Plant-Fungi Interactions: Where It Goes?

Fungi live different lifestyles-including pathogenic and symbiotic-by interacting with living plants. Recently, there has been a substantial increase in the study of phytopathogenic fungi and their interactions with plants. Symbiotic relationships with plants appear to be lagging behind, although progressive. Phytopathogenic fungi cause diseases in plants and put pressure on survival. Plants fight back against such pathogens through complicated self-defense mechanisms. However, phytopathogenic fungi develop virulent responses to overcome plant defense reactions, thus continuing their deteriorative impacts. Symbiotic relationships positively influence both plants and fungi. More interestingly, they also help plants protect themselves from pathogens. In light of the nonstop discovery of novel fungi and their strains, it is imperative to pay more attention to plant-fungi interactions. Both plants and fungi are responsive to environmental changes, therefore construction of their interaction effects has emerged as a new field of study. In this review, we first attempt to highlight the evolutionary aspect of plant-fungi interactions, then the mechanism of plants to avoid the negative impact of pathogenic fungi, and fungal strategies to overcome the plant defensive responses once they have been invaded, and finally the changes of such interactions under the different environmental conditions.

Fungal Planet description sheets: 1478-1549

Novel species of fungi described in this study include those from various countries as follows: Australia, Aschersonia mackerrasiae on whitefly, Cladosporium corticola on bark of Melaleuca quinquenervia, Penicillium nudgee from soil under Melaleuca quinquenervia, Pseudocercospora blackwoodiae on leaf spot of Persoonia falcata, and Pseudocercospora dalyelliae on leaf spot of Senna alata. Bolivia, Aspicilia lutzoniana on fully submersed siliceous schist in high-mountain streams, and Niesslia parviseta on the lower part and apothecial discs of Erioderma barbellatum on a twig. Brazil, Cyathus bonsai on decaying wood, Geastrum albofibrosum from moist soil with leaf litter, Laetiporus pratigiensis on a trunk of a living unknown hardwood tree species, and Scytalidium synnematicum on dead twigs of unidentified plant. Bulgaria, Amanita abscondita on sandy soil in a plantation of Quercus suber. Canada, Penicillium acericola on dead bark of Acer saccharum, and Penicillium corticola on dead bark of Acer saccharum. China, Colletotrichum qingyuanense on fruit lesion of Capsicum annuum. Denmark, Helminthosphaeria leptospora on corticioid Neohypochnicium cremicolor. Ecuador (Galapagos), Phaeosphaeria scalesiae on Scalesia sp. Finland, Inocybe jacobssonii on calcareous soils in dry forests and park habitats. France, Cortinarius rufomyrrheus on sandy soil under Pinus pinaster, and Periconia neominutissima on leaves of Poaceae. India, Coprinopsis fragilis on decaying bark of logs, Filoboletus keralensis on unidentified woody substrate, Penicillium sankaranii from soil, Physisporinus tamilnaduensis on the trunk of Azadirachta indica, and Poronia nagaraholensis on elephant dung. Iran, Neosetophoma fici on infected leaves of Ficus elastica. Israel, Cnidariophoma eilatica (incl. Cnidariophoma gen. nov.) from Stylophora pistillata. Italy, Lyophyllum obscurum on acidic