Low genetic differentiation between apotheciate Usnea florida and sorediate Usnea subfloridana (Parmeliaceae,Ascomycota) based on microsatellite data

Accurate species delimitation has a pivotal role in conservation biology, and it is especially important for threatened species where decisions have political and economic consequences. Finding and applying appropriate character sets and analytical tools to resolve interspecific relationships remains challenging in lichenized fungi. The main aim of our study was to re-assess the species boundaries between Usnea subfloridana and Usnea florida, which have been phylogenetically indistinguishable until now, but are different in reproductive mode and ecological preferences, using fungal-specific simple sequence repeats (SSR), i.e. microsatellite markers. Bayesian clustering analysis, discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC), minimal spanning network (MSN), and principal component analysis (PCA) failed to separate U. florida and U. subfloridana populations. However, a low significant differentiation between the two taxa was observed across all populations according to AMOVA results. Also, analysis of shared haplotypes and statistical difference in clonal diversity (M) supported the present-day isolation between the apotheciate U. florida and predominantly sorediate U. subfloridana. Our results do not provide a clear support either for the separation of species in this pair or the synonymization of U. florida and U. subfloridana. We suggest that genome-wide data could help resolve the taxonomic question in this species pair.     

The arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Rhizophagus intraradices and other microbial groups affect plant species in a copper-contaminated post-mining soil

Background and aimArbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have an important role in plant-microbe interactions. But, there are few studies in which the combined effect of AMF with a stress factor, such as the presence of a metal, on plant species were assessed. This study investigated the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus Rhizophagus intraradices and other soil microbial groups in the presence of copper on three plant species in a microcosm experiment.MethodsTwo grass species Poa compressa and Festuca rubra and one herb species Centaurea jacea were selected as model plants in a pot-design test in which soils were artificially contaminated with copper. Treatments were bacteria (control), saprophytic fungi, protists, and a combined treatment of saprophytic fungi and protists, all in the presence or absence of the AM fungal species. After sixty days, plants were harvested and the biomass of grass and herb species and microbial respiration were measured.ResultsThe results showed almost equal above- and belowground plant biomass and microbial respiration in the treatments in the presence or absence of R. intraradices. The herb species C. jecea responded significantly to the soil inoculation with AM fungus, while grass species showed inconsistent patterns. Significant effect of AMF and copper and their interactions was observed on plant biomass when comparing contaminated vs. non-contaminated soils.ConclusionStrong effect of AMF on the biomass of herb species and slight changes in plant growth with the presence of this fungal species in copper-spiked test soils indicates the importance of mycorrhizal fungi compared to other soil microorganisms in our experimental microcosms.     

苦苣苔科植物学名种加词的问题

苦苣苔科植物是个研究活跃的类群,近年来随着新类群的报道和分类系统的变动,在该科的分类学研究中,出现了不少学名的种加词的性和属名不一致或出现拼写错误的情况,虽然这些错误不影响该名称的合格发表,但还是有必要根据《国际藻类、菌物和植物命名法规》进行改正。该文就苦苣苔科植物中属名以-stigma结尾的学名、属名以-cheilos结尾的学名、根据属名词尾不容易判断出性别的学名、拼写错误的名称等问题进行了分析,并对13个不符合法规的名称予以改正。此外,还就苦苣苔科植物学名的合格发表和规范使用进行了讨论。     

赤松枯梢病叶内生真菌多样性研究

在微生物层面研究枯梢病与植物针叶内生微生物的互作关系,分析内生真菌的多样性差异,为松枯梢病的防控提供基础数据。利用高通量测序技术测定赤松(Pinus densiflora)不同染病程度的针叶内生真菌的多样性。结果显示,随着病害的加重,P. densiflora针叶内生真菌丰富度呈现出上升的趋势,多样性指数表现为先下降后上升的趋势。无病斑针叶内生真菌中,子囊菌门(Ascomycota)与担子菌门(Basidiomycota)相对丰度最高,优势属为Lapidomyces和Selenophoma,病害导致优势菌相对丰度的降低。通过对不同染病情况的P. densiflora针叶内生真菌的测定,明确了枯梢病不同发病程度的P. densiflora针叶内生真菌的多样性及群落结构组成。     

