Distribution and Origin of Major, Trace and Rare Earth Elements in Wild Edible Mushrooms: Urban vs. Forest Areas.

This paper investigates the composition of major, trace, and rare earth elements in 15 different species of wild edible mushrooms and the possible effect of urban pollution on elemental uptake. The collected mushrooms include different species from the green areas of the city, exposed to urban pollution, and from the forests, with limited anthropogenic influence. Through a comprehensive approach that included the analysis of 46 elements, an attempt was made to expand knowledge about element uptake by mushroom fruiting bodies. The results showed a wide variability in the composition of mushrooms, suggesting a number of factors influencing their element uptake capacity. The data obtained do not indicate significant exposure to anthropogenic influences, regardless of sampling location. While major elements' levels appear to be influenced more by species-specific affinities, this is not true for trace elements, whose levels presumably reflect the geochemical characteristics of the sampling site. However, the risk assessment showed that consumption of excessive amounts of the mushrooms studied, both from urban areas and from forests, may have adverse health effects.

Inocybe brijunica sp. nov., a New Ectomycorrhizal Fungus from Mediterranean Croatia Revealed by Morphology and Multilocus Phylogenetic Analysis.

A new ectomycorrhizal species was discovered during the first survey of fungal diversity at Brijuni National Park (Croatia), which consists of 14 islands and islets. The National Park is located in the Mediterranean Biogeographical Region, a prominent climate change hot-spot. Inocybe brijunica sp. nov., from sect. Hysterices (Agaricales, Inocybaceae), is described based on morphology and multilocus phylogenetic data. The holotype collection was found at the edge between grassland and Quercus ilex forest with a few planted Pinus pinea trees, on Veli Brijun Island, the largest island of the archipelago. It is easily recognized by a conspicuous orange to orange-red-brown membranaceous surface layer located at or just above the basal part of the stipe. Other distinctive features of I. brijunica are the medium brown, radially fibrillose to rimose pileus; pale to medium brown stipe with fugacious cortina; relatively small, amygdaliform to phaseoliform, and smooth basidiospores, measuring ca. 6.5-9 × 4-5.5 µm; thick-walled, utriform, lageniform or fusiform pleurocystidia (lamprocystidia) with crystals and mostly not yellowing in alkaline solutions; cheilocystidia of two types (lamprocystidia and leptocystidia); and the presence of abundant caulocystidia only in the upper 2-3 mm of the stipe. Phylogenetic reconstruction of a concatenated dataset of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS), the nuclear 28S rRNA gene (nrLSU), and the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (rpb2) resolved I. brijunica and I. glabripes as sister species.

An overview of the genus Coprotus (Pezizales, Ascomycota) with notes on the type species and description of C. epithecioides sp. nov.

In a mycological research performed in the Sjeverni Velebit National Park, Croatia, a new species of Coprotus was discovered, described here as C. epithecioides. Along with the microscopic examination, phylogenetic analysis of the type material, based on ITS and LSU sequences, was performed in order to evaluate its relationship with the type species, C. sexdecimsporus. The type species was sequenced in this study for the first time, providing ITS and LSU sequences from two separate collections which displayed differences in macroscopic characters and content of paraphyses. An extended description of C. sexdecimsporus based on Croatian material is also provided. A worldwide identification key to the species assigned to the genus Coprotus is presented, along with a species overview, containing a data matrix. The phylogenetic position of Coprotus in the Boubovia-Coprotus clade within Pyronemataceae s.l. is discussed. Coprotus sexdecimsporus is also reported here as new to the Croatian mycobiota.

Characterizing aeroallergens by infrared spectroscopy of fungal spores and pollen.

BACKGROUND: Fungal spores and plant pollen cause respiratory diseases in susceptible individuals, such as asthma, allergic rhinitis and hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Aeroallergen monitoring networks are an important part of treatment strategies, but unfortunately traditional analysis is time consuming and expensive. We have explored the use of infrared spectroscopy of pollen and spores for an inexpensive and rapid characterization of aeroallergens. METHODOLOGY: The study is based on measurement of spore and pollen samples by single reflectance attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (SR-ATR FTIR). The experimental set includes 71 spore (Basidiomycota) and 121 pollen (Pinales, Fagales and Poales) samples. Along with fresh basidiospores, the study has been conducted on the archived samples collected within the last 50 years. RESULTS: The spectroscopic-based methodology enables clear spectral differentiation between pollen and spores, as well as the separation of confamiliar and congeneric species. In addition, the analysis of the scattering signals inherent in the infrared spectra indicates that the FTIR methodology offers indirect estimation of morphology of pollen and spores. The analysis of fresh and archived spores shows that chemical composition of spores is well preserved even after decades of storage, including the characteristic taxonomy-related signals. Therefore, biochemical analysis of fungal spores by FTIR could provide economical, reliable and timely methodologies for improving fungal taxonomy, as well as for fungal identification and monitoring. This proof of principle study shows the potential for using FTIR as a rapid tool in aeroallergen studies. In addition, the presented method is ready to be immediately implemented in biological and ecological studies for direct measurement of pollen and spores from flowers and sporocarps.

Antioxidant properties of extracts of wild medicinal mushroom species from Croatia.

Antioxidant activity and total phenol (TP) content of methanol and water extracts of three wild Croatian mushroom species Auricularia auricula-judae (Bull.) Quél., Sarcoscypha austriaca (Sacc.) Boud., and Strobilurus esculentus (Wulfen) Singer were determined and compared with the values obtained for extracts of four cultivated mushrooms Agaricus bisporus (J.E. Lange) Imbach (brown and white strains), Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq.) P. Kumm., and Lentinus edodes (Berk.) Singer. Spectrophotometric determination of the TP content was performed using the Folin-Ciocalteu method, while antioxidant activity was measured in a reaction with 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH assay) and ferric-tripyridyltriazine (Fe3+-TPTZ) complex (FRAP assay). On the average, 5.8-fold higher TP content was observed for water in comparison to methanol extracts of all analyzed mushrooms. Consequently, antioxidant activity was also higher for water extracts, which is evident from the obtained higher values in the FRAP assay and lower EC50 values in the DPPH assay. Among the three tested wild species, the water extract of S. esculentus exhibited the highest concentration of TP, 8.12 mg/g gallic acid equivalents (GAE), the highest reducing power, 19.42 mmol Fe2+/kg, and the best radical scavenging properties, EC50= 13.5 mg/mL.

Gloiocephala cerkezii, a new species from Croatia.

A new species, Gloiocephala cerkezii, is described from Croatia. It is characterized by a pale brown to rusty brown pileus, an elongated central to slightly eccentric stipe, vein-like lamellae, large and elongate spores, subcapitate to capitate cystidia, a gelatinized trama, and the absence of hairs on the pileus and stipe. The description is accompanied by black and white photograph of basidiocarps and line drawings of microscopic elements. G. cerkezii is compared to closely related species, and a dichotomous key to European species of the genus Gloiocephala is provided. A new combination Gloiocephala pseudocaricis is made.