Inoculum 63(3) - Mycological Society of America

ic or facultatively pathogenic ancestors during (or shortly after) the evolutionary
radiation of the arthropods.
Hameed, Khalid 1 , Gregory Bonito 1 , Michael Gajdeczka 1 , Christopher Schadt 2 ,
and Rytas Vilgalys 1 . 1 Biology Department, Duke University, Durham NC
27708, 2 Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Department of Energy, Oak Ridge TN
37831. Fungal communities of Populus - comparisons between culture-based
and culture independent approaches
Populus is an economically important genus of woodland and riparian
trees that forms both arbuscular and ectomycorrhizas. Populus also harbors a
wide-diversity of root endophytes but this diversity is still largely uncharacterized.
To address this field and greenhouse studies were conducted on different Populus
species and genotypes. Fungal community diversity in roots was determined with
culture-independent 454 pyrosequencing of phylogenetically informative fragments
of genomic rDNA (ITS, LSU, SSU). Companion culture-based studies of
Populus root associates were carried out to: 1) describe the culturable diversity of
Populus root associates; 2) determine discrepancies between culture-based and
culture-independent methods; 3) obtain a culture library of fungal root associates
of Populus for future experiments and genome sequencing. Using sterile technique
and selective isolation medias, we isolated >300 cultures from individual
surface sterilized root tips of Populus deltoides collected from our field site and
greenhouse experiments. We also isolated fungi from roots of Pinus taeda (loblolly
pine) and Quercus alba (white oak) for comparison. Pure cultures were sequenced
at the ITS and LSU. DNA sequences were identified by comparing them
to accessions in the NCBI nucleotide database and to sequences assembled from
pyrosequencing data. We estimate our cultures represent ~65 OTUs based on
97% similarity of the ITS. Despite using benomyl in our media to select for basidiomycetes,
the majority of OTUs from sequenced isolates were ascomycetes.
We obtained cultures from a number of the fungi that were among the most abundant
sequence type in our 454 datasets (e.g., Atractiellales spp., Ilionectria spp.,
Mortieriella spp, and Thelephoraceae sp.). Further, fruitbodies of Laccaria were
found under a number of trap-plants and this species has been obtained in pure
culture. These isolates will be valuable for further studies on Populus-microbial
relations.
Hansen, Karen and Ibai Olariaga. Swedish Museum of Natural History, Department
of Cryptogamic Botany, P.O. Box 50007, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden.
A multigene phylogenetic assessment of species boundaries in Otidea
Species of Otidea are among the more conspicuous Pyronemataceae
(Pezizomycetes), producing large, typically ear-shaped apothecia. Otidea is restricted
to the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest diversity in boreal-temperate
forests, and is ectomycorrhizal. The genus is monophyletic and easy to recognize,
but species delimitation is highly controversial. To resolve species
boundaries and relationships within Otidea, we provide a multigene (LSU rDNA,
RPB1, RPB2 and EF1; 4908 bp), worldwide phylogeny of Otidea and comparative
morphological data. Two main lineages are supported within Otidea: I) O.
alutacea, O. apophysata, O. daliensis, O. platyspora, and O. subterranea, and II)
the rest of Otidea, which encompasses several sub-lineages. Otidea papillata and
a clade of O. leporina and Otidea sp., are identified as successive sister lineages
to the rest of lineage II. No unique morphological characters distinguish the two
main lineages. The sub-lineages are supported by a combination of morphological
characters, such as the apothecia shape and color, spore shape and ornamentation,
paraphyses shape and content, and outer excipulum features. Our results,
including sequences of type collections, show clear species limits, except within
two species complexes: the O. alutacea-cochleata and O. phlebophora-rainierensis
complexes. A number of Otidea names currently in use are shown to be synonyms.
Several names have been interpreted differently in Europe, North America
and Asia. At the same time some species seem to show continental endemism.
Five new species have been discovered. The ITS region is too variable to align
across Otidea, but appears to be useful for delimiting species; the ITS region is
highly variable between species, but conserved within. To delimit species within
the two species complexes we will perform separate analyses of these, including
also the ITS region, and explore various analytical approaches for independent
corroboration of the species identified. We estimate that Otidea comprises at least
35 species.
Hart, Andrew M and Thomas J Volk. Department of Biology, University of
Wisconsin, La Crosse, WI 54601, USA. Trametes versicolor: A tremendously
versatile fungus
Since microbes are generally seen in a negative public light, it is refreshing
to take a look at one that is not only beneficial, but has the potential to serve
multiple human interests. Trametes versicolor is a white rot polypore commonly
referred to as the “turkey tail” mushroom. It is named for and characterized by the
many concentric zones of color on the fruiting body. It is important to note that
due to its prevalence in the northern forests, the turkey tail is an important saprophyte,
but this might be the least useful quality of T. versicolor. The same versa-
20 Inoculum 63(3), June 2012
tile enzyme (laccase) that degrades lignin is key to several of T. versicolor’s applications.
