Marine fungal diversity: a comparison of natural and created salt marshes of the north-central Gulf of Mexico.

Marine fungal communities of created salt marshes of differing ages were compared with those of two reference natural salt marshes. Marine fungi occurring on the lower 30 cm of salt marsh plants Spartina alterniflora and Juncus roemerianus were inventoried with morphological and molecular methods (ITS T-RFLP analysis) to determine fungal species richness, relative frequency of occurrence and ascomata density. The resulting profiles revealed similar fungal communities in natural salt marshes and created salt marshes 3 y old and older with a 1.

Evolutionary relationships between aquatic anamorphs and teleomorphs: Tricladium and Varicosporium.

Tricladium, with 21 accepted species, is the largest genus of aquatic hyphomycetes. It encompasses species with dematiaceous as well as mucedinaceous colonies. Conidiogenesis is thalloblastic; conidiogenous cells proliferate percurrently or sympodially.

Koralionastetales, a new order of marine Ascomycota in the Sordariomycetes.

Based on molecular studies using 1760 bp of the nuSSU and 604 bp of the nuLSU rRNA genes and using morphological characters, the genera Koralionastes and Pontogeneia are assigned to the new order Koralionastetales, family Koralionastetaceae, class Sordariomycetes. Koralionastetales is a sister group to Lulworthiales; differences in morphological characters are expressed in the ascospores and the presence/absence of periphyses and paraphyses. A new species of Pontogeneia, P.

Decaspirones A-E, bioactive spirodioxynaphthalenes from the freshwater aquatic fungus Decaisnella thyridioides.

Decaspirones A-E (1-5), five new compounds related to the palmarumycins, were isolated from cultures of the freshwater aquatic fungal species Decaisnella thyridioides. The known compound palmarumycin CP1 (6) was also obtained. The structures of 1-5 were determined by analysis of NMR and MS data, and their relative configurations were assigned by analysis of 1H NMR J-values and NOESY data.

Vittatispora, a new melanosporaceous genus from Indian soil.

Vittatispora coorgii gen. sp. nov.

Evolutionary relationships among aquatic anamorphs and teleomorphs: Lemonniera, Margaritispora, and Goniopila.

The hypothesis that similar conidial morphologies in aquatic hyphomycetes are a result of convergent evolution was tested using molecular sequence data. Cladistic analyses were performed on partial sequences of 28S rDNA of seven species of Lemonniera, one species of Margaritispora and one species of Goniopila. Lemonniera has tetraradiate conidia with long arms, whereas Margaritispora and Goniopila have typically globose (isodiametric) conidia, with short conical protuberances in a stellate or quadrangular arrangement.

Heliconols A-C: antimicrobial hemiketals from the freshwater aquatic fungus Helicodendron giganteum.

[Structure: see text] Cultures of the freshwater aquatic fungus Helicodendron giganteum afforded three new compounds, heliconols A-C (1-3), that contain an unusual reduced furanocyclopentane unit. The structures of these metabolites were assigned by analysis of 1D and 2D NMR data. The absolute configuration of heliconol A (1) was assigned by single-crystal X-ray crystallographic analysis of its dibromobenzoate derivative.

Altenuene derivatives from an unidentified freshwater fungus in the family Tubeufiaceae.

Four new altenuene derivatives called dihydroaltenuenes A (1) and B (2) and dehydroaltenuenes A (3) and B (4), along with five known compounds, including isoaltenuene (5), altenuene (6), and 5'-epialtenuene (7), were isolated from cultures of an unidentified freshwater aquatic fungal species in the family Tubeufiaceae. The structures of 1-4 were determined by analysis of NMR and MS data. The relative stereochemistry was determined on the basis of (1)H NMR J-values and NOE data, while the absolute configuration of a representative member of the group (5) was assigned by CD spectral analysis of its bis-N,N-dimethylaminobenzoate derivative.

Neotypification of Lulworthia fucicola.

There are no herbarium specimens or culture material for the type of Lulworthiafucicola G.K. Sutherl.

A re-evaluation of Lulworthiales: relationships based on 18S and 28S rDNA.

The Lulworthiales consists of four genera: three that were removed from the Halosphaeriales, namely Lulworthia, Lindra, and Kohlmeyeriella; and Spathulospora, reassigned from the Spathulosporales. However, studies have shown that neither Lulworthia nor Lindra are monophyletic genera. This study was therefore undertaken to re-evaluate the genera of the Lulworthiales based on the SSU and LSU rDNA genes.

Ophiocerins A-D and ophioceric acid: tetrahydropyran derivatives and an africane sesquiterpenoid from the freshwater aquatic fungus Ophioceras venezuelense.

Four new tetrahydropyran derivatives called ophiocerins A-D (1-4) and a new africane sesquiterpenoid (ophioceric acid; 5) have been isolated from cultures of the aquatic fungus Ophioceras venezuelense, together with the known compound regiolone. The structures and relative stereochemistry of these compounds were determined by analysis of 1D and 2D NMR data, while absolute stereochemical assignments for 1-4 were proposed by application of the exciton chirality CD method.

Annulusmagnus and Ascitendus, two new genera in the Annulatascaceae.

Two pyrenomycetes in the Annulatascaceae described from freshwater, Annulatascus triseptatus and Ascolacicola austriaca, are reported from North and South America for the first time. Both species occur commonly on submerged wood in the U.S.

Annularins A-H: new polyketide metabolites from the freshwater aquatic fungus Annulatascus triseptatus.

Eight new polyketide metabolites, annularins A-H (1-8), along with the known compound (-)-(S)-p-hydroxyphenyllactic acid, were isolated from the organic extracts of the freshwater fungus Annulatascus triseptatus. Compounds 1-6 are 3,4,5-trisubstituted alpha-pyrones, and the fused bicyclic pyrone-furanone system in annularin F (6) has not been reported previously among natural products. Compounds 7 and 8 are 3,4-disubstituted alpha,beta-unsaturated gamma-lactones.

A reassessment of two freshwater ascomycetes, Ceriospora caudae-suis and Submersisphaeria aquatica.

Ceriospora caudae-suis and Submersisphaeria aquatica, two freshwater pyrenomycetes reported infrequently since their original description, occur commonly on submerged woody debris in the USA. Based on analyses of 28S rDNA sequence data and morphology, both species belong in the Annulatascaceae. Ceriospora caudae-suis is transferred to Pseudoproboscispora, a genus in the Annulatascaceae with similar overall morphology and ecology.