Inoculum 63(3) - Mycological Society of America

We are monitoring the invasion of Geomyces destructans in bat hibernacula
in Illinois. Our team includes three mammalogists, a mycologist, a microbial
ecologist, a wildlife veterinary epidemiologist, and a cave biologist, and is assisted
by several resource managers. We use molecular and culture-based
approaches to evaluate dead and live-caught bats and cave and mine substrates for
the presence of G. destructans, and describe the microbial and fungal communities
of sampled animals and caves. Beginning in winter 2012, we will visit about
eight hibernacula per year for three years, and sample active bats during summer.
We are collecting swab and wing-punch samples from asymptomatic and symptomatic
bats; soil, air, and various other substrate samples from hibernacula; and
temperature, humidity, and light data to characterize cave environments. Our
study will provide data on the occurrence and distribution of G. destructans in hibernacula
on the leading edge of the spread of white-nose syndrome, and the microbial
ecosystems in which it becomes established. Circumstances permitting
(i.e., timing and extent of the invasion), we hope to better understand potential
competing or synergistic interactions between G. destructans and microbial communities
on bats and in caves that influence the establishment of G. destructans.
Thiers, Barbara M, Deb Paul, Cathy Bester, and Jason Grabon. iDigBio,
FLMNH, Dickinson Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611. Integrated Digitized Biocollections
(iDigBio): A national resource for digitization
iDigBio, Integrated Digitized Biocollections, is the National Resource
funded by the National Science Foundation for Advancing Digitization of Biological
Collections (ADBC). Through iDigBio, data and images for millions of biological
specimens are being curated, connected and made available in electronic
format for the biological research community, government agencies, students,
educators, and the general public. The mission of iDigBio is to develop a national
infrastructure that supports the vision of ADBC by overseeing implementation
of standards and best practices for digitization; building and deploying a customized
cloud computing environment for collections; recruiting and training personnel,
including underserved groups; engaging the research community, collections
community, citizen scientists, and the public through education and outreach
activities; and planning for long-term sustainability of the national digitization effort.
In addition to the iDigBio central digitization HUB, there are partner institutions
referred to as “Thematic Collection Networks” (TCNs) that consists of networks
of institutions with a strategy for digitizing information that addresses a
particular research theme. The current TCNs include InvertNet - An Integrative
Platform for Research on Environmental Change, Species Discovery and Identification;
Plants, Herbivores and Parasitoids: A Model System for the Study of Tri-
Trophic Associations; and North American Lichens and Bryophytes: Sensitive Indicators
of Environmental Quality and Change. Additional TCNs will be added
yearly, with four new TCNs to be announced in April 2012. Through the iDigBio
HUB cyberinfrastructure, compilation and the inter-linking of data from the
TCNs and existing collaborative databases, there will be opportunities to address
research questions and education interests regarding biodiversity, climate change,
species invasions, natural disasters, and the spread of pests and diseases. New
TCNs will be funded in succeeding years based on solicitations from NSF. The
iDigBio HUB is based at the University of Florida (UF), in partnership with Florida
State University (FSU).
Thomas, Elizabeth, Nick Taylor, Pio Moises Figueroa-Contreras, Zhi Zhang,
Kelly L Ivors, and Marc A Cubeta. Department of Plant Pathology, North Carolina
State University, Raleigh, NC 27695. Investigation of sclerotial morphogenesis
in the soil fungus Rhizoctonia solani
The soil fungus Rhizoctonia solani (teleomorph=Thanatephorus cucumeris)
is an important pathogen of cultivated and native species of plants. The
fungus is a competitive saprobe that promotes the decomposition of organic matter
and survives in soil in the absence of a host plant by forming sclerotia. Although
there has been an accumulating body of knowledge generated on sclerotial
forming fungi, little is known about the molecular mechanisms involved in the
formation of sclerotia by R. solani. To examine the biochemical and physiological
changes of the fungus during sclerotial morphogenesis, an in vitro assay was
developed to induce sclerotia formation in a wild type strain of R. solani anastomosis
group 3 (Rhs 1AP) and two protoplast-derived strains with a reduced nuclear
genome (Rhs 1AP-115 and Rhs 1AP-123E) that had lost their ability to produce
monilioid cells and sclerotia on nutrient media and potato tubers. The
addition of xylose, arabinose, galactose, mannose, maltose, trehalose, raffinose,
starch, cellulose, xylan oat-spelt, and casein to minimal medium stimulated radial
mycelial growth of Rhs1AP but not Rhs 1AP-115 and Rhs 1AP-123E. The supplementation
of minimal media with arabinose, mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol, glycerol,
and myo-inositol induced formation of sclerotia in strain Rhs 1AP but not in
strains Rhs 1AP-115 and Rhs 1AP-123E. Growth of the latter strains in the presence
of cAMP or under nutrient deprived conditions also did not result in the formation
of sclerotia. Results from the analysis of the transcriptome of strains Rhs
1AP (sclerotia plus) and Rhs 1AP-123E (sclerotia minus) will be discussed.
