Additions to the rust fungi of Argentina

A contribution is made to the rust fungus flora of Argentina: Puccinia baccharidis-boliviensis, P. cordyceps, P. pucarae, and Aecidium hypseocharidicola are described as new species. Cionothrix praelonga, Fromme?lla mexicana var. mexicana, Phakopsora compressa, Prospodium peruvianum, Puccinia amphiospora, P. chaetochloae, P. liabi, P. pappophori, P. sanguinolenta, P. subaquila, Ravenelia havanensis, Uredo leonuri, Uromyces orbicularis, and U. cnidoscoli are new reports for Argentina. New observations on already known species were made: the aecia of Puccinia subaquila and aecia and uredinia of Uromyces cnidoscoli are described for the first time. Senecio hieronymi is a new host for Puccinia lagenophorae. Uredo leonuri belongs to the genus Coleosporium. Melilotus albus is a new host of Uromyces anthyllidis in Argentina.     

Additions to the rust fungi of South Africa

This paper presents new species, combinations, national reports and host records for the South African rust fungi (Uredinales/Pucciniales). Endophyllum mpenjatiense on cf. Hibiscus sp. (Malvaceae), Phakopsora combretorum (anamorph Uredo combreticola) on the new host Combretum apiculatum (Combretaceae) and Uredo sekhukhunensis on Ziziphus mucronata (Rhamnaceae) are described as new species. Dietelia cardiospermi and E. metalasiae are proposed as new combinations to replace Aecidium cardiospermi on Cardiospermum halicacabum (Sapindaceae) and A. metalasiae on Metalasia spp. (Asteraceae), respectively. Four species are new records for South Africa: Crossopsora antidesmae-dioicae on Antidesma venosum (Euphorbiaceae), Phakopsora ziziphi-vulgaris on Z. mucronata, and Uromyces cypericola and Puccinia subcoronata, both on a new host, Cyperus albostriatus (Cyperaceae). The record of P. subcoronata is the first one from outside the New World. Puccinia scirpi is reported as a possible addition to the South African rust fungi. New host records and observations are presented for Pucciniastrum agrimoniae that is recorded on two new host genera and species, Cliffortia odorata and Leucosidea sericea (Rosaceae), Uromyces cypericola whose urediniospores are described for the first time, Phakopsora stratosa in that spermogonia and Uredo-like aecia were discovered, and for Sphaerophragmium dalbergiae in that characters of the urediniospores are re-evaluated. A lectotype is selected for Aecidium garckeanum and spermogonia are reported for this rust for the first time. The rust fungi of Ehrharta (Poaceae) are discussed and critically evaluated in the light of spore morphology and host species.     

Additions and amendments to the list of British smut fungi

Investigation of material of British smut fungi held in the national collections at kew (k) undertaken during preparation of the new checklist of British and Irish Basidiomycota (Legon et al. 2005) identified several species not hitherto known from the British Isles. These include taxa not previously recognised due to earlier, broader species concepts, as well as others based on earlier misidentifications or discovered during examination of herbarium material of their host plants. These taxa are fully reported here. In addition, amendments to nomenclature and taxonomy of other British species which have occurred since the monography by Mordue & Ainsworth (1984) are summarised.     

Additions to the fungi of Jabalpur (madhya pradesh) V

Summary The present paper includes ten parasitic fungi occurring at Jabalpur. These include three new species viz.Hendersonia syzygii Hasija onSyzygium cumini, Phoma ixorae Hasija onIxora sp. andPhyllosticta agarwalii Hasija onDalbergia paniculata. Colletotrichum truncatum (Schw.)Andrus &Moore onAlysicarpus bupleurifolius andPiricularia zingiberi onHedychium sp. are new fungus records for the country.Grewia hirsuta forPhyllosticta sedgwickii DaCosta &Mundkur,Lagerstroemia speciosa forPestalotiopsis versicolor (Speg.)Stey.,Zingiber officinale forCurvularia lunata (Wakker)Boedijn,Musa paradisiaca forDeightoniella torulosa (Syd.)Ellis andFlacourtia ramontchi forAlternaria tenuis Nees exPers. are new hosts record from Jabalpur, India.     

Additions to the fungi of Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh) - IV

Summary The present paper includes eight parasitic fungi occurring at Jabalpur.Gloeosporium pestis onDioscorea bulbifera andPseudocercospora vitis onVitis vinifera are two new fungus records for the country.Alternaria tenuis onCarica papaya, Alternaria tenuissima onPhaseolus vulgaris, Ricinus communis, andPancratium sp.,Colletotrichum capsici onPlumaria acutifolia, Glomerella cingulata onBauhinia variegata, Ficus retusa, andPestalotiopsis versicolor onTerminalia tomentosa are new hosts records for the fungi.Macrophomina phaseoli onAbelmoschus esculentis is a new fungus record for the state.     

