Polytrichum formosum and Vaccinium myrtillus as Phytoindicators of Pollutants from Long-Range Emissions of Environmentally Important Protected Areas (The Tatra National Park, the Central Western Carpathians, Poland)

The study determined the influence of altitude on the content of heavy metals in selected plant species of the Tatra National Park (TNP). The metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) were identified in two species of plants, i.e., in the moss (Polytrichum formosum Hedw.) and in the blueberry leaves (Vaccinium myrtillus L.). Plant samples were collected in two test areas every 100 meters of altitude of the area, starting from 1,000 m above sea level in the Lake Morskie Oko test area and from 1,100 m above sea level in the Kasprowy Wierch test area, and ending at 1,400 m above sea level for Lake Morskie Oko and 1,550 m above sea level for Kasprowy Wierch. The two test areas are different from each other in terms of natural and physico-geographical conditions (geological structure, landform, climatic conditions, etc.). The conducted research shows that the content of heavy metals in the studied species of plants increases with the altitude above sea level. Both P. formosum Hedw and V. myrtillus L. can be good phytoindicators in mountainous areas. In the tested plant species, the contents of heavy metals were also found to be higher than the natural contents, which is most likely related to long-range emission. Long-distance transport of pollutants causes that important natural protected areas, such as the Tatra National Park, are exposed to excessive pollution, including the accumulation of heavy metals in plants.

Collagenase and Tyrosinase Inhibitory Effect of Isolated Constituents from the Moss Polytrichum formosum

Mosses from the genus Polytrichum have been shown to contain rare benzonaphthoxanthenones compounds, and many of these have been reported to have important biological activities. In this study, extracts from Polytrichum formosum were analyzed in vitro for their inhibitory properties on collagenase and tyrosinase activity, two important cosmetic target enzymes involved respectively in skin aging and pigmentation. The 70% ethanol extract showed a dose-dependent inhibitory effect against collagenase (IC50 = 4.65 mg/mL). The methanol extract showed a mild inhibitory effect of 44% against tyrosinase at 5.33 mg/mL. Both extracts were investigated to find the constituents having a specific affinity to the enzyme targets collagenase and tyrosinase. The known compounds ohioensin A (1), ohioensin C (3), and communin B (4), together with nor-ohioensin D (2), a new benzonaphthoxanthenone, were isolated from P. formosum. Their structures were determined by mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. Compounds 1 (IC50 = 71.99 µM) and 2 (IC50 = 167.33 µM) showed inhibitory activity against collagenase. Compound 1 also exhibited inhibition of 30% against tyrosinase activity at 200 µM. The binding mode of the active compounds was theoretically generated by an in-silico approach against the 3D structures of collagenase and tyrosinase. These current results present the potential application from the moss P. formosum as a new natural source of collagenase and tyrosinase inhibitors.

Tremella bryonectriae sp. nov. – the first hyperbryophilous fungal species

The tiny, microscopic Tremella bryonectriae (Tremellales, Basidiomycota) is a newly discovered heterobasidiomycete with a presumed mycoparasitic lifestyle. The species is characterized by the absence of basidiomata, by having claviform probasidia, two-celled and longitudinally septate basidia with tubiform sterigmata, ellipsoidal basidiospores, and its occurrence on the mycelia and developing ascomata of Bryonectria cuneifera (Hypocreales). The inconspicuous host, B. cuneifera, grows between the leaf lamellae of the moss Polytrichum formosum . Tremella bryonectriae is documented by just a few records in Europe. It is the first hyperparasite recorded on a bryophilous ascomycete. The species expands both the host spectrum of tremelloid fungi and the complexity of the associations between Polytrichaceae and their many obligate fungal parasites.