Ethnomycological study on wild mushrooms in Pu'er Prefecture, Southwest Yunnan, China

Variation in traditional knowledge of culturally important macromycete species among three indigenous communities of Oaxaca, Mexico

BACKGROUND

For centuries, wild mushrooms have been a forest resource of significant cultural value in several ethnic groups worldwide. In Mexico, extensive traditional knowledge on the use of fungal resources has been developed and deeply rooted. Mexico is the second country in the world in which the most species of wild mushroom are consumed, and it is considered a pioneer in ethnomycology. Nonetheless, there are still many indigenous groups in this country that have not been studied from an ethnomycological approach. The present study aimed to record the traditional knowledge on wild mushrooms in three indigenous groups of the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, and assess the variation in this knowledge within and across the studied groups.

METHODS

The data were recorded from April to October 2022 within three communities belonging to the indigenous groups Chatino, Chontal, and Chinanteco. Through 84 interviews, information related to their knowledge of wild mushrooms was obtained. The cultural significance index of wild edible mushrooms was calculated for each community. Regression analyses, analysis of variance and covariance, t test, and non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis were performed to assess the distribution of traditional knowledge in the communities.

RESULTS

A total of 32 culturally important mushroom species were recorded for the three indigenous groups (30 edible, 2 medicinal); 23 used by Chatinos, 16 by Chontales, and 6 by Chinantecos. Only Chatinos and Chinantecos use wild mushrooms in medicine. The cultural significance of wild edible mushrooms differed among groups. Traditional knowledge about wild mushrooms declines when the level of schooling increases and age decreases, especially in the Chatino group. This knowledge distributes more homogeneously in the Chontal and Chinanteco groups. Their age determines the difference in knowledge between men and women.

CONCLUSION

Documenting how traditional knowledge differs among ethnic groups is relevant for preserving cultural and biological diversity. Factors such as level of schooling and age can affect traditional knowledge of wild mushrooms, but the effects of these factors vary within and across communities. Conducting studies encompassing a broader range of variables is of interest for a better understanding of the human-mushroom relationship.

Broadening the Knowledge of Mexican Boletes: Addition of a New Genus, Seven New Species, and Three New Combinations

Boletes are one of the most common groups of fungi in temperate, subtropical, and tropical ecosystems. In Mexico, the northern region has mainly been explored in terms of bolete diversity. This study describes a new genus and seven new species based on macromorphological, micromorphological, molecular, phylogenetic, and ecological data. Garcileccinum gen. nov. is typified with G. salmonicolor based on multigene phylogenetic analysis of nrLSU, RPB2, and TEF1, and it is closely related to Leccinum and Leccinellum. Garcileccinum viscosum and G. violaceotinctum are new combinations. Boletellus minimatenebris (ITS, nrLSU, and RPB2), Cacaoporus mexicanus (RPB2 and ATP6), Leccinum oaxacanum, Leccinum juarenzense (nrLSU, RPB2, and TEF1), Tylopilus pseudoleucomycelinus (nrLSU and RPB2), and Xerocomus hygrophanus (ITS, nrLSU, and RPB2) are described as new species. Boletus neoregius is reclassified as Pulchroboletus neoregius comb. nov. based on morphological and multigene phylogenetic analysis (ITS and nrLSU), and its geographic distribution is extended to Central Mexico, since the species was only known from Costa Rica. Furthermore, T. leucomycelinus is a new record from Mexico. This study contributes to increasing our knowledge of boletes and expands the diversity found in Mexican forests.

