Soil organic matter,nutrient distribution,fungal and microbial biomass and enzyme activities in a forest beech stand on the Apennines of southern Italy

The aim of this study was to analyse the amount and qualitative characteristics of organic matter (OM) in the litter horizon (considering leaf litter at different decomposition stages) and underlying soil to a 30-cm depth in a beech stand on the Apennines in southern Italy. Distribution of major nutrients as well as fungal and microbial biomass were also evaluated, in addition to beech leaf nutrient content monitor from full expansion to abscission in order to estimate annual nutrient input to soil from litterfall and nutrient retranslocation before abscission. OM was significantly higher in leaf litter. C/N ratio and the Na, Mn, Fe levels also decreased along the decomposition continuum, whereas N and S contents slowly decreased with soil depth. Generally, leaf nutrient content was also significantly lower in dead leaves, indicating efficient retranslocation to persistent organs. Fungal biomass was the highest in leaf layers, with no significant changes between spring and autumn samplings. Enzyme activities did not differ significantly along the decomposition continuum but marked decreases were found in the upper soil layer; these remained relatively constant, with the exception of laccase, at deeper soil depths. No seasonal effect on enzyme activities and OM content was found.     

Corallomycetella属及以C. jatrophae为模式建立新属Corallonectria(丛赤壳科,肉座菌目)(英文)

对Corallomycetella属的概念进行了阐述,该属包括子实体为红色、在自然和培养条件下产生菌索的丛赤壳类真菌。根据对近期采集的标本的观察和多基因系统树分析的结果,广义的Corallomycetella repens形成2个分支,它们与生物地理因素相关联。狭义的Corallomycetella repens限于来自亚洲的标本,而C.elegans来自非洲和美洲。Corallomycetella属成熟的子囊孢子表面具有纤细条纹,此特征过去曾被忽略,C.jatrophae与广义的Neonectria属关系接近,而与C.repens和C.elegans关系较远;因而建立新属Corallonectria,其子囊壳表面细粉状,无性型为束丝结构并与镰孢菌相似。     

鼓槌石斛的地理分布与菌根真菌区系组成的相关性

本文研究了兰科石斛属鼓槌石斛的地理分布与菌根真菌区系组成的相关性。采用克隆文库技术对云南省西双版纳和临沧市两个地区的8份野生鼓槌石斛根部样品进行了分析。结果表明,共从两个地区的鼓槌石斛根部获得了14个真菌的可操作分类单元（OTU）,主要隶属于胶膜菌科Tulasnellaceae和小纺锤菌目Atractiellales。分析鼓槌石斛对菌根真菌的专一性和偏好性发现,鼓槌石斛对菌根真菌专一性较低,每个植株都能同时与多种菌根真菌共生;不同地理分布的鼓槌石斛菌根真菌类群存在明显差异,两个地区的鼓槌石斛的菌根真菌中只有1个OTU是相同的,其余均不同。说明菌根真菌可能和鼓槌石斛的生态适应存在一定的相关性。     

消炎药药渣堆放过程中真菌多样性分析

中药药渣的处理是中药制药的难题,本研究利用PacBio Sequel高通量测序对堆放2年与5年的消炎药药渣进行理化性质及真菌多样性研究,为重要药渣的利用提供依据。分别对堆放2年(New 1-New 3)及5年(Old 1-Old 3)各3个消炎药渣高通量测序,共检测到43 753条有效序列,堆放2年的药渣中共检测到4个门、86个属、126个种,节担菌纲、小丛壳目、曲霉属为优势类群。堆放5年的药渣中检测到3个门、49个属、59个种,Chaetomium novozelandicum及小囊菌科为优势类群。消炎药药渣功能组成分析发现,堆放2年的药渣中腐生型真菌占比67.7%、致病真菌占比32.3%;堆放5年的药渣中腐生型真菌占比96.8%,仅检测到极少数其他型真菌。堆放2年的药渣pH为4.9±0.2,含水量为49.2%;堆放5年的药渣pH为3.6±0.1,含水量为20.8%。结果表明,随着堆放时间的增加,药渣pH及含水量下降,真菌营养类型由腐生、致病与共生三者丰度相当转变为单一的腐生型,说明随着堆放时间的增加,腐生真菌丰度增加,药渣降解加快,研究结果为药渣的利用提供了一定依据。     

Polysaccharide and protein degradation,germination, and virulence against mosquitoes in the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae

From a genetically uniform wild-type strain of Metarhizium anisopliae pathogenic to mosquitoes, mutants were selected which were altered in the ability to degrade starch, gelatin, or milk. The mutants with enhanced starch degradation (dep), when grown on starch-containing media, proved hypervirulent toward the mosquito Culex pipiens pipiens in standard laboratory tests. Alterations in protein (gelatin or milk) degradation did not correlate with changes in virulence. The dep mutants appear to belong to the same class as mutants selected previously as hypervirulent and characterized by early spore germination. The relationship among polysaccharide degradation, early germination, and virulence is discussed.     

