Desert Truffles of the African Kalahari: Ecology,Ethnomycology, and Taxonomy

Desert Truffles of the African Kalahari: Ecology, Ethnomycology, and Taxonomy. The Khoisan people of the Kalahari Desert have used truffles for centuries. The extreme conditions in which desert truffles grow means that they fruit only sporadically when adequate and properly distributed rainfall occurs, and then only where suitable soil and mycorrhizal hosts occur. Truffles are hunted in the Kalahari by men and women; they look for cracks in the soil, often humped, caused by expansion of the truffles, which are then extracted with hands or digging sticks. The truffles are eaten raw or cooked (boiled, roasted over fire, or buried in hot ashes). Commercial harvest of Kalahari truffles has increased in the last decade and the quantities harvested have been observed to be declining where livestock have been concentrated.     

Soil mycoflora from trufflè native areas of Saudi Arabia

Soil fungi of areas in the North-Eastern region of Saudi Arabia where truffles are native were surveyed. Forty-three species of fungi belonging to twenty genera were isolated. Most were recovered from soils underneath or around truffle ascocarps: thirty species from soil under the surface of Tirmania nivea ascocarps, twenty-four from Terfezia boudieri soil and twenty species each from Tirmania pinoyi and Terfezia claveryi soils. Rhizosphere soil of Helianthemum lippi, on the other hand, yielded twenty-four fungal species while only fourteen fungal species were found in soil without vegetation. The total counts of fungi/g soil were highest in soils from the under surface of truffles, followed by rhizosphere soil, with the lowest in soils without vegetation.     

New Tuber species found in Poland

New information from a survey of truffles carried out in southern part of Poland in September 2007 is presented. The fruit bodies of Tuber aestivum, T. excavatum, T. rufum and one unidentified Tuber sp. were found. The soil chemistry of the five T. aestivum sites was analysed. Our inventory showed that T. aestivum prefers the mixed forest with host-trees such as: Quercus robur, Corylus avellana, Carpinus betulus, Fagus silvaticus and Tilia cordata. Selection of local inocula of T. aestivum for the propagation of truffles production could be an alternative to the Mediterranean truffles orchards in times when demand for the fungi will be increasing. Fruit bodies of truffles are conserved in the collection of biological material in the Forest Research Institute in Sękocin Stary.     

Tour of Truffles: Aromas,Aphrodisiacs, Adaptogens,and More

Truffles are the fruiting bodies of ascomycete fungi that form underground. Truffles are globally valued, culturally celebrated as aphrodisiacs, and highly sought-after delicacies in the culinary world. For centuries, naturalists have speculated about their mode of formation, and in cultures surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, many species have been prized as a delectable food source. Truffle fruiting bodies form underground and emit a variety of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Truffle volatiles are believed to have evolved to attract animals that disperse their spores. The main VOCs identified from truffles include sulfur compounds, such as dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and dimethyl disulfide (DMDS); in addition, 1-octen-3-ol and 2-methyl-1-propanol have been found in most truffle species. Humans use pigs and dogs trained to detect truffle VOCs in order to find these prized subterranean macrofungi. Truffles have pharmacological potential, but until more reliable cultivation methods become available their high price means they are unlikely to see widespread use as medicinals.     

