A new model for the global patterning of spores and pollen grains.

Spores of fungi and seedless plants, and pollen grains of seed plants, are usually characterized by variable global patterns on the surface. However, the mechanisms responsible for the development of these patterns have not been fully understood. We hypothesize that the global pattern of a spore or pollen grain is induced by the stresses resulted from the mismatch between a faster-growing outer part and a slower-growing inner part within the grain and tried to verify the hypothesis by simplifying the developing spores and pollen grains as stressed core/shell structures, simulating the buckling patterns of such structures with different shapes and shell thicknesses through finite element method, and comparing the simulated models with natural spores and pollen grains observed under microscopes.

: phylogeny and species diversity in China.

is a small genus belonging to the family Cortinariaceae, distinguished by its distinctive combination of small basidiospores and presence of both cheilo- and pleurocystidia, a combination that is rarely found in other genera within the Cortinariaceae. To date, this genus consists of only two subgenera and includes seven recognized species. Previously, only a single specimen of was reported from China.

The genus from southwestern China.

In this study, morphological characteristics, ecological features, and phylogenetic analyses based on nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer region ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 (ITS), partial nuc rDNA 28S (28S), and the translation elongation factor 1-α () were employed to investigate the species diversity of the genus in southwestern China. Eight species are recognized, among which are five known species, namely, , and , and three new species described here, namely, , and represents a species new to China.

The genus (Auriscalpiaceae, Basidiomycota) from the Gaoligong Mountains and adjacent areas, southwestern China.

Three new species of from the Gaoligong Mountains and adjacent areas of southwestern China, namely, , and , are described based on morphological characteristics, molecular phylogenetic evidence, and ecological traits. Two other species described recently, and , have also been identified in the same area. In addition, the occurrence of in southwestern China and North Macedonia was confirmed.

The evolution of ectomycorrhizal symbiosis and host-plant switches are the main drivers for diversification of Amanitaceae (Agaricales, Basidiomycota).

Background: Evolutionary radiation is widely recognized as a mode of species diversification, but the drivers of the rapid diversification of fungi remain largely unknown. Here, we used Amanitaceae, one of the most diverse families of macro-fungi, to investigate the mechanism underlying its diversification.

Results: The ancestral state of the nutritional modes was assessed based on phylogenies obtained from fragments of 36 single-copy genes and stable isotope analyses of carbon and nitrogen.

Biogeography and community assembly of soil fungi from alpine meadows in southwestern China show the importance of climatic selection.

Soil fungi are pivotal in alpine and arctic ecosystems that are vulnerable to climate changes. Previous studies have shown broad connections between soil fungi in the arctic and alpine regions, but most of these studies are mainly from Europe and North America, with more sporadic studies from East Asia. Currently, little is known about the biogeographic relationships between soil fungi in alpine meadows of southwestern China (AMSC) and other regions of the world.

Pulvinic Acid Derivative Pigments in Lanmaoa asiatica and L. macrocarpa.

Lanmaoa asiatica G. Wu & Zhu L. Yang and L.

Mushrooms Adapted to Seawater: Two New Species of (Basidiomycota, Agaricales) from China.

Marine fungi have been studied for a long history in many realms, but there are few reports on marine mushrooms. In this study, marine fungi with conspicuous subglobose sequestrate basidioma were discovered from mangrove forests in South China. They grow on the deadwood of mangroves in the intertidal zone, periodically submerging into seawater due to the tide.

Three new species and a new record of section from southwestern China.

sect. consists of telamonioid species with violet basidioma, strong odor, and distinct cheilocystidia. In this study, phylogenetic analysis based on nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer region ITS1-5.

Species Diversity of Section in Eastern China, with a Description of Four New Species.

Species of sect. (Fr.) Quél.

Determination of ibotenic acid and muscimol in species of the genus Amanita section Amanita from China.

The genus Amanita sect. Amanita harbors approximately 150 species in the world, and 27 species have been recognized in China. Some of the species in China have continuously caused poisoning.

A contribution to the knowledge of the genus (Tricholomatineae, Agaricales) in China: Two new species and five redescribed taxa.

In China, species of the genus are often confused with other taxa and misdetermined. Here we describe two newly discovered species, and , and redescribe five known taxa of this genus present in China. These identifications are supported by both morphological and DNA-based phylogenetic evidence.

Historical biogeography and diversification of ringless Amanita (section Vaginatae) support an African origin and suggest niche conservatism in the Americas.

Ectomycorrhizal fungi (ECM) sustain nutrient recycling in most terrestrial ecosystems, yet we know little about what major biogeographical events gave rise to present-day diversity and distribution patterns. Given the strict relationship between some ECM lineages and their hosts, geographically well-sampled phylogenies are central to understanding major evolutionary processes of fungal biodiversity patterns. Here, we focus on Amanita sect.

Genes and evolutionary fates of the amanitin biosynthesis pathway in poisonous mushrooms.