soil. Namibia, Aureobasidium faidherbiae on dead leaf of Faidherbia albida, and Aureobasidium welwitschiae on dead leaves of Welwitschia mirabilis. Netherlands, Gaeumannomycella caricigena on dead culms of Carex elongata, Houtenomyces caricicola (incl. Houtenomyces gen. nov.) on culms of Carex disticha, Neodacampia ulmea (incl. Neodacampia gen. nov.) on branch of Ulmus laevis, Niesslia phragmiticola on dead standing culms of Phragmites australis, Pseudopyricularia caricicola on culms of Carex disticha, and Rhodoveronaea nieuwwulvenica on dead bamboo sticks. Norway, Arrhenia similis half-buried and moss-covered pieces of rotting wood in grass-grown path. Pakistan, Mallocybe ahmadii on soil. Poland, Beskidomyces laricis (incl. Beskidomyces gen. nov.) from resin of Larix decidua ssp. polonica, Lapidomyces epipinicola from sooty mould community on Pinus nigra, and Leptographium granulatum from a gallery of Dendroctonus micans on Picea abies. Portugal, Geoglossum azoricum on mossy areas of laurel forest areas planted with Cryptomeria japonica, and Lunasporangiospora lusitanica from a biofilm covering a biodeteriorated limestone wall. Qatar, Alternaria halotolerans from hypersaline sea water, and Alternaria qatarensis from water sample collected from hypersaline lagoon. South Africa, Alfaria thamnochorti on culm of Thamnochortus fraternus, Knufia aloeicola on Aloe gariepensis, Muriseptatomyces restionacearum (incl. Muriseptatomyces gen. nov.) on culms of Restionaceae, Neocladosporium arctotis on nest of cases of bag worm moths (Lepidoptera, Psychidae) on Arctotis auriculata, Neodevriesia scadoxi on leaves of Scadoxus puniceus, Paraloratospora schoenoplecti on stems of Schoenoplectus lacustris, Tulasnella epidendrea from the roots of Epidendrum × obrienianum, and Xenoidriella cinnamomi (incl. Xenoidriella gen. nov.) on leaf of Cinnamomum camphora. South Korea, Lemonniera fraxinea on decaying leaves of Fraxinus sp. from pond. Spain, Atheniella lauri on the bark of fallen trees of Laurus nobilis, Halocryptovalsa endophytica from surface-sterilised, asymptomatic roots of Salicornia patula, Inocybe amygdaliolens on soil in mixed forest, Inocybe pityusarum on calcareous soil in mixed forest, Inocybe roseobulbipes on acidic soils, Neonectria borealis from roots of Vitis berlandieri × Vitis rupestris, Sympoventuria eucalyptorum on leaves of Eucalyptus sp., and Tuber conchae from soil. Sweden, Inocybe bidumensis on calcareous soil. Thailand, Cordyceps sandindaengensis on Lepidoptera pupa, buried in soil, Ophiocordyceps kuchinaraiensis on Coleoptera larva, buried in soil, and Samsoniella winandae on Lepidoptera pupa, buried in soil. Taiwan region (China), Neophaeosphaeria livistonae on dead leaf of Livistona rotundifolia. Türkiye, Melanogaster anatolicus on clay loamy soils. UK, Basingstokeomyces allii (incl. Basingstokeomyces gen. nov.) on leaves of Allium schoenoprasum. Ukraine, Xenosphaeropsis corni on recently dead stem of Cornus alba. USA, Nothotrichosporon aquaticum (incl. Nothotrichosporon gen. nov.) from water, and Periconia philadelphiana from swab of coil surface. Morphological and culture characteristics for these new taxa are supported by DNA barcodes. Citation: Crous PW, Osieck ER, Shivas RG, et al. 2023. Fungal Planet description sheets: 1478-1549. Persoonia 50: 158- 310. https://doi.org/10.3767/persoonia.2023.50.05.

