Change in Phospholipid Composition and Phospholipase Activity of the Fungus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lentinus tigrinus</Emphasis> VKM F-3616D during Growth in the Presence of Phenol and Lignocellulosic Substrates

Changes in phospholipid composition, phospholipase activity, and accumulation of lipid peroxidation products in mycelium of the lignindegrading fungus Lentinus (Panus) tigrinus VKM F-3616D in the presence of phenol and lignocellulosic substrates in the cultivation medium are reported. It is shown that in fungal mycelium in the presence of both substrates the share of lysophosphatidylcholine sharply increases. The parity between separate groups of phosphatidylinositols also changes. The lysophosphatidylcholine content increase during cultivation is connected with activation of phospholipase A₂ (EC 3.1.1.4), and phosphatidylinositol parity change is associated with distinctions in affinity of phosphoinositidespecific phospholipase C (EC 3.1.4.11) to them.     

Biomass and nutrient concentrations of sporocarps produced by mycorrhizal and decomposer fungi in Abies amabilis stands

Summary Sporocarps and sclerotia were collected for a one-year period in 23- and 180-year-old Abies amabilis stands in western Washington. All sporocarps were classified and chemically analyzed for N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na and Fe. Lactarius sp. and Cortinarius sp. contributed the largest proportion of the total annual epigeous sporocarp production in both stands. Annual epigeous production was 34 kg/ha in the young stand and 27 kg/ha in the mature stand. Hypogeous sporocarp production increased from 1 kg ha^-1 yr^-1 to 380 kg ha^-1 yr^-1 with increasing stand age. High sclerotia biomass occurred in the young (2,300 kg/ha) and mature (3,000 kg/ha) stands. Peak sclerotia and epigeous sporocarp biomass in the young stand and epigeous and hypogeous sporocarp biomass in the mature stand coincided with the fall peak of mycorrhizal root biomass.In the young stand, sporocarps produced by decomposer fungi concentrated higher levels of Ca and Mn than those produced by mycorrhizal fungi. In the mature stand, sporocarps of decomposer fungi concentrated higher levels of N, P, Mn, Ca and Fe than sporocarps of mycorrhizal fungi. Epigeous and hypogeous sporocarps concentrated higher levels of N, P, and K than sclerotia or mycelium. The highest concentration of N (4.36%), P (0.76%), K (3.22%) and Na (1,678 ppm) occurred in epigeous sporocarps. Highest Mn (740 ppm) and Ca (20,600 ppm) concentrations occurred in mycelium, while highest Mg (1,929 ppm) concentrations were in hypogeous sporocarps and highest Fe (4,153 ppm) concentrations were in sclerotia.     

Über die antagonistische Beeinflussung von Wachstum und atmung bei einigen höheren Pilzen

