Little-known in Ukraine species of corticioid fungi from Prypiat-Stokhid National Nature Park

The article outlines the details on several noteworthy records of corticoid fungi discovered in the course of mycological observations in Prypiat-Stokhid National Nature Park (Liubeshiv District, Volyn Region) in October, 2019. In Ukraine, Byssocorticium atrovirens is apparently known only from a single record of A. Pilat, 1933, from the present-day territory of Carpathian Biosphere Reserve. Piloderma bicolor has been earlier recorded only once from Skole Beskids National Nature Park, while Tomentella lilacinogrisea has been previously found in a single locality in Carpathian Biosphere Reserve. The data on detailed morphological descriptions, ecological peculiarities, substrate specialization, general distribution, photographs of basidiomata and original drawings of microstructures are provided.

XYLOTROPHIC BASIDIOMYCETES OF SMALL-LEAVED FORESTS OF THE KOSTROMA REGION

This paper provides an overview of the biology and species diversity of xylotrophic basidiomycetes, as well as the biotopic relationships of xylotroph mycobiota with phytocenoses. Ecological groups of these organisms are considered in connection with substrate specialization and their species similarity in birch and aspen small-leaved forests of different pharmacy. A brief assessment of the influence of the anthropogenic factor on the biological diversity of the represented group of organisms is given. For the first time, the Kostroma region is divided into southern, central, and northern parts to assess species diversity depending on weather, climate, and phytocenotic factors. The data on the study of changes in the degree of integration of mycocenoses of birch and aspen forests within the studied areas of the region are presented. In total, over 60 species of xylotrophic basidiomycetes were found in the small-leaved forests in the region, among which 38 species primarily affected birch forests and 40 species of pathogenic xylotrophic basidiomycetes have tropism for P. tremula. It was established that species belonging to the Coriolaseae family predominate in the species composition of wood-destroying mycobiota; they comprise about 27% of the total species composition in birch forests and about 24% of the species composition in aspen forests.

One enzyme many faces: alkaline phosphatase-based phosphorus-nutrient strategies and the regulatory cascade revealed by CRISPR/Cas9 gene knockout

Phosphorus (P) is an essential macronutrient for marine phytoplankton responsible for ∼50% of global carbon fixation. As P availability is variable and likely will decrease in future warming oceans, phytoplankton growth will be constrained by their strategies to scavenge dissolved organophosphate. To enhance our mechanistic understanding of these strategies, here we employ CRISPR/Cas9 to create mutants of alkaline phosphatase (AP) PhoA and PhoD and a putative regulator in the diatom model Phaeodactylum tricornutum, coupled with transcriptomic profiling to interrogate their modes of function and P- regulatory network. Results indicate that these two AP isoforms are differentiated in subcellular localization and substrate specialization, and are mutually compensatory and replaceable. Further analyses reveal a regulatory cascade of P scavenging and potential roles of AP in iron and ammonium uptake as well as diverse metabolic pathways. These findings have important implications in how phytoplankton community will respond to future changing microenvironments of global oceans.

The aridization effect on the characteristics of the substrate and biotopic distribution of fungi species of the Polyporus s.l. genus in the southeast of Western Siberia

The paper deals with the features of substrate and biotopic distribution of fungi species of the Polyporus s.l. genus in the southeast of Western Siberia. Most species have a wide range of substrates represented by various species of woody plants. The most widespread and common species are able to develop a wide range of substrates. Rare species are distinguished by a narrow substrate spectrum. For a rare species P . rhizophilus , adapted to exist in the conditions of subarid regions, found only in steppe biome communities, steppe grasses ( Stipa , Festuca ) are the only substrate. Most species grow on deciduous wood, only some species can grow on conifers, and only the taiga species P. tubaeformis develops exclusively on conifers in mountainous regions. Fungi substrates are represented by 11 species of angiosperms, 3 species of gymnosperms and steppe grasses. Most species are common in numerous communities; all of them are characterized by a high frequency of occurrence and colonize a wide range of substrates. Biotopically narrowly specialized species are few in number; they are characterized by narrow substrate specialization. In anthropogenic habitats, 6 species out of 14 growing in natural communities were recorded. On the plain territory, 10 species of the genus Polyporus were identified, while 14 species were found in mountain systems, since mountain humid areas contain the largest spectrum of substrates for fungi. The greatest diversity of Polyporus species is recorded in dark coniferous forests, among which the number of species is dominated by black aspen-fir forests. With an increase in aridization and a change in plant communities, rare relict mountain taiga, nemoral and typical taiga species are eliminated. The smallest number of Polyporus species is found in the steppe communities of subarid regions.

