Ectomycorrhizal communities of ponderosa pine and lodgepole pine in the south-central Oregon pumice zone

Forest ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest of the USA are changing as a result of climate change. Specifically, rise of global temperatures, decline of winter precipitation, earlier loss of snowpack, and increased summer drought are altering the range of Pinus contorta. Simultaneously, flux in environmental conditions within the historic P. contorta range may facilitate the encroachment of P. ponderosa into P. contorta territory. Furthermore, successful pine species migration may be constrained by the distribution or co-migration of ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF). Knowledge of the linkages among soil fungal diversity, community structure, and environmental factors is critical to understanding the organization and stability of pine ecosystems. The objectives of this study were to establish a foundational knowledge of the EMF communities of P. ponderosa and P. contorta in the Deschutes National Forest, OR, USA, and to examine soil characteristics associated with community composition. We examined EMF root tips of P. ponderosa and P. contorta in soil cores and conducted soil chemistry analysis for P. ponderosa cores. Results indicate that Cenococcum geophilum, Rhizopogon salebrosus, and Inocybe flocculosa were dominant in both P. contorta and P. ponderosa soil cores. Rhizopogon spp. were ubiquitous in P. ponderosa cores. There was no significant difference in the species composition of EMF communities of P. ponderosa and P. contorta. Ordination analysis of P. ponderosa soils suggested that soil pH, plant-available phosphorus (Bray), total phosphorus (P), carbon (C), mineralizable nitrogen (N), ammonium (NH₄), and nitrate (NO₃) are driving EMF community composition in P. ponderosa stands. We found a significant linear relationship between EMF species richness and mineralizable N. In conclusion, P. ponderosa and P. contorta, within the Deschutes National Forest, share the same dominant EMF species, which implies that P. ponderosa may be able to successfully establish within the historic P. contorta range and dominant EMF assemblages may be conserved.     

Reduced Winter Snowpack and Greater Soil Frost Reduce Live Root Biomass and Stimulate Radial Growth and Stem Respiration of Red Maple (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Acer rubrum</Emphasis>) Trees in a Mixed-Hardwood Forest

Northeastern U.S. forests are currently net carbon (C) sinks, but rates of C loss from these ecosystems may be altered by the projected reduction in snowpack and increased soil freezing over the next century. Soil freezing damages fine roots, which may reduce radial tree growth and stem respiration. We conducted a snow removal experiment at Harvard Forest, MA to quantify effects of a reduced winter snowpack and increased soil freezing on root biomass, stem radial growth and respiration in a mixed-hardwood forest. The proportion of live fine root biomass during spring (late-April) declined with increasing soil frost severity (P = 0.05). Basal area increment index was positively correlated with soil frost severity for Acer rubrum, but not Quercus rubra. Rates of stem respiration in the growing season correlated positively with soil frost duration in the previous winter, (\( R^{2}_{{{\text{LMM}}({\text{m}})}} \) = 0.15 and 0.24 for Q. rubra and A. rubrum, respectively). Losses of C from stem respiration were comparable to or greater than C storage from radial growth of Q. rubra and A. rubrum, respectively. Overall, our findings suggest that in mixed-hardwood forests (1) soil freezing has adverse effects on spring live root biomass, but at least in the short-term could stimulate aboveground processes such as stem respiration and radial growth for A. rubrum more than Q. rubra, (2) stem respiration is an important ecosystem C flux and (3) the increasing abundance of A. rubrum relative to Q. rubra may have important implications for C storage in tree stem biomass.     

Ectomycorrhizal and endophytic fungi associated with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Alnus glutinosa</Emphasis> growing in a saline area of central Poland