Zusammenfassung 6 Hymenomyceten (Merulius lacrymans, Polyporus sulfureus, Daedalea quercina, Pholiota mutabilis, Panus conchatus und Lepiota cepaestipes) und I Ascomycet (Xylaria polymorpha) wurden auf Biomalzlösung kultiviert; im Zeitpunkt des maximalen Hemmstoffgehaltes der Nährlösung (je nach Art nach 12 Tagen bis 5 Wochen) wurde deren Wirkung auf Wachstum und Atmung von 5 anderen Hymenomyceten (Coniophora cerebella, Polystictus versicolor, Fomes fomentarius, Trametes radiciperda und Schizophyllum commune) untersucht.Das Wachstum wurde in fast allen Kombinationen gehemmt und zwar die Zunahme des Koloniedurchmessers meist stärker als die Zunahme der Mycelsubstanz. In einigen Fällen (20% der Gesamtversuche) wurde das Wachstum bei niedriger Konzentration aber auch gefördert. Bei Xylaria-Nährlösung ließ sich der fördernde Faktor vom Hemmstoff trennen.Die Atmung wurde in einigen Fällen gleich stark wie das Wachstum gehemmt (28% der Versuche), in den meisten Kombintionen wurde sie jedoch weniger beeinträchtigt oder sogar, besonders durch die Lösungen von Daedalea und Polyporus, über die Atmung der Kontrolle (auf normaler Nährlösung) hinaus gesteigert.Sulfanilamido-thiazol wirkte auf Fomes ebenfalls stärker wachstums-als atmungshemmend, während Streptomycin und Colchicin so gut wie unwirksam waren.An der antibiotischen Aktivität der gebrauchten Nährlösungen waren durch die Pilze gebildete Säuren, vor allem Oxalsäure, mit beteiligt.Die hemmende Wirkung einiger gebrauchter Lösungen ließ sich herabsetzen, und zwar durch Neutralisation (Merulius- und Daedalea-Lösung irreversibel, Panus- und Pholiota-Lösung reversibel) Oxydation (Xylaria-, Panus- und Pholiota-Lösung) und Cysteïnzusatz (Xylaria-Lösung). Sie wurde weiterhin durch von den Testpilzen gebildete Faktoren herabgesetzt; diese wirkten gegen Xylaria-Hemmstoff exogen, während die gegen Merulius-, Daedalea- und Polyporus-Hemmstoff wirksamen anscheinend adaptiver Art waren.In den Nährlösungen von Xylaria, Panus und Pholiota wurde Biotin nachgewiesen; dieses its aber nicht mit den wachstumsfördernden Faktoren identisch.Die Förderung der Mycelausbreitung von Coniophora in Mischkulturen mit Penicillium auf Pflaumensaftagar beruht dagegen nicht auf fördernden, sondern auf Ausschaltung von hemmenden Faktoren im Pflaumensaft.Dissertation der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Universität Göttingen.     

Chemical Constituents of the Culture Broth of Panus rudis

In our ongoing search for new secondary metabolites from fungal strains, one novel compound (1) and nine known compounds (2-10) were isolated from the EtOAc-soluble layer of the culture broth of Panus rudis. The culture broth of P. rudis was extracted in acetone and fractionated by solvent partition; column chromatography using silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, and Sephadex G-10; MPLC; and HPLC. The structures of isolated compounds were elucidated by one- and two-dimensional NMR and LC-ESI-mass measurements. One new compound, panepoxydiol (1), and nine known compounds, (E)-3-(3-hydroxy-3-methylbut-1-en-1-yl)-7-oxabicyclo[4.1.0]hept-3-ene-2,5-diol (2), isopanepoxydone (3), neopanepoxydone (4), panepoxydone (5), panepophenanthrin (6), 4-hydroxy-2,2-dimethyl-6-methoxychromane (7), 6-hydroxy-2,2-dimethyl-3-chromen (8), 2,2-dimethyl-6-methoxychroman-4-one (9), 3,4-dihydroxy-2,2-dimethyl-6-methoxychromane (10), were isolated from the culture broth of P. rudis. This is the first report of isolation of a new compound panepoxydiol (1) and nine other chemical constituents (2-5, 7-10) from the culture broth of P. rudis.     

Interrelation between the composition of lipids and their peroxidation products and the secretion of ligninolytic enzymes during growth of Lentinus (Panus) tigrinus

Lipid composition, intracellular products of lipid peroxidation (LPO), and the activities of extracellular enzymes were studied during submerged cultivation of the xylotrophic fungus Lentinus (Panus) tigrinus VKMF-3616D. The maximum secretion of ligninolytic enzymes during the phase of active mycelium growth correlated with increased content of readily oxidized phospholipids and unsaturated fatty acids and with low content of the LPO products. In the idiophase, which was characterized by lower excretion of extracellular ligninolytic enzymes, the content of more stable phospholipids, saturated fatty acids, and LPO products increased. A relationship between the composition of mycelial lipids and the secretion of ligninolytic enzymes was revealed.     

Foraging patterns in three sympatric forest ant species, Prenolepis imparis, Paratrechina melanderi and Aphaenogaster rudis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Abstract.