内生真菌和内生细菌接种对雷公藤生长和次生代谢产物积累的影响

为探究内生真菌与内生细菌对雷公藤(Tripterygium wilfordii)的生长和次生代谢产物积累的相互作用,用内生真菌NS33、NS6和内生细菌LG3、LY1单独或跨界联合接种雷公藤,对雷公藤的生长和雷公藤甲素、雷公藤红素合成进行了研究。结果表明,单独或混合培养的菌株具有分泌铁载体、吲哚乙酸(IAA)和溶磷能力,对种子萌发、芽伸长和根系活力有显著促进作用。接种菌株NS33、NS6、NS6-LG3和NS6-LY1均显著促进了雷公藤组培苗的生长。单独或联合接种菌株均能显著提高雷公藤组培苗雷公藤甲素和雷公藤红素的积累,其中NS33-LG3和LG3的作用最显著。菌株NS33与LG3能够协同促进IAA的分泌、小麦幼苗根系活力和雷公藤红素的积累;菌株NS6与LY1协同提高了雷公藤组培苗的高度、质量和雷公藤红素的积累。因此,内生真菌与内生细菌联合接种对雷公藤生长和次生代谢产物积累具有一定的协同效应,显示出实际应用潜力。     

丛枝菌根真菌促进南美蟛蜞菊生长及对难溶磷的吸收

为了解2种丛枝菌根真菌(AMF)摩西管柄囊霉(Funneliformis mosseae, FM)和地表球囊霉(Glomus versiforme, GV)对入侵植物南美蟛蜞菊(Wedelia trilobata)的生长和对难溶性磷酸盐利用的影响,采用沙培盆栽方式,研究了南美蟛蜞菊在接种AMF与添加难溶性磷酸盐的生长和磷含量的变化。结果表明,在磷限制环境下FM对南美蟛蜞菊的侵染率达55%～69%,GV的侵染率达到63%～80%。添加难溶性磷酸盐后,2种AMF均促进了南美蟛蜞菊茎的伸长(FM:+46%; GV:+65%)、总生物量的增加(FM:+27.2%; GV:+40%)和磷含量的增加(FM:+36.6%; GV:+40.7%)。对比FM,GV对植物利用难溶性磷有更显著的促进作用。因此,南美蟛蜞菊与2种AMF形成的共生体系可以促进植物生长和对营养资源的利用,提高对难溶性磷的吸收效率可能使得南美蟛蜞菊在营养贫乏的环境中更好地建立种群。     

外来入侵植物的根系觅养行为研究进展

土壤养分分布具有高度空间异质性, 植物的根系觅养行为是其对土壤养分异质性的一种适应。不同植物为了适应养分异质性会产生不同的根系觅养行为, 通过调整自身的根系觅养范围、觅养精度和觅养速度来更好地吸收利用土壤中的养分。外来植物与本地植物的竞争是决定其成功入侵的重要因素, 土壤养分等环境因素会影响它们之间的竞争关系。近年来, 外来入侵植物的觅养行为逐渐受到人们的关注, 关于入侵植物根系觅养行为的研究成果陆续出现: (1)总体来看, 外来入侵植物具有较强的根系觅养能力, 但根系觅养范围与觅养精度之间的权衡关系还不确定; (2)营养异质性会影响入侵植物与本地植物之间的竞争, 反过来, 二者之间的竞争也会影响根系觅养行为对营养异质性的响应; (3)丛枝菌根真菌(arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, AMF)能够提高入侵植物的根系觅养能力, 外来植物入侵能够改变入侵植物对AMF的偏好性, 形成AMF对入侵的正反馈作用, 而本地植物与AMF的相互作用也会影响入侵植物的竞争力。未来还应加强营养异质环境下种间竞争和AMF共生对入侵植物根系觅养行为的影响机制研究, 以及全球变化背景下入侵植物根系觅养行为的变化与机制方面的研究, 可以更深入地认识外来植物的觅养行为在其成功入侵中的作用, 并为利用营养调控来防控入侵植物提供理论依据。     