Alnus glutinosa (black alder) is a mycorrhizal pioneer tree species with tolerance to high concentrations of salt in the soil and can therefore be considered to be an important tree for the regeneration of forests areas devastated by excessive salt. However, there is still a lack of information about the ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) associated with mature individuals of A. glutinosa growing in natural saline conditions. The main objective of this study was to test the effect of soil salinity and other physicochemical parameters on root tips colonized by EMF, as well as on the species richness and diversity of an EMF community associated with A. glutinosa growing in natural conditions. We identified a significant effect of soil salinity (expressed as electrical conductivity: EC_e and EC_1:5) on fungal taxa but not on the total level of EM fungal colonization on roots. Increasing soil salinity promoted dark-coloured EMF belonging to the order Thelephorales (Tomentella sp. and Thelephora sp.). These fungi are also commonly found in soils polluted with heavy-metal. The ability of these fungi to grow in contaminated soil may be due to the presence of melanine, a natural dark pigment and common wall component of the Thelephoraceae that is known to act as a protective interface between fungal metabolism and biotic and abiotic environmental stressors. Moreover, increased colonization of fungi belonging to the class of Leotiomycetes and Sordiomycetes, known as endophytic fungal species, was observed at the test sites, that contained a larger content of total phosphorus. This observation confirms the ability of commonly known endophytic fungi to form ectomycorrhizal structures on the roots of A. glutinosa under saline stress conditions.     

Refoliation of deciduous canopy trees following severe insect defoliation: comparison of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fagus crenata</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Quercus crispula</Emphasis>

Deciduous trees can survive severe defoliation by herbivores and often refoliate in the same season. Refoliation following severe defoliation represents compensatory regrowth to recover foliage biomass. Although the relationship between defoliation intensity and degree of refoliation at the individual level has been quantified following artificial defoliation for saplings and small trees, no study has examined the relationship for canopy trees and interspecific differences in this relationship. In this study, defoliation by gypsy moths in an outbreak year and subsequent refoliation were visually surveyed for canopy trees of Fagus crenata (n?=?80) and Quercus crispula (n?=?113) in central Japan. Defoliation and refoliation estimates were scored in 10% classes as the ratio to foliage present before defoliation. The degree of refoliation and the proportion of refoliated trees were high in severely defoliated trees. For 60 and 100% defoliated trees, respective refoliations were 2 and 66% for F. crenata, and 37 and 88% for Q. crispula. All of the 90 and 100% defoliated trees refoliated. These results indicate that severely defoliated trees show an increased need for refoliation to maintain metabolism. Beta regression analysis showed that Q. crispula possessed higher refoliation capability than F. crenata. This is likely associated with the relatively large storage reserves and recurrent growth flush pattern of oak species, which are strong characteristics of oaks and adaptive for response to herbivory and catastrophic disturbances. Interspecific differences in refoliation capability may exert differential effects on forest ecosystem processes, such as influencing the growth of understory species.     

Different levels of hyphal self-incompatibility modulate interconnectedness of mycorrhizal networks in three arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi within the Glomeraceae

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) live in symbiosis with most plant species and produce underground extraradical hyphal networks functional in the uptake and translocation of mineral nutrients from the soil to host plants. This work investigated whether fungal genotype can affect patterns of interconnections and structural traits of extraradical mycelium (ERM), by comparing three Glomeraceae species growing in symbiosis with five plant hosts. An isolate of Funneliformis coronatus consistently showed low ability to form interconnected ERM and self-incompatibility that represented up to 21 % of hyphal contacts. The frequency of post-fusion self-incompatible interactions, never detected before in AMF extraradical networks, was 8.9 %. In F. coronatus ERM, the percentage of hyphal contacts leading to perfect hyphal fusions was 1.2–7.7, while it ranged from 25.8–48 to 35.6–53.6 in Rhizophagus intraradices and Funneliformis mosseae, respectively. Low interconnectedness of F. coronatus ERM resulted also from a very high number of non-interacting contacts (83.2 %). Such findings show that AMF genotypes in Glomeraceae can differ significantly in anastomosis behaviour and that ERM interconnectedness is modulated by the fungal symbiont, as F. coronatus consistently formed poorly interconnected networks when growing in symbiosis with five different host plants and in the asymbiotic stage. Structural traits, such as extent, density and hyphal self-compatibility/incompatibility, may represent key factors for the differential performance of AMF, by affecting fungal absorbing surface and foraging ability and thus nutrient flow from soil to host roots.     

