A fine-scale spatial analysis of fungal communities on tropical tree bark unveils the epiphytic rhizosphere in orchids.

Approximately 10% of vascular plants are epiphytes and, even though this has long been ignored in past research, are able to interact with a variety of fungi, including mycorrhizal taxa. However, the structure of fungal communities on bark, as well as their relationship with epiphytic plants, is largely unknown. To fill this gap, we conducted environmental metabarcoding of the ITS-2 region to understand the spatial structure of fungal communities of the bark of tropical trees, with a focus on epiphytic orchid mycorrhizal fungi, and tested the influence of root proximity. For all guilds, including orchid mycorrhizal fungi, fungal communities were more similar when spatially close on bark (i.e. they displayed positive spatial autocorrelation). They also showed distance decay of similarity with respect to epiphytic roots, meaning that their composition on bark increasingly differed, compared to roots, with distance from roots. We first showed that all of the investigated fungal guilds exhibited spatial structure at very small scales. This spatial structure was influenced by the roots of epiphytic plants, suggesting the existence of an epiphytic rhizosphere. Finally, we showed that orchid mycorrhizal fungi were aggregated around them, possibly as a result of reciprocal influence between the mycorrhizal partners.

Effective microorganisms inoculant: Diversity and effect on the germination of palisade grass seeds.

Effective microorganisms (EM) are inoculants formed by fungi and bacteria isolated from soil. EM are commonly used by farmers on agronomic crops to stimulate plant growth, but their composition and their benefits has been controverted. This study aimed to analyze the diversity of microorganisms growing in three EM inoculants, as well as to evaluate their efficiency in the germination of palisade grass seeds. The total DNA of the three EM inoculants was extracted, the 16S rRNA and ITS genes were amplified by PCR and sequenced on the Illumina MiSeq platform. Germination tests were conducted with three type of the EM, in three concentration and two times of the immersion. The bacterial group was the most abundant in EM, followed by fungi. Bacterial operational taxonomic units OTUs were shared by all EMs. Pre-treatments of palisade grass seeds with EMs resulted in a higher germination percentage (% G) and germination speed index (IVG) when EM was used at concentration of 1 or 2% in water. Seed immersion for 5 min was more efficient than immersion for 24 h. We can conclude that EM of different origin can share microbial groups and diversity of microorganisms, besides being an alternative to increase palisade grass seeds germination.

Ammonium removal from high-salinity oilfield-produced water: assessing the microbial community dynamics at increasing salt concentrations.

Water generated during oil exploration is chemically complex and contains high concentrations of ammonium and, in some cases, high salinity. The most common way to remove ammonium from effluent is a biological process, which can be performed by different routes and different groups of microorganisms. However, the presence of salts in the effluents could be an inhibiting factor for biological processes, interfering directly with treatment. This study aimed to evaluate changes in the profile of a microbial community involved in the process of ammonium removal when subjected to a gradual increase of salt (NaCl), in which the complete inhibition of the ammonium removal process occurred at 125 g L-1 NaCl. During the sludge acclimatization process, samples were collected and submitted to denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and massive sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. As the salt concentration increased in the reactor, a change in the microbial community was observed by the DGGE band profiles. As a result, there was a reduction in the presence of bacterial populations, and an increase in archaeal populations was found. The sequencing data suggested that ammonium removal in the reactor was carried out by different metabolic routes by autotrophic nitrifying bacteria, such as Nitrosococcus, Nitrosomonas, Nitrosovibrio, Nitrospira, and Nitrococcus; ammonium-oxidizing archaea Candidatus nitrosoarchaeum; ANAMMOX microorganisms, such as Candidatus brocadia, Candidatus kuenenia, and Candidatus scalindua; and microorganisms with the potential to be heterotrophic nitrifying, such as Paracoccus spp., Pseudomonas spp., Bacillus spp., Marinobacter sp., and Alcaligenes spp.

Selenium bioaccumulation in shiitake mushrooms: a nutritional alternative source of this element.

UNLABELLED: Mushrooms have effective mechanisms to absorb and accumulate trace elements from substrates and, therefore could be used as a strategy to produce mineral-enriched food and nutritional supplements. This study aimed to enrich shiitake mushrooms with selenium (Se), an important dietary element in human health. Strains of Lentinula edodes (Berk.) were grown on artificial logs composed of eucalyptus sawdust, and were subjected to cold shock in water containing sodium selenite (Na(2)SeO(3) ) at concentrations of up to 1.28 mM. The content of Se in the mushrooms increased linearly with increasing amounts of Na(2)SeO(3) added to the cold water although above 0.96 mM, mushroom formation was inhibited. Concentrations greater than 17 mg Se 100/g of dried mushrooms were observed after treatment with 0.64 mM Na(2)SeO(3). Shiitake mushroom had a demonstrate potential to offer an effective and economical way to produce Se-enriched products and, the strategy of adding selenite in cold water, used in this study, showed promising once it does not interfere with mycelial growth. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Selenium is an essential trace element for both human and animals and is required for the 21st amino acid, selenocysteine, which is used for the synthesis of about a dozen selenoenzymes. In this study, it is demonstrated that shiitake mushroom is a good Se accumulator and only one step during fructification was necessary to obtained enriched mushroom. Se enriched shiitake mushroom can be considered to be an excellent source of this element and used to consumption in different ways.