Fungal communities living within leaves of native Hawaiian dicots are structured by landscape‐scale variables as well as by host plants

A phylogenetically diverse array of fungi live within healthy leaf tissue of dicotyledonous plants. Many studies have examined these endophytes within a single plant species and/or at small spatial scales, but landscape‐scale variables that determine their community composition are not well understood, either across geographic space, across climatic conditions, or in the context of host plant phylogeny. Here, we evaluate the contributions of these variables to endophyte beta diversity using a survey of foliar endophytic fungi in native Hawaiian dicots sampled across the Hawaiian archipelago. We used Illumina technology to sequence fungal ITS1 amplicons to characterize foliar endophyte communities across five islands and 80 host plant genera. We found that communities of foliar endophytic fungi showed strong geographic structuring between distances of 7 and 36 km. Endophyte community structure was most strongly associated with host plant phylogeny and evapotranspiration, and was also significantly associated with NDVI, elevation and solar radiation. Additionally, our bipartite network analysis revealed that the five islands we sampled each harboured significantly specialized endophyte communities. These results demonstrate how the interaction of factors at large and small spatial and phylogenetic scales shapes fungal symbiont communities.     

Keeping it cool: Soil sample cold pack storage and DNA shipment up to 1 month does not impact metabarcoding results

With the advances of sequencing tools, the fields of environmental microbiology and soil ecology have been transformed. Today, the unculturable majority of soil microbes can be sequenced. Although these tools give us tremendous power and open many doors to answer important questions, we must understand how sample processing may impact our results and interpretations. Here, we test the impacts of four soil storage methods on downstream amplicon metabarcoding and qPCR analyses for fungi and bacteria. We further investigate the impact of thaw time on extracted DNA to determine a safe length of time during which this can occur with minimal impact on study results. Overall, we find that storage using standard cold packs with subsequent storage at ?20°C is little different than immediate storage in liquid nitrogen, suggesting that the historical and current method is adequate. We further find evidence that storage at room temperature or with aid of RNAlater can lead to changes in community composition and in the case of RNAlater, lower gene copies. We therefore advise against these storage methods for metabarcoding analyses. Finally, we show that over 1 month, DNA extract thaw time does not impact diversity or qPCR metrics. We hope that this work will help researchers working with soil bacteria and fungi make informed decisions about soil storage and transport to ensure repeatability and accuracy of results and interpretations.     

Alleviation of Cadmium Toxicity to <i>Medicago Truncatula</i> by AMF Involves the Changes of Cd Speciation in Rhizosphere Soil and Subcellular Distribution

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can improve plant tolerance to several abiotic stresses, including heavy metals, drought or salinity exposure. However, the role of AMF in alleviation of soil cadmium (Cd)-induced toxicity to plants is still largely unknown. In this study, Cd speciation in soil and subcellular distribution of Cd were used to characterize the roles of application AM fungi in the alleviation of Cd toxicity in alfalfa plants. Our results showed that the addition of Glomus mosseae in Cd contaminated soil (10 mg/Kg) significantly increased soil pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC) and organic matter in rhizosphere soil with Medicago truncatula L., and then account for significantly decreased contents of exchangeable and carbonate-bounded Cd speciation in rhizosphere soil, indicating alleviation of plant toxicity by reduction of bioavailable fractions of Cd. Although there is no significant difference found in Cd accumulation by roots and shoots respectively between Cd and AM-Cd treatments, more portion of Cd was recorded compartmentalization in cell wall fraction of both root and shoot in treatment of Cd with AM application, indicating alleviation of Cd toxicity to plant cell. Herein, application of AM fungi in Cd treatments performed to inhibit the appearance of Cd toxicity symptoms, including the improvement of leaf electrolyte leakage, root elongation, seedling growth and biomass. This information provides a clearer understanding of detoxification strategy of AM fungi on Cd behavior with development and stabilization of soil structure and subcellular distribution of plant.