Four species of the sequestrate fungal genus Elaphomyces are reported from New Zealand: Elaphomyces bollardii sp. nov. associated with Leptospermum spp. and Kunzea ericoides, E. luteicrustus sp. nov. associated with Nothofagus menziesii, E. putridus sp. nov. associated with Nothofagus spp., and an unnamed species associated with Nothofagus spp.
Cordyceps is a genus of perithecial ascomycetes. It includes over 400 species
that are pathogens of arthropods and parasites of the truffle genus Elaphomyces. Based
on the morphology of cylindrical asci, thickened ascus apices and filiform ascospores,
it is classified in the Clavicipitaceae (Hypocreales), which also includes endophytes
and epiphytes...
The relative role of cospeciation and host switching in the phylogenetic history of
ascomycete foliar symbionts is addressed in the orders Leotiales and Rhytismatales, fungi
associated predominantly with Pinaceae (Coniferales). Emphasis is placed on comparing
the evolution of the sister genera Pseudotsuga and Larix (Pinaceae) with that of the
pathogenic...
Douglas-fir provides social, economic, and ecological benefits in the Pacific Northwest (PNW). In addition to timber, forests support abundant plant and animal biodiversity and provide socioeconomic viability for many rural communities. Products derived from Douglas-fir account for approximately 17% of the U.S. lumber output with an estimated value of $1.9...
Symbiotic associations are established between non-leguminous
(actinorrhizal) nitrogen-fixing flowering plants and two categories
of microorganisms: mycorrhizal fungi and a filamentous actinomycete.
The actinomydete induces nodule formation and produces nitrogenase,
the enzyme responsible for the reduction of atmospheric nitrogen to
a form available to higher plants. The mycorrhizal fungus is found...
Phylogenetic analyses based on nLSU and ITS sequence data indicate that the sequestrate genus Gigasperma is polyphyletic. Gigasperma cryptica, which is known only from New Zealand, has affinities with the Cortinariaceae whereas G. americanum and two additional undescribed taxa from western North America are derived from Lepiota within the Agaricaceae....
Cenococcum is a genus of ectomycorrhizal Ascomycota that has a broad host range and geographic distribution. It is not known to produce either meiotic or mitotic spores and is known to exist only in the form of hyphae, sclerotia and host-colonized ectomycorrhizal root tips. Due to its lack of sexual...
Five solvents were used to resolubilize the fungal pigments of Chlorociboria aeruginosa and Scytalidium cuboideum, two common fungi used in the spalting of wood pieces. These solvents were tested as a replacement for dichloromethane in the pigment application process, via analysis of their ability to increase internal color coverage inside...
Fungal mitospores may function as dispersal units and/ or spermatia, and thus play a role in
distribution and/or mating of species that produce them. Mitospore production in
ectomycorrhizal (EcM) Pezizales is rarely reported, but here we document mitospore production
by a high diversity of EcM Pezizales on three continents, in...