ABSTRACT
An inorganic phosphate transporter gene sequence (852-bp section) allowed discrimination between 10 Glomus fungal species represented by 25 strains. It was particularly valuable in differentiating between morphologically similar species with nucleotide and amino acid sequence differences higher than 3%. This gene is proposed as a reliable barcode for the Glomeromycetes.
Subject(s)
Fungal Proteins/genetics , Glomeromycota/classification , Glomeromycota/genetics , Mycorrhizae/genetics , Phosphate Transport Proteins/genetics , Polymorphism, Genetic , Cluster Analysis , DNA, Fungal/chemistry , DNA, Fungal/genetics , Glomeromycota/enzymology , Molecular Sequence Data , Phylogeny , Sequence Analysis, DNA , Sequence Homology, Amino AcidABSTRACT
Mechanisms involved in post-fire morel fructification remain unclear. A new undescribed belowground vegetative structure of Morchella tomentosa in a burned boreal forest was investigated north of Fairbanks, Alaska. The name "radiscisclerotium" is proposed to define this peculiar and elaborate below-ground vegetative structure of M. tomentosa. Bayesian and maximum parsimony analyses based on ITS rRNA regions and nLSU gene strongly supported a new clade composed of M. tomentosa within the genus Morchella.
Subject(s)
Agaricales/classification , Ascomycota/classification , Agaricales/genetics , Ascomycota/genetics , DNA, Fungal/genetics , DNA, Fungal/isolation & purification , DNA, Ribosomal/genetics , Phylogeny , RNA, Ribosomal/geneticsABSTRACT
An aquatic hyphomycete, Dwayaangam sp., was isolated from superficially sterilized black spruce (Picea mariana) needles submerged in aerated water in a small glass chamber (microcosm). The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence of this fungus and of a commonly encountered foliar endophyte isolated from P. mariana showed a high degree of similarity. When sporulation was induced in the microcosm, both the aquatic hyphomycete and the endophyte isolate produced similar aquatic conidia after 30 days, which is longer than previously documented in similar studies. Without the use of molecular tools, the link between the aquatic and endophytic phases of the fungus would have gone unnoticed. This is the first time that a fungal endophyte of conifer needles has been shown to have an aquatic phase. Its presence both as a foliar endophyte and a sporulating aquatic fungus suggests an alternating life cycle between the two environments.
Subject(s)
Ascomycota/physiology , Mitosporic Fungi/physiology , Picea/microbiology , Water Microbiology , Ascomycota/classification , Ascomycota/genetics , DNA, Ribosomal Spacer/analysis , Mitosporic Fungi/classification , Mitosporic Fungi/genetics , Phylogeny , Sequence Analysis, DNAABSTRACT
The new species Lophodermium macci is described. It is similar in its morphology, habitat, geographic range and ecology to L. pini-excelsae, L. staleyi and L. nitens and often is misidentified as L. pinastri on Pinus strobus in herbaria. A modified technique was used to extract DNA from minute ascomata on herbarium specimens, and new primers were made to amplify the damaged DNA from these specimens. It provides added evidence to separate L. macci from L. pini-excelsae, its closest morphological taxon.