Impacts of nitrogen-fixing and non-nitrogen-fixing tree species on soil respiration and microbial community composition during forest management in subtropical China

Forest management with N-fixing trees can improve soil fertility and tree productivity, but have little information regarding belowground carbon processes and microbial properties. We aimed to evaluate the effects of three forest management regimes, which were Erythrophleum fordii (N-fixing tree), Pinus massoniana (non-N-fixing tree), and their mixed forest, on soil respiration and microbial community composition in subtropical China, using Barometric Process Separation and phospholipid fatty acid profiles, respectively. We found that the inclusions of N-fixing species in forests significantly increased the soil respiration, but have no effects on SOC and ecosystem total C stock. In addition, soil microbial communities were obviously different among the three forest management regimes. For instance, total and bacterial PLFAs were higher in the E. fordii and mixed forest than in the P. massoniana forest. Conversely, fungal PLFAs in the P. massoniana forest were elevated versus the other two forests. Soil total N, nitrate-N and pH were the key determinants shaping the microbial community composition. Our study suggests that variations in soil respiration in the studied forests could be primarily explained by the differences of root biomass and soil microbial biomass, but not soil organic carbon. Although soil fertility and microbial biomass were promoted, N-fixing plantings also brought on increased CO₂ emissions in laboratory assays. The future decision of tree species selection for forest management in subtropical China therefore needs to consider the potential influences of tree species on CO₂ emissions.     

Distribution of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in four semi-mangrove plant communities

To better understand the diversity and species composition of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in mangrove ecosystems, the AMF colonization and distribution in four semi-mangrove plant communities were investigated. Typical AMF hyphal, vesicle and arbuscular structures were commonly observed in all the root samples, indicating that AMF are important components on the landward fringe of mangrove habitats. AMF spores were extracted from the rhizospheric soils, and an SSU rDNA fragment from each spore morph-type was amplified and sequenced for species identification. AMF species composition and diversity in the roots of each semi-mangrove species were also analyzed based on an SSU-ITS-LSU fragment, which was amplified, cloned and sequenced from root samples. In total, 11 unique AMF sequences were obtained from spores and 172 from roots. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that the sequences from the soil and roots were grouped into 5 and 14 phylotypes, respectively. AMF from six genera including Acaulospora, Claroideoglomus, Diversispora, Funneliformis, Paraglomus, and Rhizophagus were identified, with a further six phylotypes from the Glomeraceae family that could not be identified to the genus level. The AMF genus composition in the investigated semi-mangrove communities was very similar to that in the intertidal zone of this mangrove ecosystem and other investigated mangrove ecosystems, implying possible fungal adaptation to mangrove conditions.     

Increased soil respiration in response to experimentally reduced snow cover and increased soil freezing in a temperate deciduous forest

Winter snowpack in seasonally snow-covered regions plays an important role in moderating ecosystem processes by insulating soil from freezing air temperatures. However, climate models project a decline in snowpack at mid and high latitudes over the next century. We conducted a snow removal experiment in a temperate deciduous forest at Harvard Forest in Massachusetts, USA to quantify the effects of a reduced winter snowpack and increased soil freezing on total soil respiration and its bulk (i.e. heterotrophic) and root-rhizosphere components. Snow removal increased soil freezing severity by more than three-fold, which resulted in a 27.6% increase in annual total soil respiration (p?=?0.058). Across our plots and years of this study, we found that the severity, rather than simply the presence of soil freezing, was the primary driver of the soil respiration response to reduced winter snowpack. Bulk soil respiration made the largest contribution to total soil respiration with root-rhizosphere respiration contributing up to 26.1?±?6.5% of total soil respiration across plot types and years. Snow removal significantly increased fine root mortality (p?=?0.03), which was positively correlated with soil frost depth and duration (p?=?0.068, \({\text{R}}_{{{\text{LMM}}(m)}}^{ 2}\)?=?0.46), rates of total soil respiration (p?=?0.075; \({\text{R}}_{{{\text{LMM}}(m)}}^{ 2}\)?=?0.27) and the contribution of root-rhizosphere respiration to total soil respiration (p?=?0.004; \({\text{R}}_{{{\text{LMM}}(m)}}^{ 2}\)?=?0.58). We conclude that increased rates of soil respiration in response to soil freezing are driven by plant-mediated processes, whereby soil frost-induced root mortality stimulates respiration through decomposition of root necromass with additional enhancements possibly related to priming of soil organic matter decomposition and elevated rates of root respiration associated with growth.     