A pH signaling mechanism involved in the spatial distribution of calcium and anion fluxes in ectomycorrhizal roots.

Mycorrhization is a typical example of a host-pathogen symbiotic interaction where the pathogen cell biology and the host immune response coevolved several functional links. Here, the role played by ion fluxes across the root concerning nutrient uptake, osmoregulation, growth and signaling events is addressed. An ion-selective vibrating probe system was used to determine the net fluxes of protons (H(+)), calcium (Ca(2+)) and anions (A(-)) along nonmycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal (ECM) roots of Eucalyptus globulus colonized by Pisolithus sp. These data show that, from five root zones analyzed, the main effect of fungal colonization was localized to the elongation zone. Here, strong changes in ion dynamics and rhizosphere acidification capacity were observed. Additionally, ion fluxes exhibited periodic fluctuations. To verify whether these fluctuations corresponded to sustained oscillations, continuous wavelet time spectrum analysis was applied and it was determined that H(+) and A(-) fluxes from ECM roots had longer periods than nonmycorrhizal roots. By contrast, Ca(2+) oscillations were completely abolished following fungal interaction. These results are interpreted in the light of a working model in which nutrient uptake and stimulation of growth are mediated by ECM fungi and may be pH-dependent. Furthermore, the variations detected in ECM roots for H(+) and A(-) fluxes suggest a main contribution from the plant, while the results obtained for Ca(2+) point to a significant involvement of the fungus.

Polymorphism in the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of the ribosomal DNA of 26 isolates of ectomycorrhizal fungi

Inter- and intraspecific variation among 26 isolates of ectomycorrhizal fungi belonging to 8 genera and 19 species were evaluated by analysis of the internal transcribed sequence (ITS) of the rDNA region using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). The ITS region was first amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with specific primers and then cleaved with different restriction enzymes. Amplification products, which ranged between 560 and 750 base pairs (bp), were obtained for all the isolates analyzed. The degree of polymorphism observed did not allow proper identification of most of the isolates. Cleavage of amplified fragments with the restriction enzymes Alu I, Hae III, Hinf I, and Hpa II revealed extensive polymorphism. All eight genera and most species presented specific restriction patterns. Species not identifiable by a specific pattern belonged to two genera: Rhizopogon (R. nigrescens, R. reaii, R. roseolus, R. rubescens and Rhizopogon sp.), and Laccaria (L. bicolor and L. amethystea). Our data confirm the potential of ITS region PCR-RFLP for the molecular characterization of ectomycorrhizal fungi and their identification and monitoring in artificial inoculation programs

Vesicular-arbuscular-/ecto-mycorrhiza succession in seedlings of. Eucalyptus spp

A ocorrência de micorrizas arbusculares (AM) e ectomicorrizas (ECM) no mesmo sistema radicular foi observada quando Eucalyptus urophylla S.T. Blake, E. citriodora Hook F., E. grandis W. Hill ex Maiden, E. cloeziana F. Muell e E. camaldulensis Dehnh foram inoculadas simultaneamente com Glomus etunicatum Becker & Gederman and Pisolithus tinctorius (Per.) Cocker & Couch. A sucessão entre os dois fungos foi observada. De modo geral, o aumento da colonização ECM foi acompanhado de um decréscimo em AM. A inoculação simultânea resultou em percentagens de colonização diferenciadas das obtidas com a inoculação isolada. Pisolithus tinctorius beneficiou-se da inoculação simultânea com G. etunicatum. Para o fungo AM, o efeito positivo da inoculação simultânea ocorreu até aos 60 dias após a inoculação. A partir de 120 dias, a colonização das raízes por G. etunicatum diminuiu na presença de P. tinctorius. A proporção de AM e ECM variou com o tempo de avaliação e o total da percentagem de raízes colonizadas aproximou-se do valor máximo aos 60 dias da inoculação, mantendo-se constante. Os maiores valores foram observados para E. camaldulensis, seguido por E. citriodora, E. urophylla, E. grandis e E. cloeziana.