• 1 Ecological segregation was studied in Aphaenogaster rudis Emery, Paratrechina melanderi (Wheeler) and Prenolepis imparis (Say), the three commonest surface-foraging ants in a Maryland (U.S.A.) hardwood forest community.
• 2 P.imparis retreats from the surface during mid-summer, but shows more cool-season activity than do the other two species. P.melanderi is most active during the warmest months of the years. A.rudis is the most generalized of the three species in its seasonal activity pattern.
• 3 P.imparis is a highly aggressive species which forms large mobilizations at rich food sources. P.melanderi is a timid species which forms small mobilizations. A.rudis is intermediate in both respects.
• 4 Based on the results of baiting trials, P.imparis shows an apparent preference for protein-fat food, P.melanderi prefers carbohydrate food, and A.rudis exhibits no significant preference for either fclod type.
• 5 As a result of its extended seasonal activity, weak circadian periodicity, and lack of food specialization, A.rudis has the broadest annual niche of the three species studied.
• 6 The unusual seasonal activity pattern of P.imparis results in a relatively low degree of annual niche overlap between this species and either of the other two. Overlap between A.rudis and P.melanderi is substantially higher.
• 7 Experimental manipulations confirm that rates of resource removal by a behaviourally subordinate species (Amdis) are reduced in the presence of a dominant species (P.imparis).
• 8 Persistence of these three widespread, abundant, relatively generalized ant species in local sympatry may in part reflect their differential success in: (a) finding food, (b) defending food, and (c) handling food items of different sizes.

     

A molecular survey of ectomycorrhizal hyphae in a California Quercus–Pinus woodland

Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) hyphal communities have not been well characterized. Furthermore, there have been few studies where the ECM hyphal community is compared to fungi detected as sporocarps or ECM-colonized root tips. We investigated fungi present as hyphae in a well-studied California Quercus–Pinus woodland. Hyphal species present were compared to those found as sporocarps and ECM root tips at the same site. Hyphae were extracted from root-restrictive nylon mesh in-growth bags buried in the soil near mature Quercus douglasii, Quercus wislizeni, and Pinus sabiniana. Taxa were identified using PCR, cloning, and DNA sequencing of internal transcribed spacer and 28s rDNA. Among the 33 species detected, rhizomorph-forming ECM fungi dominated the hyphal community, especially species of Thelephoraceae and Boletales. Most fungi in soils near Quercus spp. and P. sabiniana were ECM basidiomycetes, but we detected two ECM ascomycetes and three non-mycorrhizal fungi. Many ECM species present as hyphae were also previously detected at this site as sporocarps (18%) or on ECM root tips (58%). However, the hyphal community was mostly dominated by different taxa than either the sporocarp or ECM root communities.     

Relationships within Lentinus subg. Lentinus (Polyporales, Agaricomycetes), with emphasis on sects. Lentinus and Tigrini

Representatives of Lentinus subg. Lentinus sensu Pegler (sects. Lentinus and Tigrini) were evaluated using ribosomal ITS-1-5.8 S-ITS2 sequence data, sexual intercompatibility studies and morphological analysis. Members of sects. Dicholamellatae, Rigidi and Lentodiellum sensu Pegler were also included in the study, but in much smaller numbers. All included sections were shown to be monophyletic with respect to the taxa sampled. While no biogeographical pattern was observed in sect. Lentinus, L. tigrinus (sect. Tigrini) produced a strong phylogeographic signal. Taxa of the related Polyporus “group Polyporellus” sensu Nu?ez and Ryvarden representing two clades were included in this study. Synonymy of Lentinus lindquistii under L. tigrinus is suggested based on sexual intercompatibility studies and molecular data.     

Three new species of Lentinus from northern Thailand

There have been few studies on the taxonomy and biodiversity of the genus Lentinus in Thailand, which is a genus of edible mushrooms. Recently, collections from 17 sites in northern Thailand yielded 47 specimens of Lentinus sensu lato. Three were shown to be new species of Lentinus sensu stricto and Lentinus roseus, L. concentricus and L. megacystidiatus are introduced in this paper. The new species are described and illustrated with line drawings and are justified and compared with similar taxa. Furthermore, ITS sequence data do not match closely with any species presently lodged in GenBank.     