Interactions Among Abiotic Drivers,Disturbance and Gross Ecosystem Carbon Exchange on Soil Respiration from Subtropical Pine Savannas

Globally, soil CO₂ efflux rates (F_s) have been linked to changes in soil water content (SWC), rainfall and temperature and/or productivity. However, within an ecosystem, F_s can vary based on site structure and function, which can be affected by a combination of abiotic and biotic factors. This becomes particularly important when an ecosystem is faced with disturbances, such as drought or fire. Site-specific compensatory responses to disturbances may therefore alter C mineralization, as well as root respiration. Hence, single location F_s estimates may not be a representative for ecosystems across their distributional ranges. We conducted a 6-year study along an edaphic moisture gradient of longleaf pine ecosystems that were maintained with prescribed fire, using eddy covariance and soil respiration measurements to address how F_s varies with changes in ecosystem structure and function, as well as disturbances. Lower air temperatures (T_air) decreased F_s at all sites, but that response was also affected by productivity and SWC. Productivity significantly altered F_s rates at all sites, especially when we accounted for changes in temperature and SWC. Plant regrowth post-fire temporarily increased F_s (10–40%), whereas drought reduced F_s at all sites. Our results show that site productivity, F_s and the degree to which ecosystems adapt to climate variations and disturbance can be site specific. Hence, model forecasting of carbon dynamics would strongly benefit from multi-location measurements of F_s across the distributional range of an ecosystem.     

Responses of Soil,Heterotrophic, and Autotrophic Respiration to Experimental Open-Field Soil Warming in a Cool-Temperate Deciduous Forest

How global warming will affect soil respiration (R _S) and its source components is poorly understood despite its importance for accurate prediction of global carbon (C) cycles. We examined the responses of R _S, heterotrophic respiration (R _H), autotrophic respiration (R _A), nitrogen (N) availability, and fine-root biomass to increased temperature in an open-field soil warming experiment. The experiment was conducted in a cool-temperate deciduous forest ecosystem in northern Japan. As this forest is subjected to strong temporal variation in temperature, on scales ranging from daily to seasonal, we also investigated the temporal variation in the effects of soil warming on R _S, R _H, and R _A. Soil temperature was continuously elevated by about 4.0°C from 2007 to 2014 using heating wires buried in the soil, and we measured soil respiratory processes in all four seasons from 2012 to 2014. Soil warming increased annual R _S by 32–45%, but the magnitude of the increase was different between the components: R _H and R _A were also stimulated, and increased by 39–41 and 17–18%, respectively. Soil N availability during the growing season and fine-root biomass were not remarkably affected by the warming treatment. We found that the warming effects varied seasonally. R _H increased significantly throughout the year, but the warming effect showed remarkable seasonal differences, with the maximum stimulation in the spring. This suggests that warmer spring temperature will produce a greater increase in CO₂ release than warmer summer temperatures. In addition, we found that soil warming reduced the temperature sensitivity (Q ₁₀) of R _S. Although the Q ₁₀ of both R _H and R _A tended to be reduced, the decrease in the Q ₁₀ of R _S was caused mainly by a decrease in the response of R _A to warming. These long-term results indicate that a balance between the rapid and large response of soil microbes and the acclimation of plant roots both play important roles in determining the response of R _S to soil warming, and must be carefully considered to predict the responses of soil C dynamics under future temperature conditions.     

Recovery after defoliation in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eucalyptus globulus</Emphasis> saplings: respiration and growth

Key message

Recovery after partial defoliation and/or debudding treatments was found to be more closely related to the release of latent buds rather than temporal changes in leaf-level respiration and carbon uptake.

Abstract

Despite the importance of respiration in the overall carbon balance of plants, recovery after defoliation and debudding has been largely related to changes in carbon uptake; the significance of respiration has received much less attention. Growth, biomass and leaf-level carbon balance (both photosynthesis and dark respiration at night) responses of young Eucalyptus globulus potted-saplings to debudding (B), partial defoliation (D) and combined B&D treatments were assessed over a 12-week recovery period. Light-saturated photosynthetic rates (A ₁₅₀₀) were asynchronous with night respiration rates (R _dark) throughout the course of the experiment; 5 weeks after defoliation, significant increases in A ₁₅₀₀ were accompanied by concomitant increases in R _dark in the B&D and B and D treatments. By week 8, while A ₁₅₀₀ returned to control values, R _dark had increased, particularly in the B&D treatment. Saplings in the B and D treatments showed full recovery with growth, biomass and leaf area being similar to control saplings by week 12. In contrast, saplings in the B&D treatment appeared unable to compensate for the combined removal of all buds and 35 % leaf area as evidenced by slowed height increments and reductions in total biomass of >30 %. Simple modelling of whole-plant net CO₂ uptake showed that saplings in the B&D treatment fixed 20 % less CO₂ than the other treatments at week 12, suggesting that recovery following this treatment and the D treatment was dependent on changes in total leaf area development and whole-tree assimilation rather than differences in assimilation or respiration per unit foliage area. Increased biomass allocation to bud in weeks 5 and 8 suggested that the pattern of refoliation after defoliation and debudding was related to changes in tree architecture from the release of latent buds.

