Fungi are among the most diverse and ecologically important kingdoms in life. However, the distributional ranges of fungi remain largely unknown as do the ecological mechanisms that shape their distributions. To provide an integrated view of the spatial and seasonal dynamics of fungi, we implemented a globally distributed standardized aerial sampling of fungal spores.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNovel methods for sampling and characterizing biodiversity hold great promise for re-evaluating patterns of life across the planet. The sampling of airborne spores with a cyclone sampler, and the sequencing of their DNA, have been suggested as an efficient and well-calibrated tool for surveying fungal diversity across various environments. Here we present data originating from the Global Spore Sampling Project, comprising 2,768 samples collected during two years at 47 outdoor locations across the world.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFungi play a vital role in ecosystem functioning, yet significant knowledge gaps persist in understanding their diversity and distribution leading to uncertainties about their threat status and extinction risk. This is partly owed to the difficulty of monitoring fungi using traditional fruiting body surveys. The present study evaluates airborne environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling as a monitoring tool with a focus on grassland macrofungi.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe European ash () is threatened by the introduced ascomycete , the causal agent of ash dieback. Endophytic fungi are known to modulate their host's resistance against pathogens. To understand possible consequences of ash dieback on the endophytic mycobiome, leaves were collected in naturally regenerated forests and the fungal communities analyzed by classic culture and Illumina amplicon sequencing using a newly developed and validated fungal-specific primer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Whereas an increasing number of pathogenic and mutualistic ascomycetous species were sequenced in the past decade, species showing a seemingly neutral association such as root endophytes received less attention. In the present study, the genome of Phialocephala subalpina, the most frequent species of the Phialocephala fortinii s.l.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs a first line of defense against insect herbivores many plants store high concentrations of toxic and deterrent secondary metabolites in glandular trichomes. Plant Pleiotropic Drug Resistance (PDR)-type ABC transporters are known secondary metabolite transporters, and several have been implicated in pathogen or herbivore defense. Here, we report on Petunia hybrida PhPDR2 as a major contributor to trichome-related chemical defense.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWhile Hymenoscyphus fraxineus causes dieback of the European ash (Fraxinus excelsior), flowering ash (F. ornus) appears resistant to the pathogen. To date, contributions of endophytic fungi to host resistance are unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Phialocephala subalpina belongs to the Phialocephala fortinii s.l.-Acepphala applanata species complex (PAC) forming one of the major groups belonging to the dark septate endophytes (DSE).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecently, different reproductive modes were proposed between the emerging forest pathogen Hymenoscyphus fraxineus and its closely related avirulent sister species, Hymenoscyphus albidus. In the present study, inter- and intraspecific crosses were performed to experimentally assess the reproduction barriers between the two species and to verify H. albidus' putative haploid-selfing reproductive mode.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFForest pathology, the science of forest health and tree diseases, is operating in a rapidly developing environment. Most importantly, global trade and climate change are increasing the threat to forest ecosystems posed by new diseases. Various studies relevant to forest pathology in a changing world are accumulating, thus making it necessary to provide an update of recent literature.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStrigolactones were originally identified as stimulators of the germination of root-parasitic weeds that pose a serious threat to resource-limited agriculture. They are mostly exuded from roots and function as signalling compounds in the initiation of arbuscular mycorrhizae, which are plant-fungus symbionts with a global effect on carbon and phosphate cycling. Recently, strigolactones were established to be phytohormones that regulate plant shoot architecture by inhibiting the outgrowth of axillary buds.
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