荒漠草原盐沼湿地苦豆子土壤细菌群落构建机制及其影响因素

【背景】荒漠草原盐沼湿地是陆地生态系统的重要组成部分,土壤水分和盐分变化是影响该生态系统土壤细菌群落构建的重要因素。【目的】土壤细菌群落构建是由确定性和随机性主导的连续生态过程,阐明荒漠草原盐沼湿地土壤细菌群落的构建机制对于加深微生物作为关键生态系统因子重要性的理解具有积极意义。【方法】以宁夏中部典型荒漠草原盐沼苦水湖湿地为研究对象,对近湖边（near the lake,NL）和远离湖边（far from the lake,FL）苦豆子群落土壤理化特性进行测定并结合土壤细菌高通量测序分析。【结果】NL和FL样地具有明显的水盐梯度变化,NL样地土壤pH、含水量和电导率均显著高于FL样地;变形菌门、放线菌门、厚壁菌门、拟杆菌门和黏菌门是研究区域土壤细菌群落的优势菌门,变形菌门相对丰度随水盐梯度上升而升高,放线菌门和厚壁菌门相对丰度则随之下降,门下成员大多与水盐变化具有明显的相关性;此外,FL样地土壤细菌网络则具有稳定的网络关系;随着NL样地向FL样地的延伸,土壤细菌群落由随机过程主导,并且受pH、电导率和环境变量的影响。【结论】荒漠草原盐沼湿地水分和盐分的变化改变了土壤细菌群落结构;土壤细菌群落通过生态位占据等策略提高逆境下的生存能力;细菌群落构建是随机过程和确定性过程组成的连续统一体,同样受环境变化的影响。本结果揭示了荒漠草原盐沼湿地细菌群落结构和相互关系对环境变化的响应特征,同时阐明了该区土壤细菌群落的构建机制及影响因素,也为相关科学研究提供了一定理论参考。     

新疆两种土地利用方式下土壤病毒的群落组成与功能特征

病毒作为食物网的重要组成部分，在生态系统中发挥着重要的功能。病毒能够影响宿主的死亡率、群落结构和进化，以及营养元素循环。但由于技术方法的限制，对土壤病毒的群落组成和功能特征还知之甚少。为探索不同土地利用方式下土壤病毒组特征，采集了新疆棉花地和荒漠土壤样品。通过宏病毒组学分析发现，棉花地土壤和荒漠土壤分别注释到20个和15个病毒科，单链DNA（ssDNA）病毒占优势，其中微小噬菌体科（Microviridae）占比最高。仅在棉花地土壤中检测到花椰菜花叶病毒科（Caulimoviridae）、逆转录病毒科（Retroviridae）、裸露病毒科（Nudiviridae）、多分DNA病毒科（Polydnaviridae）、杆状病毒科（Baculoviridae）和囊泡病毒科（Ascoviridae），其中大部分病毒属于植物病毒和昆虫病毒。本研究推测与土地利用方式相关的人为活动、土壤理化性质以及动植物的差异可能影响土壤病毒的群落组成。通过Virsorter共注释到1824条病毒contigs，主要为微小噬菌体科。进一步利用SEED数据库对病毒功能进行注释，发现两个土壤病毒组注释到的主要功能类似；在SEED level 2水平上，均以"Phage capsid proteins"和"Phage packaging machinery"占比最高。本研究可为进一步探索土壤病毒生态功能和土壤食物网提供数据支持。     

A review of research on Chinese <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tuber</Emphasis> species

Truffles are abundant in some regions of China. Nevertheless, it was not until the 1980s that Tuber species were discovered by Chinese mycologists. In recent years, international truffle markets have shown an increasing interest in the import of Chinese Tuber. These truffles serve as a complement to European truffles due to their lower prices and their greater availability in a deficit market. However, Chinese truffles have been the subject of fraudulent commercial practices, and these could have a negative effect on truffle culture. These concerns have been behind numerous recent studies designed to obtain detailed information about Chinese Tuber species. Unfortunately, many of these studies are not published in English, and are dispersed throughout the specific local or national bibliography and proceedings of specialized truffle conferences. In view of the need to expand current knowledge of Chinese Tuber species, we present a comprehensive summary of the taxonomy, ecology, mycorrhizae, genetics, biochemistry, and cultivation of Chinese Tuber species. We also provide a synthetic taxonomy and morphological characterization of 16 Chinese Tuber species in order to assist in their verification and monitoring.     

Truffle trouble: what happened to the Tuberales?