     

The Mycotoxin Zearalenone Hinders <Emphasis Type="Italic">Candida albicans</Emphasis> Biofilm Formation and Hyphal Morphogenesis

Yeast–mold mycobiota inhabit several natural ecosystems, in which symbiotic relationships drive strategic pathoadaptation. Mycotoxins are metabolites produced by diverse mycotoxigenic fungi as a defense against yeasts, though at times yeasts secrete enzymes that degrade, detoxify, or bio-transform mycotoxins. The present study is focused on the in vitro inhibitory effects of zearalenone (ZEN), a F2 mycotoxin produced by several Fusarium and Gibberella species, on different microbial strains. ZEN exhibited no effect on the planktonic growth or biofilms of several Gram positive and negative bacteria at the tested concentrations. Remarkably, Candida albicans biofilm formation and hyphal morphogenesis were significantly inhibited when treated with 100 µg/mL of ZEN. Likewise, ZEN proficiently disrupted pre-formed C. albicans biofilms without disturbing planktonic cells. Furthermore, these inhibitions were confirmed by crystal violet staining and XTT reduction assays and by confocal and scanning electron microscopy. In an in vivo model, ZEN significantly suppressed C. albicans infection in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The study reports the in vitro antibiofilm efficacy of ZEN against C. albicans strains, and suggests mycotoxigenic fungi participate in asymmetric competitive interactions, such as, amensalism or antibiosis, rather than commensal interactions with C. albicans, whereby mycotoxins secreted by fungi destroy C. albicans biofilms.     

Girdling Affects Ectomycorrhizal Fungal (EMF) Diversity and Reveals Functional Differences in EMF Community Composition in a Beech Forest