The subfamily Xerocomoideae (Boletaceae, Boletales) in China

Xerocomoideae is an ecologically and economically important Boletaceae subfamily (Boletales) comprising 10 genera. Although many studies have focused on Xerocomoideae in China, the diversity, taxonomy and molecular phylogeny still remained incompletely understood. In the present study, taxonomic and phylogenetic studies on Chinese species of Xerocomoideae were carried out by morphological examinations and molecular phylogenetic analyses. Eight genera in Xerocomoideae, viz. Aureoboletus, Boletellus, Heimioporus, Hemileccinum, Hourangia, Phylloporus, Pulchroboletus, and Xerocomus were confirmed to be distributed in China; 97 species of the subfamily were accepted as being distributed in China; one ambiguous taxon was tentatively named Bol. aff. putuoensis; two synonyms, viz. A. marroninus and P. dimorphus were defined. Among the Chinese accepted species, 13 were newly described, viz. A. albipes, A. conicus, A. ornatipes, Bol. erythrolepis, Bol. rubidus, Bol. sinochrysenteroides, Bol. subglobosus, Bol. zenghuoxingii, H. squamipes, P. hainanensis, Pul. erubescens, X. albotomentosus, and X. fuscatus, 36 known species were redescribed, and the other 48 species were reviewed. Keys to accepted species of Aureoboletus, Boletellus, Heimioporus, Hemileccinum, Hourangia, Phylloporus, and Xerocomus in China were also provided. Taxonomic novelties: New species: Aureoboletus albipes N.K. Zeng, Xu Zhang & Zhi Q. Liang, A. conicus N.K. Zeng, Xu Zhang & Zhi Q. Liang, A. ornatipes N.K. Zeng, Xu Zhang & Zhi Q. Liang, Boletellus erythrolepis N.K. Zeng, R. Xue, S. Jiang & Zhi Q. Liang, Bol. rubidus N.K. Zeng, R. Xue, Y.J. Hao & Zhi Q. Liang, Bol. sinochrysenteroides N.K. Zeng, R. Xue & Kuan Zhao, Bol. subglobosus N.K. Zeng, R. Xue, S. Jiang & Zhi Q. Liang, Bol. zenghuoxingii N.K. Zeng, R. Xue, S. Jiang & Zhi Q. Liang, Hemileccinum squamipes N.K. Zeng, Chang Xu & Zhi Q. Liang, Phylloporus hainanensis N.K. Zeng, L.L. Wu, & Zhi Q. Liang, Pulchroboletus erubescens N.K. Zeng, Chang Xu & Zhi Q. Liang, Xerocomus albotomentosus N.K. Zeng, H.J. Xie, Chang Xu & Zhi Q. Liang, and X. fuscatus N.K. Zeng, H.J. Xie, Chang Xu & Zhi Q. Liang. Citation: Xue R, Zhang X, Xu C, Xie HJ, Wu LL, Wang Y, Tang LP, Hao YJ, Zhao K, Jiang S, Li Y, Yang YY, Li Z, Liang ZQ, Zeng NK (2023). The subfamily Xerocomoideae (Boletaceae, Boletales) in China. Studies in Mycology 106: 95-197. doi: 10.3114/sim.2022.106.03.

Macrofungi as Medicinal Resources in Uzbekistan: Biodiversity, Ethnomycology, and Ethnomedicinal Practices

Interest in edible and medicinal macrofungi is millennial in terms of their uses in health and food products in Central Asia, while interest in inedible and medicinal macrofungi has grown in popularity in recent years. Edible and inedible medicinal basidiomycetes were collected during field surveys from different regions of Uzbekistan. The morphological characters and similarity assessment of rDNA-Internal Transcribed Spacer sequence data were used to measure diversity and habitat associations. A number of 17 species of medicinal macrofungi of ethnomycological and medicinal interest was found associated with 23 species of trees and shrubs belonging to 11 families and 14 genera. Polyporaceae and Hymenochaetaceae were represented by the highest number of species followed by Ganodermataceae, Fomitopsidaceae, Auriculariaceae, Cerrenaceae, Grifolaceae, Phanerochaetaceae, Laetiporaceae, Schizophyllaceae, and Stereaceae. The highest number of medicinal basidiomycete species was reported in the following host genera: Acer, Betula, Celtis, Crataegus, Juglans, Juniperus, Lonicera, Malus, Morus, Platanus, Populus, Prunus, Quercus, and Salix. An updated list of edible and inedible medicinal mushrooms identified in Uzbekistan, their morphological characteristics, and phylogenetic placement are given for the first time. Information is provided on their uses in traditional and modern medicine. Their bioactive compounds and extracts can be applied as medicines, as well as food and cosmetic ingredients.

Traditional management of ancient Pu'er teagardens in Jingmai Mountains in Yunnan of China, a designated Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems site

BACKGROUND

Pu'er Traditional Tea Agroecosystem is one of the projects included in the United Nations' Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) since 2012. Against the background of having rich biodiversity and a long history of tea culture, the ancient tea trees in Pu'er have experienced from wild-transition-cultivation for thousands of years, and the local people's knowledge about the management of ancient teagardens has not been rigorously recorded. For this reason, it is important to study and record the traditional management knowledge of Pu'er ancient teagardens and the influence on the formation of tea trees and communities. This study focuses on the traditional management knowledge of ancient teagardens in Jingmai Mountains, Pu'er, and monoculture teagardens (monoculture and intensively managed planting base for tea cultivation) were used as the control, through the community structure, composition and biodiversity of ancient teagardens to respond to the influence of traditional management, and this work with a view to providing a reference for further research on the stability and sustainable development of tea agroecosystem.

