate or exacerbate these effects. Using a long-term experimental array of 10 bioenergy cropping systems, we quantified diversity of plants, invertebrates, vertebrates, and microbes in each crop. For many taxonomic groups, alternative annual cropping systems provided no biodiversity benefits when compared to corn (the business-as-usual bioenergy crop in the United States), and simple perennial grass-based systems provided only modest gains.