The relationships between plant carbon resources, soil carbon and nitrogen content, and ectomycorrhizal fungal (EMF) diversity in a monospecific, old-growth beech (Fagus sylvatica) forest were investigated by manipulating carbon flux by girdling. We hypothesized that disruption of the carbon supply would not affect diversity and EMF species numbers if EM fungi can be supplied by plant internal carbohydrate resources or would result in selective disappearance of EMF taxa because of differences in carbon demand of different fungi. Tree carbohydrate status, root demography, EMF colonization, and EMF taxon abundance were measured repeatedly during 1 year after girdling. Girdling did not affect root colonization but decreased EMF species richness of an estimated 79 to 90 taxa to about 40 taxa. Cenococcum geophilum, Lactarius blennius, and Tomentella lapida were dominant, colonizing about 70% of the root tips, and remained unaffected by girdling. Mainly cryptic EMF species disappeared. Therefore, the Shannon-Wiener index (H′) decreased but evenness was unaffected. H′ was positively correlated with glucose, fructose, and starch concentrations of fine roots and also with the ratio of dissolved organic carbon to dissolved organic nitrogen (DOC/DON), suggesting that both H′ and DOC/DON were governed by changes in belowground carbon allocation. Our results suggest that beech maintains numerous rare EMF species by recent photosynthate. These EM fungi may constitute biological insurance for adaptation to changing environmental conditions. The preservation of taxa previously not known to colonize beech may, thus, form an important reservoir for future forest development.In temperate and boreal forest ecosystems, most tree species form ectomycorrhizal fungal (EMF) associations. EM fungi ensheathe the root tip, forming characteristic mantlelike structures (1). The presence and lengths of hyphae emanating from the mantle are characteristic of different EMF species and establish different soil exploration types (2). It has been assumed that EMF communities are adapted specifically to mobilize sparse soil nutrient resources in boreal and temperate forests (11, 50). Current estimates indicate that about 80% of all nitrogen and phosphorus present in plants has been taken up via mycorrhizas (30, 41, 63).Unlike free-living soil microbes, EM fungi have direct access to reduced carbon from their host plants. More than 50 years ago, Melin and Nilsson (46) showed that ¹⁴C applied to leaves was recovered within one day in EM fungi, suggesting a strong dependence of fungal metabolism on host photosynthesis. Subsequent isotopic studies corroborated tight connections between current photosynthate and EM fungi (28, 42). EMF hyphae constitute the main path of plant-derived carbon into the soil (24, 29). Furthermore, EMF hyphae contribute substantially to soil respiration (25% from hyphae and 15% from roots) (27). As hyphal respiration decreases strongly in response to girdling of trees, a tight metabolic link between extramatrical mycelia and host photosynthetic activity must exist (5, 9, 32). In addition, fruiting body formation of EMF species was strongly dependent on host photosynthetic capacity (32, 40). In contrast, the significance of the current assimilate supply for EMF colonization of root tips and for community composition is not yet well understood. Since trees contain substantial stores of carbohydrates in the roots and stem (7), it may be expected that EM fungi can be maintained if this carbon resource is available. For example, defoliation experiments with conifers, which restricted but did not eliminate current photosynthate transfer to roots, showed no effects on root EMF colonization. Massive defoliation that negatively affected aboveground biomass production suppressed morphotypes with thick mantles compared to those with thin mantles, suggesting a shift to less-carbon-demanding EMF species (14, 40, 44, 54, 56). Earlier studies also reported decreased EMF colonization of root tips (21, 52).In a common garden experiment with young beech trees, strong shading over several years, which severely limited plant growth, suppressed EMF colonization and resulted in low EMF diversity (20). EMF community composition was affected strongly by shading and slightly by short-term girdling, suggesting that EMF taxa are sensitive to changes in plant internal carbohydrate resources (20). However, the overall EMF diversity was low, probably because the young trees were grown in nutrient-rich compost soil (20). The significance of photoassimilates for EMF abundance, diversity, and community composition, therefore, remains to be shown for adult forest trees, which usually have high EMF diversity and low nitrogen availability (10, 26, 53, 61).The aim of this work was to test the hypothesis that EMF abundance and diversity are independent of the current photoassimilate supply and can be maintained by internal resources. To investigate this concept, old-growth beech trees (Fagus sylvatica L.) were girdled to suppress carbon allocation to roots. Since disruption of the current assimilate flux affects the carbohydrate source strength, we hypothesized that changes in EMF taxon composition would occur if EMF species had different carbon demands. Tree carbohydrate status, root demography, EMF colonization, and EMF taxon abundance were measured repeatedly during 1 year after girdling. Since girdling also affects carbon release into and probably nutrient uptake from soil, the influence of possible feedback by changes in the ratio of dissolved organic carbon to dissolved organic nitrogen (DOC/DON) in the soil on EMF diversity was also assessed.     

Cytoplasmic contractions in growing fungal hyphae and their morphogenetic consequences

Video-enhanced light microscopy of the apical and subapical regions of growing hyphae of several fungal species revealed the existence of momentary synchronized motions of subcellular organelles. First discovered in a temperature-sensitive morphological mutant (ramosa-1) of Aspergillus niger, these seemingly spontaneous cytoplasmic contractions were also detected in wild-type hyphae of A. niger, Neurospora crassa, and Trichoderma atroviride. Cytoplasmic contractions in all fungi lasted about 1 s. Although the cytoplasm recovered its motility and appearance, the contraction usually led to drastic changes in Spitzenkörper (apical body) behavior and hyphal morphology, often both. Within 10 s after the contraction, the Spitzenkörper commonly became dislodged from its polar position; sometimes it disassembled into phase-dark and phase-light components; more commonly, it disappeared completely. Whether partial or complete, the dislocation of the Spitzenkörper was always accompanied by a sharp reduction or cessation of growth, and was usually followed by marked morphological changes that included bulbous hyphal tips, bulges in the hyphal profile, and formation of subapical and apical branches. The cytoplasmic contractions are vivid evidence that the most conspicuous cell organelles (membrane-bound) in living hyphae are interconnected via a contractile cytoskeletal network.     