The deadly toxin α-amanitin is a bicyclic octapeptide biosynthesized on ribosomes. A phylogenetically disjunct group of mushrooms in Agaricales (Amanita, Lepiota, and Galerina) synthesizes α-amanitin. This distribution of the toxin biosynthetic pathway is possibly related to the horizontal transfer of metabolic gene clusters among taxonomically unrelated mushrooms with overlapping habitats.

Elevation Matters More than Season in Shaping the Heterogeneity of Soil and Root Associated Ectomycorrhizal Fungal Community.

Ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungi play important roles in forest ecosystems, and their richness and composition can change along with elevation and season changes. However, no study has estimated the relative importance of altitudinal and seasonal heterogeneity in predicting the distribution of EcM fungal communities by simultaneously considering different sample types (root versus soil). In this study, we collected root and soil samples along a > 1,500-m elevation gradient during wet and dry seasons from Baima Snow Mountain, located in "the Mountains of Southwest China," one of the 34 biodiversity hot spots, and we analyzed them using next-generation sequencing.

Phylogenetic analysis reveals the new genus from Asia and New Zealand.

The Asia-Pacific region is renowned to harbor nearly half of the global hot spots of biodiversity. Accordingly, many endemic species of boletes have already been recorded from this geographic region. However, the majority of the specific descriptions of reported boletoid species follow classical concepts of taxonomy, and by comparison only a few taxa have been corroborated by modern molecular techniques.

Four New Species of (Xerocomoideae, Boletaceae) from Southwestern China.

The genus belongs to the subfamily Xerocomoideae of the family Boletaceae. In this study, phylogenetic inferences of based on sequences of a single-locus (ITS) and a multi-locus (nrLSU, , , ) were conducted. Four new species, namely , , and were delimited and proposed based on morphological and molecular evidence.

The Genus (Boletaceae, Boletales) from China Based on Morphological and Molecular Data.

is one of the most important groups of boletes. Most species in this genus are ectomycorrhizal symbionts of various plants, and some of them are well-known edible mushrooms, making it an exceptionally important group ecologically and economically. The scientific problems related to this genus include that the identification of species in this genus from China need to be verified, especially those referring to European or North American species, and knowledge of the phylogeny and diversity of the species from China is limited.

Morphological and Molecular Phylogenetic Data of the Chinese Medicinal Fungus Reveal Its New Systematic Position in the Family Ophiocordycipitaceae.

A cordycipitoid fungus infecting Hepialidae sp. in Nepal was supposed to be identical to , originally described from southwestern China, and thus, transferred to the genus or in previous studies. However, our multi-gene (nrSSU-nrLSU---) phylogenetic and morphological studies based on the type specimen and additional collections of revealed that the fungus belongs to the genus (Ophiocordycipitaceae).

Genomic and Experimental Investigations of and Fungi Reveal New Insights into Pinecone Decomposition.

Saprophytic fungi (SPF) play vital roles in ecosystem dynamics and decomposition. However, because of the complexity of living systems, our understanding of how SPF interact with each other to decompose organic matter is very limited. Here we studied their roles and interactions in the decomposition of highly specialized substrates between the two genera and fungi-colonized fallen pinecones of the same plant sequentially.

Cyanescent (Gyroporaceae, Boletales) from China.

species with cyanescent oxidation reactions were investigated, based on morphology and phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences from the nuclear ribosomal large subunit (nrLSU), the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and the mitochondrial adenosine triphosphate ATP synthase subunit 6 (). Three species, including two new species, namely and and one previously-described species, namely , are revealed from China. Collections formerly reported from China as "" are either or .

Mating Systems in True Morels ().

True morels ( spp., Morchellaceae, Ascomycota) are widely regarded as a highly prized delicacy and are of great economic and scientific value. Recently, the rapid development of cultivation technology and expansion of areas for artificial morel cultivation have propelled morel research into a hot topic.

A new clitocyboid genus and a new subfamily Cuphophylloideae in the family Hygrophoraceae (Agaricales).

Phylogenetically, the genera , and are treated as basal in the family Hygrophoraceae, despite weak support. However, the exact phylogenetic positions of the three genera have remained unresolved, and taxa related to these genera are poorly known. In this study, a new clitocyboid genus was proposed based on multigenic phylogenetic inference datasets and morphological evidence.

Novel Cyclic Peptides from Lethal Mushrooms through a Genome-Guided Approach.

Most species in the genus are ectomycorrhizal fungi comprising both edible and poisonous mushrooms. Some species produce potent cyclic peptide toxins, such as α-amanitin, which places them among the deadliest organisms known to mankind. These toxins and related cyclic peptides are encoded by genes of the "MSDIN" family (named after the first five amino acid residues of the precursor peptides), and it is largely unknown to what extent these genes are expressed in the basidiocarps.

Squamanitaceae and three new species of Squamanita parasitic on Amanita basidiomes.

The systematic position of the enigmatically mycoparasitic genus Squamanita (Agaricales, Basidiomycota) together with Cystoderma, Phaeolepiota, Floccularia, and Leucopholiota is largely unknown. Recently they were recognized as Squamanitaceae, but previous studies used few DNA markers from a restricted sample of taxa from the family and lacked a formal taxonomic treatment. In this study, with newly generated sequences of the type of the genus Squamanita, S.