Additions to the fungi of Jabalpur. (Madhya Pradesh) - I

Summary The present paper describes eight Foliicolous Fungi imperfecti from Jabalpur (India). These include four new species viz.Ramularia alangii Hasija onAlangium lamarckii, Colletotrichum holopteleae Hasija onHoloptelea integrifolia, Gloeosporium wendlandiae Hasija onWendlandia exserta andPhyllosticta macropycnidiai Hasija onSolanum melongena. Discosia artocreas Tode exFr. onTerminalia sp. is a new fungus record for the country raising the total number ofDiscosia from India to five.Heteropogon contortus forCurvularia lunata (Wakker)Boed. andBarleria priniotes forCercospora barlericola Payak &Thirum. are new hosts record from India, andCercospora tridacis-procumbentis Govindu &Thirum. onTridax procumbens is a new record for the state.     

Genomics of parasitic and symbiotic fungi

Complete and partial genome sequence information is underway in several parasitic and symbiotic fungi that infect humans, other animals and plants. Comparative analyses of these sequences will provide new insights into the genomic plasticity and evolution of parasitism and mutualism in fungi.     

The parasitic fungi of Aydin province

This paper gives a list of 57 species of parasitic fungi collected from the province of Aydin. Out of these species, 5 are new to the Turkish parasitic fungal flora, and new hosts for 7 species are reported from Turkey for the first time.Thesis submitted by the senior author for M. S. degree.     

Nematode-trapping fungi against parasitic cattle nematodes

Interactions between larvae of bovine gastrointestinal nematode parasites and nematode-trapping fungi, such as Arthrobotrys and Duddingtonia species and strains have been studied in Denmark. In this article J?rn Gr?nvold, Jens Wolstrup, Peter Nansen and Svend Aage Henriksen discuss how these fungi are able to grow, trap and kill parasitic nematode larvae, both on agar in the laboratory and in cattle faeces in the field.     

Use of real-time PCR to discriminate parasitic and saprophagous behaviour by nematophagous fungi

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) are important pathogens of soilborne insects and are sometimes developed commercially to manage insect pests. Numerous nematophagous fungal species (NF) prey on nematodes and are thought to be important in regulating natural or introduced EPN populations. However, nematophagy by these fungi in nature cannot be inferred using existing methods to estimate their abundance in soil because many of these fungi are saprophytes, resorting to parasitism primarily when certain nutrients are limiting. Therefore, we developed an assay to quantify NF DNA in samples of nematodes. Species-specific primers and TaqMan probes were designed from the ITS rDNA regions of Arthrobotrys dactyloides, Arthrobotrys oligospora, Arthrobotrys musiformis, Gamsylella gephyropagum and Catenaria sp. When tested against 23 non-target fungi, the TaqMan real-time PCR assay provided sensitive and target-specific quantification over a linear range. The amount of A. dactyloides or Catenaria sp. DNA in 20 infected nematodes, measured by real-time PCR, differed between fungal species (P=0.001), but not between experiments (P>0.05). However, estimates of relative NF parasitism using a bioassay with 20 nematodes infected by either species, differed greatly (P<0.001) depending on whether the fungi were alone or combined in the samples used in the assay. Tests done to simulate detection of NF DNA in environmental samples showed that, for all species, background genomic DNA and/or soil contaminants reduced the quantity of DNA detected. Nested PCR was ineffective for increasing the detection of NF in environmental samples. Indeed, real-time PCR detected higher amounts of NF DNA than did nested PCR. The spatial patterns of NF parasitism in a citrus orchard were derived using real-time PCR and samples of nematodes extracted from soil. The parasitism by Catenaria sp. was positively related to the abundance of both heterorhabditid and steinernematid EPNs. The possible significance of the associations is ambiguous because NF attack a broad range of nematode taxa whereas EPNs are a small minority of the total nematode population in a soil sample. These studies demonstrate the potential of real-time PCR to study the role of NF parasitism in soil food webs.     

Seasonality of parasitic and saprotrophic zoosporic fungi: linking sequence data to ecological traits

Zoosporic fungi of the phylum Chytridiomycota (chytrids) regularly dominate pelagic fungal communities in freshwater and marine environments. Their lifestyles range from obligate parasites to saprophytes. Yet, linking the scarce available sequence data to specific ecological traits or their host ranges constitutes currently a major challenge. We combined 28 S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing with targeted isolation and sequencing approaches, along with cross-infection assays and analysis of chytrid infection prevalence to obtain new insights into chytrid diversity, ecology, and seasonal dynamics in a temperate lake. Parasitic phytoplankton-chytrid and saprotrophic pollen-chytrid interactions made up the majority of zoosporic fungal reads. We explicitly demonstrate the recurrent dominance of parasitic chytrids during frequent diatom blooms and saprotrophic chytrids during pollen rains. Distinct temporal dynamics of diatom-specific parasitic clades suggest mechanisms of coexistence based on niche differentiation and competitive strategies. The molecular and ecological information on chytrids generated in this study will aid further exploration of their spatial and temporal distribution patterns worldwide. To fully exploit the power of environmental sequencing for studies on chytrid ecology and evolution, we emphasize the need to intensify current isolation efforts of chytrids and integrate taxonomic and autecological data into long-term studies and experiments.Subject terms: Fungal ecology, Limnology