Effects of shrub encroachment on vertical changes in soil organic carbon in Mongolian grasslands: using a multi-biomarker approach

Background

This study started from typical replant disease symptoms limited to specific foci within three multi-generation orchards showing homogeneous growth.

Methods

A plant growth assay was conducted using soil from symptomatic and asymptomatic tree root zones along planted rows and from strip-rows. Root colonizing fungal communities were investigated, then the study turned to pathogenicity of Cylindrocarpon-like fungi (Dactylonectria and Ilyonectria spp) and their extracellular exudates.

Results

Growth of apple rootstock plantlets in soil from symptomatic trees was significantly lower than in those observed in soil from asymptomatic trees and from strip-rows. Among the main group of endophytic filamentous fungi isolated from roots, Cylindrocapon-like fungi (Dactylonectria torresensis and, to a lesser extent, Ilyonectria robusta), along with binucleate Rhizoctonia spp., prevailed mostly in plantlets grown in soil collected from planted rows. On the other hand, Fusarium spp. prevailed in plantlets grown in soil from the strip-rows. Cylindrocarpon-like fungi was found to be the most negatively correlated with plant growth. As findings of artificial inoculation with main root colonizing fungal species were not in line with what was observed in native soils, a further investigation was performed on secondary metabolites through which Dactylonectria torresensis exerts pathogenicity; this analysis revealed that both phytotoxins (tentoxin, HC toxin and zearalenone) and cytotoxic compounds (rabelomycin and nidulin) may be involved.

Conclusion

Findings suggest that extracellular compounds released by D. torresensis may have contributed to the severe growth reduction associated with replant disease-like symptoms.

     

Soil spore banks of ectomycorrhizal fungi in endangered Japanese Douglas-fir forests

Interactions between trees and ectomycorrhizal fungi are critical to the growth and survival of both partners. However, ectomycorrhizal symbiosis has barely been explored in endangered trees, and no information is available regarding soil spore banks of ectomycorrhizal fungi from forests of threatened trees. Here, we evaluated soil spore banks of ectomycorrhizal fungi from endangered Japanese Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga japonica) forests using bioassay approaches with congeneric P. menziesii and Pinus densiflora seedlings in combination with molecular identification techniques. Rhizopogon togasawariana was predominant in soil propagule banks and was found in all remaining P. japonica forests when assayed with P. menziesii, while no colonization of this fungus was observed on Pinus seedlings. Given the observed specificity of R. togasawariana for P. menziesii and its phylogenetic position within the Pseudotsuga-specific Rhizopogon lineage, its geographical distribution is likely restricted to the remaining Japanese Douglas-fir forests, indicating a high extinction risk for this fungus as well as its endangered host. Spore banks of R. togasawariana remained highly infective after preservation for 1 year or heat treatment at 70 °C, suggesting an ecological strategy of establishing ectomycorrhizal associations on regenerating Japanese Douglas-fir seedlings after disturbance, as observed in other Rhizopogon–Pinaceae combinations. Therefore, the regeneration of Japanese Douglas-fir seedlings may depend largely on the soil spore banks dominated by R. togasawariana, which has co-evolved with the Japanese Douglas-fir for over 30 million years. More attention must be paid to underground ectomycorrhizal fungi for the conservation of endangered tree species, especially in the era of human-induced mass extinction.     

Melanization of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fusarium keratoplasticum</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">F. solani</Emphasis> Species Complex) During Disseminated Fusariosis in a Patient with Acute Leukemia

Fusarium spp. are recognized as the second most frequently filamentous fungi causing opportunistic infections and particularly important due to the increasing number of immunocompromised patients. F. keratoplasticum (a member of F. solani species complex) is one of the Fusarium species commonly associated with human infection, and therefore, studies on the virulence of this fungus are needed. This study aimed to confirm the presence of melanin in F. keratoplasticum from a patient with systemic fusariosis. Immunofluorescence labeling with anti-melanin monoclonal antibody (MAb) was used to examine an expression of melanin in F. keratoplasticum in vitro and during infection. Electron spin resonance identified the particles extracted from F. keratoplasticum as stable free radical consistent with melanin. Lesional skin from the sites with fusariosis contained hyphal structures that could be labeled by melanin-binding MAb, while digestion of the tissue yielded dark particles that were reactive. These findings suggest that F. keratoplasticum hyphae and chlamydospores can produce melanin in vitro and that hyphae can synthesize pigment in vivo. Given the potential role of melanin in virulence of other fungi, this pigment in F. keratoplasticum may play a role in the pathogenesis of fusariosis.     