Spatial Distribution of the Subterranean Mycelia and Ectomycorrhizae of Suillus grevillei Genets

Suillus grevillei , and found that one, SG-5, is species-specific to S. grevillei and polymorphic. Using the SG-5 marker, we analyzed for the first time the horizontal and vertical distribution of the subterranean parts of several S. grevillei genets. The spatial distribution of S. grevillei genets in the soil demonstrated that the development of S. grevillei sporocarps is correlated with that of extra-radical mycelia and ectomycorrhizae of the same genet, which are distributed in a narrow area. However, sporocarps are not always centered over the subterranean parts and the amount of subterranean mycelia and mycorrhizae is not always correlated to the number of sporocarps formed on them. No S. grevillei mycelia and mycorrhizae were detected beneath the positions where S. grevillei sporocarps emerged in the previous year. The observation indicates the rapid alteration of the subterranean parts of S. grevillei genets, and suggests that S. grevillei genets change location rather than merely extend their habitat year after year. Received 13 October 2000/ Accepted in revised form 15 March 2001     

Regeneration of the penis in Balanus balanoides (L.)

In Balanus balanoides (L.) the penis is ‘lost’ each autumn. The regeneration of the penis is described. The primordium contains mesenchyme. The pedicel structures develop early as thickened areas of the exoskeleton and give rise to the characteristic structural features of the mature pedicel. Tissue differentiation begins in the pedicel and later extends to the penis proper which becomes annulated. The ductus eventually opens by a terminal invagination of the exoskeleton.     

Disruption of ant-seed dispersal mutualisms by the invasive Asian needle ant (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pachycondyla chinensis</Emphasis>)

By disrupting the structure of native ant assemblages, invasive ants can have effects across trophic levels. Most studies to date, however, have focused on the impacts just two species (Linepithema humile and Solenopsis invicta). The impacts of many other invasive ant species on ecological processes in their introduced range are unknown. In this study we tested the hypothesis that the invasive ant Pachycondyla chinensis disrupts ant-seed dispersal mutualisms by displacing native ant species, especially the keystone mutualist Aphaenogaster rudis, while failing to disperse seeds itself. In a paired design we measured the impact of P. chinensis on the native ant-plant seed dispersal mutualism. The number of A. rudis workers was 96% lower in invaded than in intact plots, and the number of seeds removed was 70% lower in these plots. Finally, in invaded plots the abundance of Hexastylis arifolia, a locally abundant myrmecochorous plant, was 50% lower than in plots where P. chinensis was absent. A parsimonious interpretation of our results is that P. chinensis causes precipitous declines in the abundance of A. rudis within invaded communities, thereby disrupting the ant-plant seed dispersal mutualisms and reducing abundances of ant-dispersed plants. In sum, the magnitude of the effects of P. chinensis on seed dispersal is quantitatively similar to that documented for the intensively studied invasive Argentine ant. We suggest that more studies on the impacts of less-studied invasive ant species on seed dispersal mutualisms may increase our knowledge of the effects of these invaders on ecosystem function.     

Responses of Lemur fulvus to Scents of Different Subspecies of L. fulvus and to Scents of Different Species of Lemuriformes

Captive Lemur fulvus were presented with scents of their own subspecies, scents of other subspecies of L. fulvus, and scents of other species of sympatric Lemuriformes. The results suggest that L. fulvus do not distinguish between scents of different subspecies of L. fulvus, and that they do distinguish between scents of their own species and other sympatric species of Lemuriformes.     

Is one parasitoid enough? A test comparing one with a pair of parasitoid species in the biological control of arrowhead scales

In classic biological control using natural enemies, the question of whether a single species or multiple species should be introduced has been a matter of debate. The introduction of two parasitoids, Aphytis yanonensis and Coccobius fulvus (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), to control the arrowhead scale, Unaspis yanonensis (Hemoptera: Diaspididae), which is a serious pest in Japanese citrus orchards, has been one of the most successful biological control projects in Japan. The success of this program may be explained by two alternative hypotheses: (1) the parasitoid species work complementarily, or (2) only one of them plays a major role. To test which hypothesis is applicable to this host-parasitoid system, we conducted caging experiments and observed temporal changes in the proportion of the parasitisms and the densities of arrowhead scales enclosed with one of the following combinations of parasitoids: (1) A. yanonensis and C. fulvus together, (2) A. yanonensis alone, (3) C. fulvus alone, or (4) neither parasitoid. Parasitisms in the cohorts with A. yanonensis and C. fulvus together and C. fulvus alone rapidly increased to approximately 70%; parasitism with A. yanonensis alone also increased slightly, although it remained consistently lower that those with A. yanonensis and C. fulvus together and C. fulvus. At the end of the experiment, parasitisms with A. yanonensis and C. fulvus together and C. fulvus alone were significantly higher than that with A. yanonensis alone. Parasitism by C. fulvus constituted most of (74%) the parasitism in the cohort with A. yanonensis and C. fulvus together. Further, only C. fulvus suppressed the population growth rates of scales significantly. These results suggest that C. fulvus alone successfully suppresses scale populations as efficiently as both species together do.     