The evolution of fungal substrate specificity in a widespread group of crustose lichens

Lichens exhibit varying degrees of specialization with regard to the surfaces they colonize, ranging from substrate generalists to strict substrate specialists. Though long recognized, the causes and consequences of substrate specialization are poorly known. Using a phylogeny of a 150–200 Mya clade of lichen fungi, we asked whether substrate niche is phylogenetically conserved, which substrates are ancestral, whether specialists arise from generalists or vice versa and how specialization affects speciation/extinction processes. We found strong phylogenetic signal for niche conservatism. Specialists evolved into generalists and back again, but transitions from generalism to specialism were more common than the reverse. Our models suggest that for this group of fungi, ‘escape’ from specialization for soil, rock and bark occurred, but specialization for wood foreclosed evolution away from that substrate type. In parallel, speciation models showed positive diversification rates for soil and rock dwellers but not other specialists. Patterns in the studied group suggest that fungal substrate specificity is a key determinant of evolutionary trajectory for the entire lichen symbiosis.

Simulation ofDeepwater Horizonoil plume reveals substrate specialization within a complex community of hydrocarbon degraders

TheDeepwater Horizon(DWH) accident released an estimated 4.1 million barrels of oil and 1010mol of natural gas into the Gulf of Mexico, forming deep-sea plumes of dispersed oil droplets and dissolved gases that were largely degraded by bacteria. During the course of this 3-mo disaster a series of different bacterial taxa were enriched in succession within deep plumes, but the metabolic capabilities of the different populations that controlled degradation rates of crude oil components are poorly understood. We experimentally reproduced dispersed plumes of fine oil droplets in Gulf of Mexico seawater and successfully replicated the enrichment and succession of the principal oil-degrading bacteria observed during the DWH event. We recovered near-complete genomes, whose phylogeny matched those of the principal biodegrading taxa observed in the field, including the DWH Oceanospirillales (now identified as aBermanellaspecies), multiple species ofColwellia,Cycloclasticus, and other members of Gammaproteobacteria, Flavobacteria, and Rhodobacteria. Metabolic pathway analysis, combined with hydrocarbon compositional analysis and species abundance data, revealed substrate specialization that explained the successional pattern of oil-degrading bacteria. The fastest-growing bacteria used short-chain alkanes. The analyses also uncovered potential cooperative and competitive relationships, even among close relatives. We conclude that patterns of microbial succession following deep ocean hydrocarbon blowouts are predictable and primarily driven by the availability of liquid petroleum hydrocarbons rather than natural gases.

Behaviour in cultures and habitat requirements of species within the genera Loreleia and Rickenella (Agaricales)

The term eco-geogram is introduced for surveying (in logical order) ecological and geographical data connected with fungal species. The database PILZOEK was established for that purpose. Eco-geograms are provided in this paper as an example for data retrieval from PILZOEK concerning the agarics <em>Loreleia marchantiae, L. postii, Rickenella swartzii</em> and <em>R. fibula</em>. The potential degree of endangerment is discussed in regard to habitat requirements. European species of <em>Loreleia</em> are not regarded to be endangered in Central Europe, although the risk to get threatened, because of low frequency of fruit body occurrence and quite a narrow substrate specialization, could be higher than in case of <em>Rickenella fibula</em> and <em>R. swartzii. Cultures of Rickenella fibula, R. swartzii, Loreleia marchantiae (= Gerronema daamsii)</em> and <em>L. postii</em> were investigated in regard to pigment accumulation, chlamydospore formation and some other characters.