Further study on seasonal fluctuations of Egyptian soil fungi

Aspergillus fumigatus densities in relation to forest succession and edge effects: implications for wildlife health in modified environments

The hihi (or stitchbird, Notiomystis cincta) is a New Zealand endemic nectivorous forest bird now restricted to one pristine island. Relocation to establish viable hihi populations on other islands has been the main conservation action since the early 1980s. To date, hihi reintroductions to young growth islands have had poor success despite the absence of mammalian predators. It was thought that past failures were due to food limitation, but research suggests that food limitation alone cannot account for their poor survivorship. Post-mortems of dead hihi has shown that aspergillosis caused by Aspergillus fumigatus is a major mortality factor and there is current concern regarding their susceptibility to this fungal disease. In this paper we develop and assess the hypothesis that A. fumigatus limits hihi population viability on modified islands, and suggest that A. fumigatus is a potential indicator species for habitat disturbance. We report that the prevalence of A. fumigatus spores in the soil is much higher in young growth forests and forest edge habitats. Results suggest that hihi mortality rates between islands are potentially due to differential exposure to A. fumigatus spores. We assess relationships between habitat disturbance, A. fumigatus contamination and hihi mortality rates by testing the following predictions: (1) that densities of A. fumigatus spores will be higher on modified islands, (2) that densities of A. fumigatus spores on islands will be correlated with hihi mortality rates and (3) that densities of A. fumigatus spores will be higher at the forest edge than in the interior. We test each of these predictions using soil samples, air samples and samples of nectar from plant species fed on by hihi.

Catálogo de los hongos presentes en silos de la provincia de Córdoba (España)

En este trabajo se realizó durante un año el estudio de la presencia de hongos en el ambiente de dos silos y dos almacenes de semillas de la provincia de Córdoba. Para el muestreo del aire se utilizaron simultáneamente un método volumétrico y otro gravimétrico, ambos sobre medio de cultivo. Paralelamente se tomaron muestras de grano almacenado, para conocer la micoflora que contenían. Con los resultados obtenidos se ha elaborado un catálogo que incluye los 70 táxones identificados. Para cada tazón se indican, ecología, patogenicidad potencial y anteriores citas en España.

Rhizosphere fungi of five plants in Egypt

75 species which belong to 25 genera were collected during this investigation. All of these fungi were previously isolated from Egyptian soils and other sources. The total count and the number of genera and species in the rhizosphere soil of the 5 plants were regularly higher than in non-rhizosphere soil. The composition of the rhizosphere fungus flora was considerably influenced by the type and the age of the plant. The most prevalent fungi in the rhizosphere of the test plants after 45, 90, and 150 days were as follows: in Helianthus annuus, Stachybotrys atra and Aspergillus niger; in Chrysanthemum coronarium, Cladosporium herbarum, A. sydowii and Penicillium funiculosum; in Nigella sativa, Fusarium moniliforme and A. sydowii; in Datura innoxia, A. fumigatus and A. terreus; in Hyoscyamus muticus, C. herbarum and A. sydowii; and in soil, P. funiculosum, A. terreus and A. niger. The counts of total fungi and most of the common fungal species, except in the case of Datura innoxia, reached their maxima after 90 days and sharply declined after 150 days.