An overview of truffles (now considered to belong in the Pezizales, but formerly treated in the Tuberales) is presented, including a discussion on morphological and biological traits characterizing this form group. Accepted genera are listed and discussed according to a system based on molecular results combined with morphological characters. Phylogenetic analyses of LSU rDNA sequences from 55 hypogeous and 139 epigeous taxa of Pezizales were performed to examine their relationships. Parsimony, ML, and Bayesian analyses of these sequences indicate that the truffles studied represent at least 15 independent lineages within the Pezizales. Sequences from hypogeous representatives referred to the following families and genera were analysed: Discinaceae–Morchellaceae (Fischerula, Hydnotrya, Leucangium), Helvellaceae (Balsamia and Barssia), Pezizaceae (Amylascus, Cazia, Eremiomyces, Hydnotryopsis, Kaliharituber, Mattirolomyces, Pachyphloeus, Peziza, Ruhlandiella, Stephensia, Terfezia, and Tirmania), Pyronemataceae (Genea, Geopora, Paurocotylis, and Stephensia) and Tuberaceae (Choiromyces, Dingleya, Labyrinthomyces, Reddellomyces, and Tuber). The different types of hypogeous ascomata were found within most major evolutionary lines often nesting close to apothecial species. Although the Pezizaceae traditionally have been defined mainly on the presence of amyloid reactions of the ascus wall several truffles appear to have lost this character. The value of the number of nuclei in mature ascospores as a delimiting family character is evaluated and found to be more variable than generally assumed.     

人工柠条-荒漠草地交错带拟步甲昆虫群落多样性

选取宁夏东部盐池县人工柠条灌丛-荒漠草地交错带为研究样地,以距离梯度形式,利用巴氏诱罐法对拟步甲科昆虫群落多样性进行了调查,研究了边缘效应对拟步甲昆虫群落多样性的影响。共采集拟步甲昆虫1405只,分属8属13种。结果表明,克小鳖甲和弯齿琵甲个体数量分别占总个体数的32.74%和43.27%,为该地区的优势种类。拟步甲昆虫在人工柠条灌丛-荒漠草地交错带的分布可分为3种类型,优势种克小鳖甲和弯齿琵甲属于栖息地广布型,但二者并没有表现出十分均匀的适应性,而且他们在各样带的分布呈显著负相关,克小鳖甲的分布趋向于沙生荒漠环境,弯齿琵甲的分布趋向于柠条灌丛;常见种蒙古漠王、小皮鳖甲的分布偏向于喜好荒漠草地;异距琵甲、奥氏真土甲、网目土甲和淡红毛隐甲的分布则偏向于喜好柠条灌丛。拟步甲昆虫丰富度与Shannon-Wiener多样性沿边缘分别向柠条灌丛和荒漠草地内部降低,个体数量总体上沿柠条灌丛、交错带向荒漠草地内部降低,但各样带差异不显著。从季节动态看,荒漠草地和柠条灌丛物种多样性季节变化相似,3种生境拟步甲活动密度季节变化相似。边缘效应强度分析呈现边缘正效应。CCA排序图显示分类地位相近的物种在生态适应上具有趋同性。多元回归分析表明,植被密度影响拟步甲昆虫群落的优势种和个体数量,植被盖度和高度分别影响拟步甲群落的均匀度和丰富度。主坐标分析(PCo A)排序表明人工柠条灌丛-荒漠草地交错带的拟步甲昆虫群落组成与柠条灌丛内部没有明显分化,但趋于向柠条灌丛生境演替。     

Emericella qinqixianii, a new species from desert soil in China

Emericella qinqixianii, a new species isolated from desert soil from Sanchakou, Aksu, Qiemo, Yuli, Yutian, and the Taklimakan desert 100 km inland from Minfeng, Xinjiang Province, China, is described and illustrated. It is characterized by grayish yellow to olive brown, non-ostiolate ascomata surrounded by hyaline to pale yellowish brown hülle cells, membranaceous peridium, prototunicate asci, and violet-brown, lenticular ascospores with two equatorial crests, smooth convex surfaces, and long filiform appendages. It hasAspergillus anamorph with biseriate aspergilla.     