Integrative Taxonomy of Novel Diaporthe Species Associated with Medicinal Plants in Thailand

During our investigations of the microfungi on medicinal plants in Thailand, five isolates of Diaporthe were obtained. These isolates were identified and described using a multiproxy approach, viz. morphology, cultural characteristics, host association, the multiloci phylogeny of ITS, tef1-α, tub2, cal, and his3, and DNA comparisons. Five new species, Diaporthe afzeliae, D. bombacis, D. careyae, D. globoostiolata, and D. samaneae, are introduced as saprobes from the plant hosts, viz. Afzelia xylocarpa, Bombax ceiba, Careya sphaerica, a member of Fagaceae, and Samanea saman. Interestingly, this is the first report of Diaporthe species on these plants, except on the Fagaceae member. The morphological comparison, updated molecular phylogeny, and pairwise homoplasy index (PHI) analysis strongly support the establishment of novel species. Our phylogeny also revealed the close relationship between D. zhaoqingensis and D. chiangmaiensis; however, the evidence from the PHI test and DNA comparison indicated that they are distinct species. These findings improve the existing knowledge of taxonomy and host diversity of Diaporthe species as well as highlight the untapped potential of these medicinal plants for searching for new fungi.

Lignicolous freshwater ascomycetes from Thailand: Introducing Dematipyriformamuriformis sp. nov., one new combination and two new records in Pleurotheciaceae

During the study of lignicolous freshwater fungi from Thailand, three pleurotheciaceous species were collected from freshwater habitats in Thailand. Two were identified as Pleurotheciumaquaticum and Rhexoacrodictysfimicola, and the third is a new species Dematipyriformamuriformis sp. nov.. Rhexoacrodictys is accepted in Pleurotheciaceae based on phylogenetic analysis. Rhexoacrodictysnigrospora is transferred to Dematipyriforma based on phylogenetic analysis and morphological characters. Pleurotheciumaquaticum and Rhexoacrodictysfimicola are reported from Thailand for the first time.

Lignicolous freshwater fungi in Yunnan Province, China: an overview

Yunnan Province is one of the rich biodiversity hotspots with abundant resources of lignicolous freshwater fungi. A total of 281 species of lignicolous freshwater fungi from 1986 to the present in Yunnan Province. They are mostly distributed in the classes Dothideomycetes and Sordariomycetes, a few species in the Eurotiomycetes and Leotiomycetes, and rarely reported in Orbiliomycetes and Pezizomycetes. Lignicolous freshwater fungi can decompose lignocellulose substrates and release energy and nutrients, and thus playing an important role in freshwater environment. This study briefly reviewed the biodiversity and taxonomic status of lignicolous freshwater fungi in Yunnan, the ecological functions of lignicolous freshwater fungi, factors affecting community distribution, application status, and research difficulties.

Two novel species and two new records of Distoseptispora from freshwater habitats in China and Thailand

During investigations into freshwater fungi from the Great Mekong Subregion, four Distoseptispora taxa were collected from China and Thailand. Based on morphological characteristics, and phylogenetic analyses of combined LSU, ITS, SSU, TEF1-α, and RPB2 sequence data, two new species Distoseptisporabangkokensis and D.lancangjiangensis are introduced, and two known species D.clematidis and D.thysanolaenae were first reported in freshwater habitat. Illustrations and descriptions of these taxa are provided, along with comparisons with extant taxa in the genus.

Yuxiensis granularis gen. et sp. nov., a Novel Quellkörper-Bearing Fungal Taxon Added to Scortechiniaceae and Inclusion of Parasympodiellaceae in Coronophorales Based on Phylogenetic Evidence

An undetermined saprobic fungal taxon from Yunnan (China) is revealed as a new genus in Scortechiniaceae (Coronophorales). The novel taxon, Yuxiensis, is characterized by immersed to erumpent, semi-globose ascomata, which are not surrounded by any tomentum or conspicuous subiculum, a subcylindrical quellkörper in the centrum, clavate asci with long pedicels and allantoid hyaline ascospores with granular contents. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian posterior probability analyses based on LSU, ITS, tef1 and rpb2 sequence data depict a close phylogenetic relationship of the new genus to Pseudocatenomycopsis, hence, confirming its placement in Scortechiniaceae. Parasympodiellaceae, thus far belonging to Parasympodiellales, is transferred to Coronophorales based on multi-gene phylogenetic evidence. Additionally, the incertae sedis monotypic genus Arthrocristula is treated as a synonym of Parasympodiella, with Arthrocristula hyphenata recombined as Parasympodiella hyphenata comb. nov., as the type strain of Arthrocristula hyphenata clusters inside the Parasympodiellaceae clade along with other Parasympodiella taxa.

The genus Castanediella

Two new species, Castanediellabrevis and C.monoseptata, are described, illustrated and compared with other Castanediella taxa. Evidence for the new species is provided by morphological comparison and sequence data analyses. Castanediellabrevis can be distinguished from other Castanediella species by the short hyaline conidiophores and fusiform, aseptate hyaline conidia, while C.monoseptata differs from other Castanediella species by its unbranched conidiophores and fusiform, curved, 0-1-sepatate, hyaline conidia. Phylogenetic analysis of combined ITS and LSU sequence data was carried out to determine the phylogenetic placement of the species. A synopsis of hitherto described Castanediella species is provided. In addition, Castanediella is also compared with morphologically similar-looking genera such as Idriella, Idriellopsis, Microdochium, Neoidriella, Paraidriella and Selenodriella.