METHODS

From 2021 to 2022, information on traditional management of ancient teagardens was obtained through semi-structured interviews with 93 local people in the Jingmai Mountains area of Pu'er. Informed consent was obtained from each participant before conducting the interview process. The communities, tea trees and biodiversity of Jingmai Mountains ancient teagardens (JMATGs) and monoculture teagardens (MTGs) were examined through field surveys, measurements and biodiversity survey methods. The Shannon-Weiner (H), Pielou (E) and Margalef (M) indices were calculated for the biodiversity of the teagardens within the unit sample, using monoculture teagardens as a control.

RESULTS

The tea tree morphology, community structure and composition of Pu'er ancient teagardens are significantly different from those of monoculture teagardens, and the biodiversity is significantly higher than that of monoculture teagardens. The local people mainly manage the ancient tea trees mainly using several methods, including weeding (96.8%), pruning (48.4%) and pest control (33.3%). The pest control mainly relies on the removal of diseased branches. JMATGs annual gross output is approximately 6.5 times that of MTGs. The traditional management of ancient teagardens is through setting up forest isolation zones as protected areas, planting tea trees in the understory on the sunny side, keeping tea trees 1.5-7 m apart, as well as consciously protecting forest animals such as spiders, birds and bees, and reasonably rearing livestock in the teagardens.

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows that local people have rich traditional knowledge and experience in the management of ancient teagardens in Pu'er, and that this traditional management knowledge has impacted the growth of ancient tea trees, enriched the structure and composition of tea plantation communities and actively protected the biodiversity within ancient teagardens.

Taxonomy and Phylogenetic Relationships of Clavulinopsis (Clavariaceae, Agaricales): Description of Six New Species and One Newly Recorded Species from China

Specimens of Clavulinopsis (Clavariaceae, Agaricales) collected in China were studied using morphological and molecular methods. Six species-C. aspersa, C. bicolor, C. bispora, C. erubescens, C. incarnata, and C. tropicalis-are described as new to science, and C. trigonospora is a newly recorded species in China. Phylogenetic analysis was conducted based on a combined dataset of internal transcribed spacer and nuclear ribosomal RNA large subunit sequences. The phylogenetic reconstruction revealed that the six new species each formed an independent lineage, and the samples of C. trigonospora from China were nested with accessions of C. trigonospora collected from Italy. The morphology of the seven Chinese species is described in detail, and is illustrated with line drawings and photographs. A key to the known Clavulinopsis species in China is provided.

Notes on four species of Russula subgenus Heterophyllidiae (Russulaceae, Russulales) from southern China

Heterophyllidiae, one of the main subgenus of Russula (Russulaceae, Russulales), is both ecologically and economically important. Although many studies have focused on subgenus Heterophyllidiae in China, the diversity, taxonomy, and molecular phylogeny still remained incompletely understood. In the present study, two new species, R. discoidea and R. niveopicta, and two known taxa, R. xanthovirens and R. subatropurpurea, were described based on morphology and molecular phylogenetic analyses of ITS and 28S DNA sequences with new collections of subgenus Heterophyllidiae from southern China. Both morphological and phylogenetic analyses consistently confirmed that R. niveopicta and R. xanthovirens belong to the subsect. Virescentinae, R. discoidea and R. subatropurpurea come under subsect. Heterophyllae, and R. prasina is synonymized with R. xanthovirens.

Three New Species of Lactifluus (Basidiomycota, Russulaceae) from Guizhou Province, Southwest China

Lactifluus is a distinct genus of milkcaps, well known as ectomycorrhizal fungi. The characteristics of the genus Lactifluus include grayish-yellow, orange to orange-brown, or reddish-brown pileus, white latex from the damaged lamellae, discoloring to a brownish color, reticulate spore ornamentation, lampropalisade-type pileipellis, and the presence of lamprocystidia. Guizhou Province is rich in wild mushroom resources due to its special geographical location and natural environment. In this study, three novel Lactifluus species were identified through the screening of extensive fungal resources in Suiyang County, Guizhou Province, China, sampled from host species of mostly Castanopsis spp. and Pinus spp. Based on critical morphology coupled with nuclear sequences of genes encoding large subunit rRNA, internal transcribed spacer, and RNA polymerase II, these new species, Lactifluus taibaiensis, Lactifluus qinggangtangensis, and Lactifluus jianbaensis, were found to belong to Lactifluus section Lactifluus. A comparison with closely related species, Lactifluus taibaiensis was distinguished by its lighter-colored pileus, different colors of lamellae, and more subglobose basidiospores; Lactifluus jianbaensis was identified by the height of the spore ornamentation and its subglobose basidiospores; and Lactifluus qinggangtangensis was characterized by having smaller basidiospores, ridges, and pleurolamprocystid.