Reproductive behavior of the antLeptothorax (Dichothorax) pergandei

Summary Leptothorax pergandei, the only member of the subgenusDichothorax, is a common ant in Chihuahuan desert habitats in southwestern Arizona. According to colony censuses and relatedness estimates, colonies are mostly monogynous and queens typically mate only once. Mating takes place in local swarming flights; virgin queens attract males with secretions from the poison gland. Some dealate queens running on the soil surface directly after the mating flight had well-developed ovaries containing mature eggs and yellow bodies.     

产胞外多糖菌株的分离鉴定及其功能研究

微生物产生的胞外多糖(exopolysaccharides, EPS)可促进大粒径土壤团聚体形成,高产EPS的菌株在土壤改良、促进作物生长方面具有较好的应用前景。【目的】从土壤样品中筛选高产胞外多糖的细菌,研究其在土壤改良、环境适应性、广谱抗病等方面的功能,为制备土壤改良型功能菌剂提供候选菌株。【方法】采用蒽酮硫酸法测定菌株胞外多糖的产量,通过形态学观察、生理生化试验及16S rRNA基因序列测定确定其分类地位,结合土壤培养试验研究菌株对土壤团聚体形成的影响。【结果】获得3株胞外多糖产量大于500 mg/L的细菌,经鉴定A-5为地衣芽孢杆菌(Bacillus licheniformis),XJ-3为萎缩芽孢杆菌(Bacillus atrophaeus),KW3-10为耐盐芽孢杆菌(Bacillus halotolerans)。菌株A-5、XJ-3、KW3-10处理后,土壤大团聚体(>0.25 mm)含量较对照分别提高了4.07、2.14和3.16倍。3株菌株对疮痂链霉菌(Streptomyces scabies)、尖孢镰刀菌(Fusarium oxysporum)、茄链格孢菌(Alternaria solani)和立枯丝核菌(Rhizoctonia solani)等多种植物病原菌具有明显的抑制效果,可耐受pH为5-9和NaCl含量1%‒9%的盐碱环境,促进植物生长,其中KW3-10的代谢产物中IAA含量为25.58 mg/L。【结论】菌株A-5、XJ-3、KW3-10可显著促进土壤团粒结构形成,具有较好的广谱抗病性和促生长特性,可作为高效复合功能菌剂的候选菌株。     

Soil fumigation and phosphorus supply affect the formation of Pisolithus-Eucalyptus urophylla ectomycorrhizas in two acid Philippine soils

To examine the effects of microbial populations and external phosphorus supply of two Philippine soils on mycorrhizal formation, Eucalyptus urophylla seedlings were inoculated with two Pisolithus isolates and grown in fumigated, reinfested and unfumigated soil fertilized with four rates of phosphorus. The Pisolithus isolates used were collected from under eucalypts in Australia and in the Philippines. Soils were infertile acid silty loams collected from field sites in Pangasinan, Luzon and Surigao, Mindanao.Significant interaction was observed between inoculation, soil fumigation and phosphorus supply on mycorrhizal formation by the Australian isolate in Surigao soil but not in Pangasinan soil. Soil fumigation enhanced mycorrhizal formation by the Australian isolate but did not affect root colonization by the Philippine isolate. Root colonization by the Australian isolate was highest in the reinfested soil while for the Philippine isolate it was highest in the unfumigated soil. The Australian isolate was more effective than the Philippine isolate in promoting growth and P uptake of E. urophylla seedlings in both soils. Total dry weight and P uptake of E. urophylla seedlings inoculated with the Australian isolate were maximum in fumigated and in the reinfested Pangasinan and Surigao soils supplied with 8 mg P kg^-1 soil. In the unfumigated soil, growth of seedlings inoculated with the Australian isolate was significantly reduced. Seedlings inoculated with the Philippine isolate had the largest dry weights and P contents in unfumigated Pangasinan and Surigao soils supplied with 8 mg P kg^-1 soil.These results indicate that the performance of the Australian Pisolithus isolate was markedly affected by biological factors in unfumigated soil. Thus, its potential use in the Philippines needs to be thoroughly tested in a variety of unfumigated soils before its widespread use in any inoculation programme.     

