Determination of Diversity, Distribution and Host Specificity of Korean Laccaria Using Four Approaches

The genus Laccaria (Hydnangiaceae, Agaricales) plays an important role in forest ecosystems as an ectomycorrhizal fungus, contributing to nutrient cycles through symbiosis with many types of trees. Though understanding Laccaria diversity and distribution patterns, as well as its association with host plants, is fundamental to constructing a balanced plant diversity and conducting effective forest management, previous studies have not been effective in accurately investigating, as they relied heavily on specimen collection alone. To investigate the true diversity and distribution pattern of Laccaria species and determine their host types, we used four different approaches: specimen-based analysis, open database search (ODS), NGS analysis, and species-specific PCR (SSP). As a result, 14 Laccaria species have been confirmed in Korea. Results regarding the species distribution pattern were different between specimen-based analysis and SSP. However, when both were integrated, the exact distribution pattern of each Laccaria species was determined. In addition, the SSP revealed that many Laccaria species have a wide range of host types. This study shows that using these four different approaches is useful in determining the diversity, distribution, and host of ECM fungi. Furthermore, results obtained for Laccaria will serve as a baseline to help understand the role of ECM fungi in forest management in response to climate change.

Investigation of the Fungal Diversity of the Federated States of Micronesia and the Construction of an Updated Fungal Inventory

The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) is an island country in the western Pacific and is a known biodiversity hotspot. However, a relatively small number of fungi (236 species) have been reported till July 2021. Since fungi play major ecological roles in ecosystems, we investigated the fungal diversity of FSM from various sources over 2016 and 2017 and constructed a local fungal inventory, which also included the previously reported species.Fruiting bodies were collected from various host trees and fungal strains were isolated from marine and terrestrial environments. A total of 99 species, of which 78 were newly reported in the FSM, were identified at the species level using a combination of molecular and morphological approaches. Many fungal species were specific to the environment, host, or source. Upon construction of the fungal inventory, 314 species were confirmed to reside in the FSM. This inventory will serve as an important basis for monitoring fungal diversity and identifying novel biological resources in FSM.

Two New Species of Laccaria (Agaricales, Basidiomycota) from Korea

Species of Laccaria (Hydnangiaceae, Agaricales, and Basidiomycota) are well-known ectomycorrhizal symbionts of a broad range of hosts.Laccaria species are characterized by brown, orange, or purple colored basidiocarps, and globose or oblong, echinulate and multinucleate basidiospores. While some Laccaria species are easily identified at the species level using only the morphological characteristics, others are hard to distinguish at the species level due to small differences in morphology. Heretofore, tenLaccaria species have been reported in Korea. While studying the fungal diversity in the National Parks of Korea, two new Laccaria species were discovered. Species identification was done based on molecular analyses (ITS, 28S rDNA, rpb2, and tef1 ), then were confirmed by their corresponding morphologies. The two newly discovered Laccaria species are proposed here as Laccaria macrobasidia and Laccaria griseolilacina. The unique morphological characters of L. macrobasidia that distinguish it from its closely related species are orange-brown colored basidiocarp, long basidia and the absence of cheilocystidia. L. griseolilacina is characterized by a light grayish lavender-colored pileus and the absence of cheilocystidia. Two new species are described and illustrated in the present paper.

Macrolepiota in Korea: New Records and a New Species

The genus Macrolepiota (Agaricales, Basidiomycota) is easy to recognize at the genus level because of big, fleshy basidiocarps with squamules covering the pileus; a single or double annulus; and big, thick-walled basidiospores with a germ pore. However, morphological identification is often unreliable in Macrolepiota due to similar morphological features among species. Due to the uncertainty of previous morphological identification in the genus Macrolepiota, it is necessary to re-examine Korean Macrolepiota using molecular data. We re-examined 34 Macrolepiota specimens collected from 2012 to 2018 in Korea using a reverse taxonomic approach, whereby species identification was first done based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region analysis, followed by morphological confirmation. We identified the presence of four species: M. detersa, M. mastoidea, M. procera, and M. umbonata sp. nov. Two species (M. detersa and M. mastoidea) were previously unrecorded from Korea and M. umbonata is a new species. Detailed descriptions of all four species and taxonomic key are provided in this study. Macrolepiota procera and M. umbonata are distributed through the country, but M. detersa and M. mastoidea are distributed only in limited areas. According to our results, the combination of ITS locus and morphology proved to be a robust approach to evaluate the taxonomic status of Macrolepiota species in Korea. Additional surveys are needed to verify the species diversity and clarify their geographic distribution.

Three New Recorded Species of the Physalacriaceae on Ulleung Island, Korea

Most known species in the Physalacriaceae are saprotrophs that grow on decaying leaves and wood, and approximately 21 genera in the Physalacriaceae have been reported worldwide. During an ongoing survey of indigenous fungi in Korea, four specimens belonging to the Physalacriaceae were collected on Ulleung Island. These specimens were identified as three species based on morphological characteristics and molecular analysis of rDNA-internal transcribed spacer sequences. Three species in three genera were shown to be new records in Korea: Hymenopellis orientalis, Paraxerula hongoi, and Ponticulomyces orientalis. The latter two are the first records of these genera in Korea. In this study, we provide detailed morphological descriptions of these species and describe their phylogenetic position within the Physalacriaceae.

Ten New Recorded Species of Macrofungi on Ulleung Island, Korea

Ulleung Island is a biodiversity hotspot in South Korea. During a survey of indigenous fungal species from Ulleung Island conducted from 2015 to 2016, we discovered 10 unrecorded macrofungi in Korea. These macrofungi were identified to the species level using morphological features and phylogenetic analysis based on the internal transcribed spacer region: Deconica phyllogena, Mycena zephirus, Phaeomarasmius proximans, Phlebia radiata, Pluteus semibulbosus, Postia alni, Resinicium pinicola, Scytinostroma portentosum, Tricholomopsis flammula, and Tyromyces kmetii. We also provide detailed morphological descriptions for these 10 species.