48 Inoculum 63(3), June 2012
Tobias, Terri L 1 , Katrina P Sandona 1 , Antonio D Rosales 1 , Andrea Porras-Alfaro
1 , Robert L Sinsabaugh 2 , and Katharine N Suding 3 . 1 Western Illinois University,
1 University Circle, Macomb IL. 61455, 2 University of New Mexico,
167A Castetter Hall, Albuquerque NM. 87131, 3 University of California Berkeley,
130 Mulford Hall 3144, Berkeley CA. 94720. In search for a function: Endophytic
fungi in the alpine tundra and their effect on cultivated plants.
Plants in the alpine tundra are anatomically adapted to survive harsh environmental
conditions. They also rely on endophytic and mycorrhizal fungi for
acquisition of nutrients and potential protection against pathogens. Microbial interactions
with plants are known to play an important role in maintaining the biodiversity
in the alpine tundra. Besides their importance, very little is known about
fungal endophytic abundance, taxonomic and functional relationships with dominant
plants. The main objective of this research is to examine the mechanism of
transmission, diversity and function of seed and root associated fungi in an alpine
tundra site located at the Niwot Long Term Ecological Research Site in Colorado.
Seed endophytes were compared with root and soil communities using sequencing
and culturing techniques. Dominant fungi were also tested in germination experiments.
Dominant plants in alpine tundra harbor a community of endophytic
fungi dominated by Ascomycota. A total of 33 endophytes were isolated from
surface sterilized seeds. Greenhouse experiments with a dominant root fungal isolate
identified as Philocephala fortinii showed significant positive effects on both
germination and plant growth in two commercially cultivated plants (Zea mays
and Glycine max). The average number of roots for soybeans after eleven days
was 8.6 roots per plant as compared to the control of only 1.9 roots per plant. Likewise
corn showed similar results with an average of 6.8 roots compared to the
controls with 4.8 roots after seven days. Modern agriculture faces the serious issue
of feeding a growing population while preserving the environment. This research
will not only help understand the role of these fungi in natural ecosystems but has
the potential to provide new insights in plant health and management.
Toome, Merje and M Catherine Aime. Department of Plant Pathology and Crop
Physiology, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge,
Louisiana 70803, USA. Microbotryomycetes: Higher-level classification and
description of a new genus
Microbotryomycetes, i.e., the “anther smuts” are a class of diverse Pucciniomycotina
for which higher-level (e.g., order and family) classification has
been largely unresolved. Recently, phylogenetic reevaluation of Microbotryomycetes
was prompted by the isolation of a previously undescribed ballistosporic
yeast from a neotropical forest in South America. The isolate, recovered
from the surface of a fern leaf, forms butyrous cream-colored colonies with polar
budding cells on solid media and rosette-like formations in liquid media. Based
on phylogenetic, morphological and physiological analyses a new genus and
species, Blackwellia eburnea nom. prov., are proposed. Phylogenetic analyses
show that B. eburnea is most closely related to Kriegeria eriophori, a sedge parasite,
the aquatic fungus Camptobasidium hydrophilum, and several recently described
anamorphic yeasts that have been isolated from various plant or psychrophilic
environments. Blackwellia eburnea makes an interesting addition to
this clade since it represents the only species known thus far from the neotropics;
all other species are either from temperate or cold environments. This indicates
that additional studies of fungal biodiversity from poorly examined habitats like
ice, water and tropical plant surfaces could greatly contribute to the species discovery
and provide valuable information for improving the taxonomy of predominantly
anamorphic clades in Microbotryomycetes. A higher-level classification
is proposed to accommodate this and other species that until now have been
incertae sedis within the Microbotryomycetes.
Tournas, V H 1 , J Rivera Calo 2 , and C Sapp 3 . 1 Center for Food Safety and Applied
2
Nutrition/FDA, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway,
3
College Park, MD, USA,
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine,
Baltimore, MD, USA. Fungal profiles in various milk thistle botanicals
from the US market
Milk thistle (MT) dietary supplements are widely consumed due to their
possible beneficial effect on liver health. As botanicals, they can be contaminated
with a variety of fungi and their secondary metabolites, mycotoxins. This study
was conducted in an effort to determine the mycological levels and profiles in various
MT botanical supplements (seeds, herb, tea bags, liquid seed extracts, capsules
and soft gels) obtained from U.S. retail. Conventional plating methods were
used for the isolation and enumeration of fungi, while conventional microscopy
as well as molecular methods were employed for species-level identification of
the isolated fungal strains. Results showed that a high percentage (62%) of the MT
samples tested were contaminated with fungi. Total yeast and mould (Y&M)
counts ranged between