细枝木麻黄离体培养过程中愈伤组织和再生芽的细胞组织学观察

为探讨细枝木麻黄(Casuarina cunninghamianaMiq.)愈伤组织分化过程的细胞组织学,对离体培养条件下的愈伤组织进行扫描电子显微镜和石蜡切片观察,分析愈伤组织的细胞分裂、分化以及芽再生的发生过程。结果表明,新鲜外植体培养于愈伤组织诱导培养基上,伤口处的薄壁细胞开始脱分化,培养1周后形成明显的愈伤组织;继续培养2周后,胚性愈伤组织形成,且表层细胞启动分化形成芽原基;培养4周,可肉眼观察到胚性芽原基,数量增多并逐渐分化形成不定芽;培养至第6周,生成不定芽,并大量增殖和分化。因此,细枝木麻黄是通过愈伤组织分化形成胚状体的途径进行植株再生的,为建立细枝木麻黄组织培养高效再生体系提供了理论依据。     

Temperature effects on locomotor activity rates of sub-Antarctic oribatid mites

The influence of temperature on locomotor activity was determined for the sub-Antarctic mites, Halozetes fulvus Engelbrecht and Podacarus auberti Grandjean. In both species walking was severely impaired at below-freezing temperatures. Above zero, locomotor activity rates increased with a rise in temperature over a wide temperature range (for example, this was 2–30°C for H. fulvus), and they showed a biologically normal level of sensitivity to change in temperature. All the calculated Q₁₀ values for mean rates over 5° intervals varied between 1.3 and 2.9. The present data are compared with some rate functions of maritime and continental Antarctic micro-arthropods, and they confirm the relative enhancement of the physiological rate by a continental Antarctic mite. One explanation for the less temperature-sensitive rates in H. fulvus and P. auberti may be that they have relatively more time available for normal biological activity.     

Tool use by the forest ant Aphaenogaster rudis: Ecology and task allocation

Debris dropping behavior by ants during foraging has been labeled alternately as tool use or a protective behavior. To address this controversy, we investigated the circumstances under which the common forest ant Aphaenogaster rudis drops and retrieves debris in the forests of Vermont, in the U.S.A. We tested the hypotheses, first, that debris dropping functions to protect workers from entanglement or drowning in liquids, and second, that debris dropping functions as part of foraging tool use. To determine how workers are allocated to the debris dropping and retrieval tasks, we studied individually marked foragers in the field and laboratory. Our results provide evidence that the debris dropping behavior of Aphaenogaster rudis deserves to be labeled as foraging tool use; A. rudis ants do not drop debris in non-food substances that present a hazard of entanglement or drowning to workers. We also found that potential tools represent a small, but non-negligible, percentage of the items that A. rudis foragers bring back to their colonies. Furthermore, debris dropping by A. rudis at baits discouraged colonization by other ant species. Finally, we provide the first evidence that tool use is a specialized task performed by a subset of A. rudis foragers within each colony at any given point in time. The execution of this task by a small proportion of workers may enhance the competitive ability of this ecologically dominant forest ant. Received 3 April 2006; revised 13 August 2006; accepted 1 September 2006.     