Reaction of forest soil microflora to environmental stress along a moderate pollution gradient next to an oil refinery

Twenty-five study sites were established along a 57-km-long transect in order to estimate the impact of an oil refinery, mainly emitting sulphur dioxide (24000 t yr⁻¹), on forest soil (F/H-horizon) chemistry and microbiology. The study demonstrated the existence of a pollution gradient which was best represented by the logarithm of the concentration of vanadium in the analyzed F/H soil layer. Of the soil microbial characteristics measured, including length of fungal hyphae, soil respiration, microbial biomass C and N, and percentage mass loss of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) needle litter, only fungal hyphal length was suppressed by the pollution load. No reduction in basic cations (Ca, Mg, K, and Na) in the F/H-horizon, or enrichment of soluble aluminum in the F/H-horizon of the Scots pine forest could be detected to result from the deposition.     

Lagenidium myophilum infection in the coonstripe shrimp,Pandalus hypsinotus

A fungal infection occurred in juvenile coonstripe shrimps,Pandalus hypsinotus, cultured at Hokkaido Institute of Mariculture, Hokkaido, Japan. The fungus was identified asLagenidium myophilum, the same fungus that had previously been isolated from the abdominal muscle of adult northern shrimps,Pandalus borealis, and larvae of the coonstripe shrimp. Histopathologically, numerous nonseptate hyphae were observed in the lesions, and melanized hemocytes were present within the blackened areas. The optimum temperature for growth of the present strain was 25–30°C, and the optimum NaCl concentration for growth was 0.5–1.0%. Its biological characteristics were compared with those ofLagenidium myophilum isolated from diseased larval coonstripe shrimp and adult northern shrimp. The fungus was pathogenic toward shrimps of the genusPandalus, which live in deep sea areas. The fungus could infect shrimps at various stages, from larva to adult.     

对新型冠状病毒肺炎继发真菌感染的思考

新型冠状病毒肺炎(coronavirus disease 2019,COVID-19)疫情十分严重,给民众的健康带来了巨大威胁。COVID-19患者可能继发侵袭性真菌感染,会严重威胁患者的生命,因此,在诊治策略上应该给予重视。除了加强高危患者中病原真菌的常规检查外,还应加大力度支持和扶持病原真菌先进检测技术的研发;此外,还应重点支持针对医疗单位、公共场所和家庭等常温环境以及体表和器物表面灭活病毒、细菌、真菌等病原体的新型技术和方法的研发。最终为国家战胜COVID-19和继发感染疫情提供新措施和新策略。     

Setosphaeria turcica ATR turns off appressorium-mediated maize infection and triggers melanin-involved self-protection in response to genotoxic stress

Eukaryotic organisms activate conserved signalling networks to maintain genomic stability in response to DNA genotoxic stresses. However, the coordination of this response pathway in fungal pathogens remains largely unknown. In the present study, we investigated the mechanism by which the northern corn leaf blight pathogen Setosphaeria turcica controls maize infection and activates self-protection pathways in response to DNA genotoxic insults. Appressorium-mediated maize infection by S. turcica was blocked by the S-phase checkpoint. This repression was dependent on the checkpoint central kinase Ataxia Telangiectasia and Rad3 related (ATR), as inhibition of ATR activity or knockdown of the ATR gene recovered appressorium formation in the presence of genotoxic reagents. ATR promoted melanin biosynthesis in S. turcica as a defence response to stress. The melanin biosynthesis genes StPKS and StLac2 were induced by the ATR-mediated S-phase checkpoint. The responses to DNA genotoxic stress were conserved in a wide range of phytopathogenic fungi, including Cochliobolus heterostrophus, Cochliobolus carbonum, Alternaria solani, and Alternaria kikuchiana, which are known causal agents for plant diseases. We propose that in response to genotoxic stress, phytopathogenic fungi including S. turcica activate an ATR-dependent pathway to suppress appressorium-mediated infection and induce melanin-related self-protection in addition to conserved responses in eukaryotes.