Phylogenetic study of two truffles, Tuber formosanum and Tuber furfuraceum, identified from Taiwan

Truffles are one of the most valuable edible fungi and have drawn extensive research interests worldwide. In Taiwan, two species of truffle, Tuber formosanum and Tuber furfuraceum , have been identified and reported. Although the morphological features of these two truffles have been described, lack of molecular identification has led to difficulties with firmly establishing their relatedness to other truffles. In this study, we utilized the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and β-tubulin gene sequences to generate the phylogenetic relationship of T. formosanum and T. furfuraceum with other taxonomic relatives. Our analysis revealed five/three major phylogenetic clades according to the 5.8S-ITS2/β-tubulin gene sequences and corroborated with their morphological characterization. Tuber formosanum highly resembles the Tuber indicum B complex, while T. furfuraceum is most similar to Tuber huidongense . Based on a molecular clock, we estimated that T. furfuraceum and T. formosanum would have diverged from their close relatives in mainland China between 10.2 and 4.1 Ma, respectively. Based on the results, we propose that these two Tuber species found in Taiwan might originate from the common ancestors with some truffle species in China. However, due to a long divergence time and geographical separation, they have evolved into indigenous species of Taiwan.     

New and interesting species ofEurotium from Chinese soil

Eurotium taklimakanense, a new species isolated from desert soil in the Taklimakan desert, Xinjiang Province, China, is described and illustrated. It is characterized by light yellow to reddish yellow colonies on Czapek's agar with 70% (w/v) sucrose, yellow ascomata, broadly lenticular ascospores with conspicuously irregular equatorial crests and tuberculate or verrucose convex surfaces, and anAspergillus anamorph.Eurotium cristatum is also described as a new record from China. It is characterized by light yellow colonies on Czapek's agar with 70% sucrose, yellow ascomata, broadly lenticular ascospores with two equatorial crests and echinulate convex surfaces, and small tuberculate conidia.     

块菌名实考证及其资源保护

块菌是指Tuber属的真菌种类,属于子囊菌门(Ascomycota),生在地下,其中包含着世界上最美味和价值最昂贵的食用菌.中国食与药用真菌文化悠久,历代本草都不乏各种菌类的记载,但在本草中记载的与块菌有关系的菌类唯有1245年陈仁玉编撰的“菌谱”中称之为“麦蕈”和俗名为“麦丹蕈”的一种地下真菌.日本本草对“麦蕈”也屡有记载,并把“麦蕈”叫“地肾”和“松露”.这是“松露”一名的最早记载,“麦蕈”或“松露”可能是被现代菌物学称之为须腹菌(Rhizopogon spp.)的真菌种类.因而,“松露”一名虽是汉字,但是所指并非真正的块菌,应是须腹菌(Rhizopogon spp.),也称“假块菌”(false truffle),所以松露和块菌寓意各异.产于我国西南地区的食用黑块菌主要是印度块菌(Tuber indi-cum)或中华块菌(T.sinernse)、夏块菌(T.aestivum=T.uncinatu)和拟喜马拉雅块菌(T.pseudohimalayense=T.pseudoexcavatum),近年来身价倍增,成为中国野生食用菌出口种类中名列前三甲的菌类,在世界块菌市场上也颇受欢迎.喜马拉雅块菌(T.himalayense)在我国尚未发现它的踪迹.印度块菌和中华块菌形态上有差异,若把中国产的类似黑孢块菌的黑块菌统称为印度块菌(T.indicum)尚值得商榷.中华块菌或印度块菌形态和遗传变异多样,尚需进一步研究.2010年在云南和四川相继发现的大型香味浓郁的白块菌,近似于波氏块菌(T.borchii)组的块菌,颇具研究和巨大的商业价值,表明我国块菌资源比原有记载的要丰富的多.由于利益之驱动和疏于管理,掠夺式的采收方法造成了块菌产区生态环境毁灭性的破坏,一些商业化采集区的块菌已濒临灭绝,中国西南地区的块菌资源的保护问题迫在眉睫.本文对产自欧洲、美洲的块菌、沙漠块菌,以及块菌的生态意义和种植作了简要介绍和讨论.     

