The smut fungi of Greenland

The first taxonomic treatment of the smut fungi in Greenland is provided. A total of 43 species in 11 genera are treated and illustrated by photographs of sori, microphotographs of spores in LM and SEM, and distribution maps. Two species, Anthracoidea pseudofoetidae and Urocystis tothii, are recorded as new from North America. Thirteen species, Anthracoidea altera, A. capillaris, A. limosa, A. liroi, A. pseudofoetidae, A. scirpoideae, A. turfosa, Microbotryum lagerheimii, M. stellariae, Schizonella elynae, Stegocintractia luzulae, Urocystis fischeri, and U. tothii, are reported for the first time from Greenland. Three new fungus-host combinations, Anthracoidea capillaris on Carex boecheriana, Anthracoidea pseudofoetidae on Carex maritima, and Urocystis tothii on Juncus biglumis, are given. Five plant species are reported as new hosts of smut fungi in Greenland, namely, Carex nigra for Anthracoidea heterospora, C. canescens for Anthracoidea karii, C. fuliginosa subsp. misandra for Anthracoidea misandrae, C. maritima for Orphanomyces arcticus, and C. fuliginosa subsp. misandra for Schizonella melanogramma. Three species, Microbotryum violaceum s. str. (recorded as ‘Ustilago violacea’), Urocystis anemones, and U. junci, which were previously reported from Greenland, are considered wrongly identified. Additional distribution records are given for 12 species from Greenland: Anthracoidea bigelowii, A. caricis, A. elynae, A. lindebergiae, A. misandrae, A. nardinae, A. rupestris, A. scirpi, Schizonella melanogramma, Stegocintractia hyperborea, Urocystis agropyri, and U. sorosporioides. The most numerous distribution groups are the following: circumpolar–alpine and Arctic–alpine species – 14; circumboreal–polar species – 10; and circumpolar and Arctic species – 6. The most widely distributed smut fungi in Greenland were Anthracoidea bigelowii, A. elynae, Microbotryum bistortarum, and M. vinosum. Most species were found in the High Arctic zone (29 species), while from the Low Arctic zone and the Subarctic zone, 26 and 19 species were known, respectively. Ten species, Anthracoidea bigelowii, A. capillaris, A. elynae, Microbotryum bistortarum, M. koenigiae, M. pustulatum, M. silenes-acaulis, M. vinosum, Schizonella elynae, and Urocystis sorosporioides, were recorded from all three zones. Only plants belonging to six families, Cyperaceae, Poaceae, Juncaceae, Ranunculaceae, Caryophyllaceae, and Polygonaceae, out of a total of 55 in the flora of Greenland, hosted smut fungi. Cyperaceae was the plant family with most host species (23). Carex was the genus with the highest number of host species (22). The total number of the host plants (45 species) was 8.5 % out of a total of 532 vascular plants in the flora of Greenland. A new combination in Carex, C. macroprophylla subsp. subfilifolia, is proposed for Kobresia filifolia subsp. subfilifolia.

Host Flower Infection of Silene latifolia by Microbotryum violaceum

Certain fungi can infect host plants and thereby cause sterility of the host. One such fungal parasite, Microbotryum violaceum (commonly known as anther smut), has host specificity to plants of the family Caryophyllaceae. Anther smut takes over the host reproductive system by inhibiting sex-organ development in flowers, and the plant produces fungal spores in place of its normal reproductive structures. Spores can then be spread to nearby hosts through wind and insect pollinators. This experiment focuses on Silene latifolia plant populations growing near Zagreb, Croatia. Our research tests for phenotypic differences between infected and healthy flowers. To do this, we measured the size of healthy and infected flowers of both sexes. Additionally, we observed the proportion of infected flowers over time on individuals to uncover temporal trends of the smut infection. We found that all flower parts, regardless of plant sex, are significantly smaller in smut-infected flowers. After observing proportions of infected flowers, we found that the ratio of infected to healthy flowers increased over time. Our findings suggest that smut infection of S. latifolia causes changes in plant energy allocation. We propose that the smaller flower size could be the result of increased energy needed for M. violaceum spore production. This hypothesis could be tested with additional research. The increasing proportion of smutty flowers on an infected individual over time is likely caused by the spread of the infection throughout the plant.

Bioactive Aromatic Derivatives from Endophytic Fungus, Cytospora sp

Two new benzyl γ-butyrolactone analogues, ( R)-5-(( S)-hydroxy(phenyl)-methyl)dihydrofuran-2(3H)-one (1) and its 6-acetate (2), and a new naphthalenone derivative (8), together with eight additional known aromatic derivatives, ( S)-5-(( S)-hydroxy(phenyl)-methyl)dihydrofuran-2(3H)-one (3), ( S)-5-benzyl-dihydrofuran-2(3H)-one (4), 5-phenyl-4-oxopentanoic acid (5), γ-oxo-benzenepentanoic acid methyl ester (6), 3-(2,5-dihydro-4-hydroxy-5-oxo-3-phenyl-2-furyl)propionic acid (7), (3 R)-5-methylmellein (9), integracins A (10) and B (11) were isolated from Cytospora sp., an endophytic fungus isolated from Ilex canariensis from Gomera. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by detailed spectroscopic analysis, comparison with reported data, and chemical interconversion. The absolute configurations of the new compounds (1, 2, 8) were established on the basis of optical rotation or CD spectra analysis. Preliminary studies showed antimicrobial activity of these compounds against the fungi Microbotryum violaceum, Botrytis cinerea and Septoria tritici, the alga Chlorella fusca, and the bacterium Bacillus megaterium.

Ring B Aromatic Steroids from an Endophytic Fungus, Colletotrichum sp.

The new (22E,24R)-3-acetoxy-19(10→6)-abeo-ergosta-5,7,9,22-tetraen-3β-ol (1) and the known (22E,24R)-19(10→6)-abeo-ergosta-5,7,9,22-tetraen-3β-ol (2), two interesting ergosteroids with rare aromatized ring B, together with seven known derivatives, namely (22E,24R)-ergosta-5,7,22-trien-3β-ol (3), (22E,24R)-ergosta-4,7,22-trien-3-one (4), (22E,24R)-ergosta-4,6,8(14),22-tetraen-3-one (5), (22E,24R)-5α,8α-epidioxyergosta-6,22-dien-3β-ol (6), (22E,24R)-ergosta-7,22-dien-3β,5α,6β-triol (7), (22E,24R)-6-acetoxy-ergosta-7,22-dien-3β,5α,6β-triol (8), and (22E,24R)-3,6-diacetoxy-ergosta-7,22-dien-3β,5α,6β-triol (9), were isolated from Colletotrichum sp., an endophytic fungus isolated from Ilex canariensis from Gomera. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by detailed spectroscopic analysis, comparison with reported data, and chemical interconversion. The isolation of these metabolites not only displays a beautiful array of chemical diversity, but also gives insight into the biosynthetic interconnections. Preliminary studies showed antimicrobial activity of these compounds against the fungus Microbotryum violaceum, the alga Chlorella fusca, and the bacteria Escherichia coli and Bacillus megaterium.