Two novel species of Neoaquastroma (Parabambusicolaceae, Pleosporales) with their phoma-like asexual morphs

The monotypic genus Neoaquastroma (Parabambusicolaceae, Pleosporales) was introduced for a microfungus isolated from a collection of dried stems of a dicotyledonous plant in Thailand. In this paper, we introduce two novel species, N.bauhiniae and N.krabiense, in this genus. Their asexual morphs comprise conidiomata with aseptate and hyaline conidia. Neoaquastromabauhiniae has ascomata, asci and ascospores that are smaller than those of N.krabiense. Descriptions and illustrations of N.bauhiniae and N.krabiense are provided and the two species compared with the type species of the genus, N.guttulatum. Evidence for the introduction of the new taxa is also provided from phylogenetic analysis of a combined dataset of partial LSU, SSU, ITS and tef1 sequence data. The phylogenetic analysis revealed a distinct lineage for N.bauhiniae and N.krabiense within the family Parabambusicolaceae.

Phylogenetic revision of Camarosporium (Pleosporineae, Dothideomycetes) and allied genera

A concatenated dataset of LSU, SSU, ITS and tef1 DNA sequence data was analysed to investigate the taxonomic position and phylogenetic relationships of the genus Camarosporium in Pleosporineae (Dothideomycetes). Newly generated sequences from camarosporium-like taxa collected from Europe (Italy) and Russia form a well-supported monophyletic clade within Pleosporineae. A new genus Camarosporidiella and a new family Camarosporidiellaceae are established to accommodate these taxa. Four new species, Neocamarosporium korfii, N. lamiacearum, N. salicorniicola and N. salsolae, constitute a strongly supported clade with several known taxa for which the new family, Neocamarosporiaceae, is introduced. The genus Staurosphaeria based on S. lycii is resurrected and epitypified, and shown to accommodate the recently introduced genus Hazslinszkyomyces in Coniothyriaceae with significant statistical support. Camarosporium quaternatum, the type species of Camarosporium and Camarosporomyces flavigena cluster together in a monophyletic clade with significant statistical support and sister to the Leptosphaeriaceae. To better resolve interfamilial/intergeneric level relationships and improve taxonomic understanding within Pleosporineae, we validate Camarosporiaceae to accommodate Camarosporium and Camarosporomyces. The latter taxa along with other species are described in this study.

Didymobotryum spirillum, a new synnematous hyphomycete from India

A new synnematous hyphomycete, Didymobotryum spirillum D'Souza & Bhat, collected from decaying culms of bamboo, Dendrocalamus strictus, is described and illustrated from the forests of Western Ghats in Goa, India. The fungus produces monotretic, catenate didymoconidia on spirally twisted synnemata.

Wound infections after transplant nephrectomy

Wound infections after transplant nephrectomy were analyzed retrospectively. When prophylactic antibiotics were not used, 20% of the closed nephrectomy wounds became infected. Eighty-one percent of the infections were due to staphylococcal organisms. Wounds containing a preexisting focus of infection or those reoperated on more than once within a month prior to nephrectomy are at such high risk for infection that these wounds should be left open for secondary healing. With the use of prophylactic cefazolin sodium, in the immediate preoperative and postoperative period, no wound infections have occurred in 18 closed transplant nephrectomy wounds.

Management of sepsis involving expanded polytetrafluoroethylene grafts for hemodialysis access

The incidence and management of infections in 80 polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) grafts is reviewed. In a follow-up period of 12 to 30 months, the overall incidence of infection was 19%. In functioning grafts the majority of infections occurred after dialysis puncture or reoperation. With appropriate management, by incision, drainage, and packing of wounds with povidone-iodine solution, it was possible, even in the face of positive blood cultures, to treat four of five localized infections successfully without loss of graft function. Prophylactic antibiotics may be useful in reducing the high incidence of infection associated with secondary operations.

Expanded polytetrafluoroethylene graft fistula for chronic hemodialysis

In a retrospective study of 66 PTFE arteriovenous fistulae and 71 BCH arteriovenous fistulae for dialysis access, PTFE had a higher patency rate than BCH at 12 months (62.4 versus 32.5%). PTFE was easier to work with and easier to handle in the face of infection. The lateral upper arm approach to placement of the PTFE graft is desirable in patients who have had multiple previous access procedures because this area is usually free from scarring, is distant from neurovascular structures, and provides a greater length of graft for needle punctures.