Laccases are used in biopulping and the bioremediation of a variety of
environmental contaminants. T. versicolor produces this valuable enzyme, and
also gives us polysaccharide-K (PSK). Polysaccharide-K is anecdotally proven to
function as an adjuvant (immunostimulatory). Polysaccharide-K is thought to enhance
immune response to cancer cells. In addition to medical and environmental
uses, T. versicolor is also used for its pigments. The pigments increase the
wood’s monetary value and in turn are prized by woodworkers and artists. The inoculated
wood forms streaks of color, called spalting. T. versicolor pigments are
also used to dye fabrics such as wool. The multi-colored velvety fruiting body is
used to make art of all kinds. These are the uses we’ve found for the turkey tail so
far. As more research is done we will see the common fungus even more. This
poster is applicable for education in courses related to Mycology, Medicine,
Bioremediation and Biodegradation, Environmental Toxicology, Ecology, Biochemistry,
and Biology.
Hayward, Jeremy and Thomas R Horton. Department of Environmental and
Forest Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13210. Thelephoroid symbionts
of Pisoniae are limited to a small group of closely related taxa
throughout the range of the plant tribe
While several studies have demonstrated greater ectomycorrhizal (ECM)
specificity in the tropics than in the temperate zone, little is known about the patterns
underlying this specificity. Here, we present preliminary results from a study
investigating the structure of specificity between members of the Nyctaginaceae
and the ECM /tomentella-thelephora lineage. Within the Nyctaginaceae ectomycorrhizal
plants are restricted to the genera Neea, Pisonia and Guapira, all members
of the tribe Pisoniae. Following a previous observation that two Pisoniae
species in opposite hemispheres associated with closely related thelephoroids, we
hypothesized that members of the Pisoniae, whatever their geographic context,
would also associate with this clade. We sampled ectomycorrhizas from members
of the Pisoniae growing in the Pacific and on the Caribbean islands of Dominica,
Vieques and Puerto Rico. We used molecular barcoding to identify ECM fungi
and analyzed their phylogenetic placement using Bayesian and Maximum-Likelihood
techniques. We also undertook a literature review to identify fungi previously
detected associating with members of the Pisoniae. We found that at the familial
level, the ectomycorrhizal specificity of the Pisoniae is low: species
associate with members of at least five ECM fungal families. In contrast to this
pattern of family-level generalism, those thelephoroid ECM fungi associating
with the Pisoniae cluster strongly within a single lineage, implying narrow specificity
between the Pisoniae and their thelephoroid symbionts at a subgeneric level.
This clustering pattern is well supported in nonparametric tests of phylogenetic
signal. This pattern of specificity holds true in the Pacific, in the Caribbean and in
South America; it also holds true for representatives of all ectomycorrhizal plant
genera within the Pisoniae. Based on these results, we hypothesize that phylogenetic
placement may matter more than location in determining associations
among tropical trees displaying ECM specificity. This hypothesis should be tested
in associations between other tropical ECM plants and fungi.
Healy, Rosanne A 1 , Gregory M Bonito 2 , Matthew E Smith 3 , Gonzalo G Guevara
4 , Jonathon Frank 5 , Darlene Southworth 5 , James M Trappe 6 , and David J
Mclaughlin 1 . 1 Department of Plant Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul,
MN 55108, USA, 2 Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC
27708, USA, 3 Department of Plant Pathology, University of Florida, Gainesville
FL, USA, 4 Instituto Tecnológico de Ciudad Victoria, Biology, Ciudad Victoria,
Mexico, 5 Department of Biology, Southern Oregon University, Ashland, OR
97520, 6 Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University,
Corvalis, OR, USA. What is a cup fungus doing fruiting from a truffle tree?
The case of the truffle-cup fungus lineage /pachyphloeus-scabropezia
The ectomycorrhizal genera Pachyphloeus, a truffle, and Scabropezia, a
cup fungus, are found primarily in broad-leaved forests of the Northern Hemisphere.
Respectively they have twelve (plus two varieties) and three accepted described
species. Molecular phylogenetic analyses have placed Scabropezia within
Pachyphloeus. Previous inferences of truffle evolution in the Pezizales suggest
that fruitbody evolution proceeds from cup fungus form to truffle form with no
known reversals. Current data is unclear on whether Scabropezia branches from
the base of the Pachyphloeus lineage, or is nested within Pachyphloeus, making
it paraphyletic. The latter scenario may imply a reversal of form from truffle to
cup fungus. Taxonomic confusion in Pachyphloeus from poorly understood type
descriptions has resulted in expansion beyond original species limits, which in
turn has led to confusion regarding the relationship of Scabropezia to Pachyphloeus.
The goals of this study were to revise the /pachyphloeus-scabropezia lineage
using multigene analyses from sporocarp and anamorph DNA sequences,
and to infer the relationship of Scabropezia to Pachyphloeus. The ITS rDNA was
sequenced from representative specimens from across the Northern Hemisphere,
and then sorted into phylotypes based on 96% similarity. The LSU, RPB1 and
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