Genotypic variability for callus formation and plant regeneration in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Summary Sixty rice varieties (Oryza sativa L.), belonging to three subspecies, japonica, indica and javanica (some japonicaXindica hybrids were included), were compared for their capacity for callus growth and plant regeneration. Tissue cultures initiated from mature seeds on Murashige and Skoog's (1962) medium with 2 mg/l 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) were transferred to a medium containing 0.02 mg/l 2,4-D and 10 mg/l kinetin, from which plantlets were regenerated. Large variabilities in callus growth and plant regeneration potentials were revealed among the varieties tested. Most japonica varieties formed a callus that weighed more than 100 mg per seed 30 days after inoculation, and showed a relatively high regenerative potential, whereas indica varieties, japonica-indica hybrids and javanica varieties showed poor callus growth and plant regeneration, although considerable varietal variation was observed in each subspecies. The callus growth potential was not correlated with the plant regeneration potential. Histological observations revealed that the epithelium cells of the scutellum mainly proliferated to form a callus, from which shoot and root primordia were differentiated independently from each other. The shoot primordia developed into plantlets when roots were formed adventitiously. In a few cases, shoots and roots were bilaterally initiated from a single primordium.     

A Molecular Genetic Study of Hybridization in Four Species of Ground Squirrels (Spermophilus: Rodentia,Sciuridae)

Four species of ground squirrel—yellow (Spermophilus fulvus), russet (S. major), small (S. pygmaeus), and spotted (S. suslicus)—occur in the Volga region. Between S. major and S. pigmaeus, S. major and S. fulvus, and S. major and S. suslicus, sporadic hybridization was reported. Using sequencing and restriction analysis, we have examined the mtDNA C region in 13 yellow, 60 russet, 61 small, 45 spotted ground squirrels, and 9 phenotypic hybrids between these species. It was shown that 43% of S. major individuals had alien mitotypes typical of S. fulvus and S. pygmaeus. Alien mitotypes occurred both within and outside sympatric zones. No alien mitotypes were found in 119 animals of the other three species, which suggests that only one parental species (S. major) predominantly participates in backcrosses. Phenotypic hybrids S. fulvus × S. major and S. major × S. pygmaeus) were reliably identified using RAPD–PCR of nuclear DNA. However, we could find no significant traces of hybridization in S. major with alien mitotypes. Analysis of p53 pseudogenes of S. major and S. fulvus that were for the first time described in the present study produced similar results: 59 out of 60 individuals of S. major (including S. major with S. fulvus mitotypes) had only the pseudogene variant specific for S. major. This situation is possible even at low hybridization frequencies (less than 1% according to field observations and 1.4 to 2.7% according to nuclear DNA analysis) if dispersal of S. major from the sympatric zones mainly involved animals that obtained alien mtDNA via backcrossing. The prevalence of animals with alien mitotypes in some S. major populations can be explained by the founder effect. Further studies based on large samples are required for clarifying the discrepancies between mitochondrial and nuclear DNA data.     

Upward ant distribution shift corresponds with minimum,not maximum,temperature tolerance

Rapid climate change may prompt species distribution shifts upward and poleward, but species movement in itself is not sufficient to establish climate causation. Other dynamics, such as disturbance history, may prompt species distribution shifts resembling those expected from rapid climate change. Links between species distributions, regional climate trends and physiological mechanism are needed to convincingly establish climate‐induced species shifts. We examine a 38‐year shift (1974–2012) in an elevation ecotone between two closely related ant species, Aphaenogaster picea and A. rudis. Even though A. picea and A. rudis are closely related with North American distributions that sometimes overlap, they also exhibit local‐ and regional‐scale differences in temperature requirements so that A. rudis is more southerly and inhabits lower elevations whereas A. picea is more northerly and inhabits high elevations. We find considerable movement by the warm‐habitat species upward in elevation between 1974 and 2012 with A. rudis, replacing the cold‐habitat species, A. picea, along the southern edge of the Appalachian Mountain chain in north Georgia, USA. Concomitant with the distribution shifts, regional mean and maximum temperatures remain steady (1974–2012), but minimum temperatures increase. We collect individuals from the study sites and subject them to thermal tolerance testing in a controlled setting and find that maximum and minimum temperature acclimatization occurs along the elevation gradient in both species, but A. rudis consistently becomes physiologically incapacitated at minimum and maximum temperatures 2 °C higher than A. picea. These results indicate that rising minimum temperatures allow A. rudis to move upward in elevation and displace A. picea. Given that Aphaenogaster ants are the dominant woodland seed dispersers in eastern deciduous forests, and that their thermal tolerances drive distinct differences in temperature‐cued synchrony with early blooming plants, these climate responses not only impact ant‐ant interactions, but might have wide implications for ant‐plant interactions.