Effects of Biological Soil Crusts on Seed Bank, Germination and Establishment of Two Annual Plant Species in the Tengger Desert (N China)

The presence of biological soil crusts can affect the germination and survival of vascular plants, but the reasons are not well investigated. We have conducted a field investigation and greenhouse experiments to test the effect of crusts on two desert annual plants, which occur on the stabilized dunes of the Tengger Desert in N China. The results showed that biological soil crusts negatively influenced the seed bank of Eragrostis poaeoides and Bassia dasyphylla. The important effect of biological soil crusts on seed germination and establishment were performed indirectly through reducing the amount of germinating seeds. Field investigation and experimental results with regard to the seed bank indicated that higher seedling density was found in disturbed crust soil and bare soil surface than in intact crust soils. Greenhouse experiments showed that the effects of biological soil crusts on germination and establishment of the two plants are not obvious in moist condition, while disturbed crusts are more favorable to seed germination in dry treatment. Significant differences in biomass were found between disturbed crust soil and bare soil. Survival and growth of the two annual plants were enhanced in both algal and moss crusts during the season of rainfall or in moist environment, but crusts did not affect seedling survival in the dry period. The small seeded E. poaeoides has higher germination than larger-seeded B. dasyphylla in crust soils, but B. dasyphylla has a relatively higher survival rate than E. poaeoides in crust soils.     

Behavioural phase change in the Australian plague locust, Chortoicetes terminifera, is triggered by tactile stimulation of the antennae

Density-dependent phase polyphenism is a defining characteristic of the paraphyletic group of acridid grasshoppers known as locusts. The cues and mechanisms associated with crowding that induce behavioural gregarization are best understood in the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria, and involve a combination of sensory inputs from the head (visual and olfactory) and mechanostimulation of the hind legs, acting via a transient increase in serotonin in the thoracic ganglia. Since behavioural gregarization has apparently arisen independently multiple times within the Acrididae, the important question arises as to whether the same mechanisms have been recruited each time. Here we explored the roles of visual, olfactory and tactile stimulation in the induction of behavioural gregarization in the Australian plague locust, Chortoicetes terminifera. We show that the primary gregarizing input is tactile stimulation of the antennae, with no evidence for an effect of visual and olfactory stimulation or tactile stimulation of the hind legs. Our results show that convergent behavioural responses to crowding have evolved employing different sites of sensory input in the Australian plague locust and the desert locust.     

Invasion of the pathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae through the guts of germfree desert locusts,Schistocerca gregaria

Less than 1% of an ingested inoculum of the pathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae was retained for long enough (ca. 24 h) in the gut of the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria, for germination and penetration to have occurred. The residual inoculum did not initiate an infection in guts of fed conventional or axenic locusts. However, symptoms of mycosis (hyphal bodies in the haemolymph, fungal penetration of the hindgut intima and epithelium, tetanic paralysis) were consistently observed in axenic but not conventional locusts which were starved post-inoculation.It is concluded that the antifungal toxin produced by the gut bacteria defends the desert locust against gut invasion by Metarhizium anisopliae during periods of starvation when the physical defences, prominent in fed insects, are less apparent.