Incidence and diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and successor herbaceous plants in an agro-system irrigated with produced water

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diversity of herbaceous plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi following the cultivation of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L., cv. BRS 321) irrigated with produced water. The sunflower plants were irrigated during three successive cycles with different types of water: produced water obtained through simple filtration (PWSF), and secondly, produced water treated by reverse osmosis (PWRO), and the control with groundwater from the aquifer Açu (WCA). In June 2014, five months after the final harvest, the treatments were evaluated in terms of the diversity of successor plants and their roots colonized by arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM); and samples of soil, in which the following were measured: the spore abundance of AM fungi, the levels of glomalin in easily extracted glomalin and total glomalin. Of a total of eighteen species of herbaceous plants which were identified in the experimental field, Dactyloctenium aegyptium was related with the use of PWSF, Panicum sp. and Diodella apiculata with the use of PWRO, and Trianthema portulacastrum and Eragrostis tenella with the control WCA. The diversity of AM fungi was affected by irrigation with PWSF, in which two species of Acaulospora, one species of Gigaspora and species of Paraglomus were absent, compared to the treatment with PWRO. Acaulospora sp.1 was related with the WCA control as an indicator species. The use of produced water which had undergone reverse osmosis had a short-term effect on the content of glomalin which is easily extractable from the soil but did not change the mycorrhization rates of plants. These results enable us to infer that irrigation with produced water leads to a reduction in the diversity of herbaceous plants and of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the soil, confirming the importance of monitoring agro-systems irrigated with residual water.     

Temperature Responses of Photosynthesis and Respiration of Maize (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Zea mays</Emphasis>) Plants to Experimental Warming

Understanding the key processes and mechanisms of photosynthetic and respiratory acclimation of maize (Zea mays L.) plants in response to experimental warming may further shed lights on the changes in the carbon exchange and Net Primary Production (NPP) of agricultural ecosystem in a warmer climate regime. In the current study, we examined the temperature responses and sensitivity of foliar photosynthesis and respiration for exploring the mechanisms of thermal acclimation associated with physiological and biochemical processes in the North China Plain (NCP) with a field manipulative warming experiment. We found that thermal acclimation of A_n as evidenced by the upward shift of A_n-T was determined by the maximum velocity of Rubisco carboxylation (V_cmax), the maximum rate of electron transport (J_max), and the stomatal- regulated CO₂ diffusion process (g_s), while the balance between respiration and photosynthesis (R_d/A_g), and/or regeneration of RuBP and the Rubisco carboxylation (J_max/V_cmax) barely affected the thermal acclimation of A_n. We also found that the temperature response and sensitivity of R_d was closely associated with the changes in foliar N concentration induced by warming. These results suggest that the leaf-level thermal acclimation of photosynthesis and respiration may mitigate or even offset the negative impacts on maize from future climate warming, which should be considered to improve the accuracy of process-based ecosystem models under future climate warming.     

Diversity of facultatively anaerobic microscopic mycelial fungi in soils

The numbers of microscopic fungi isolated from soil samples after anaerobic incubation varied from tens to several hundreds of CFU per one gram of soil; a total of 30 species was found. This group is composed primarily of mitotic fungi of the ascomycete affinity belonging to the orders Hypocreales (Fusarium solani, F. oxysporum, Fusarium sp., Clonostachys grammicospora, C. rosea, Acremonium sp., Gliocladium penicilloides, Trichoderma aureoviride, T. harzianum, T. polysporum, T. viride, T. koningii, Lecanicillum lecanii, and Tolypocladium inflatum) and Eurotiales (Aspergillus terreus, A. niger, and Paecilomyces lilacimus), as well as to the phylum Zygomycota, to the order Mucorales (Actinomucor elegans, Absidia glauca, Mucor circinelloides, M. hiemalis, M. racemosus, Mucor sp., Rhizopus oryzae, Zygorrhynchus moelleri, Z. heterogamus, and Umbelopsis isabellina) and the order Mortierellales (Mortierella sp.). As much as 10–30% of the total amount of fungal mycelium remains viable for a long time (one month) under anaerobic conditions.