Fifteen new species of Penicillium.

We introduce 15 new species of Penicillium isolated from a diverse range of locations, including Canada, Costa Rica, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Tanzania, USA and the Dry Valleys of Antarctica, from a variety of habitats, including leaf surfaces in tropical rain forests, soil eaten by chimpanzees, infrabuccal pockets of carpenter ants, intestinal contents of caterpillars and soil. The new species are classified in sections Aspergilloides (1), Canescentia (2), Charlesia (1), Exilicaulis (3), Lanata-Divaricata (7) and Stolkia (1). Each is characterised and described using classical morphology, LC-MS based extrolite analyses and multigene phylogenies based on ITS, BenA and CaM. Significant extrolites detected include andrastin, pulvilloric acid, penitrem A and citrinin amongst many others.

New and Interesting Fungi. 6.

Three new genera, six new species, three combinations, six epitypes, and 25 interesting new host and / or geographical records are introduced in this study. New genera: Neoleptodontidium (based on Neoleptodontidium aquaticum), and Nothoramularia (based on Nothoramularia ragnhildianicola). New species: Acremonium aquaticum (from cooling pad water, USA, Cladophialophora laricicola (on dead wood of Larix sp., Netherlands), Cyphellophora neerlandica (on lichen on brick wall, Netherlands), Geonectria muralis (on moss growing on a wall, Netherlands), Harposporium illinoisense (from rockwool, USA), and Neoleptodontidium aquaticum (from hydroponic water, USA). New combinations: Cyphellophora deltoidea (based on Anthopsis deltoidea), Neoleptodontidium aciculare (based on Leptodontidium aciculare), and Nothoramularia ragnhildianicola (based on Ramularia ragnhildianicola). Epitypes: Cephaliophora tropica (from water, USA), Miricatena prunicola (on leaves of Prunus serotina, Netherlands), Nothoramularia ragnhildianicola (on Ragnhildiana ferruginea, parasitic on Artemisia vulgaris, Germany), Phyllosticta multicorniculata (on needles of Abietis balsamea, Canada), Thyronectria caraganae (on twigs of Caragana arborescens, Ukraine), and Trichosphaeria pilosa (on decayed Salix branch, Netherlands). Furthermore, the higher order phylogeny of three genera regarded as incertae sedis is resolved, namely Cephaliophora (Ascodesmidaceae, Pezizales), Miricatena (Helotiales, Leotiomycetes), and Trichosphaeria (Trichosphaeriaceae, Trichosphaeriales), with Trichosphaeriaceae being an older name for Plectosphaerellaceae. Citation: Crous PW, Akulov A, Balashov S, Boers J, Braun U, Castillo J, Delgado MA, Denman S, Erhard A, Gusella G, Jurjevic Z, Kruse J, Malloch DW, Osieck ER, Polizzi G, Schumacher RK, Slootweg E, Starink-Willemse M, van Iperen AL, Verkley GJM, Groenewald JZ (2023). New and Interesting Fungi. 6. Fungal Systematics and Evolution 11: 109-156. doi: 10.3114/fuse.2023.11.09.

Penicillium diversity in Canadian bat caves, including a new species, P. speluncae.

Penicillium species were commonly isolated during a fungal survey of bat hibernacula in New Brunswick and Quebec, Canada. Strains were isolated from arthropods, bats, rodents (i.e. the deer mouse Peromyscus maniculatus), their dung, and cave walls. Hundreds of fungal strains were recovered, of which Penicillium represented a major component of the community. Penicillium strains were grouped by colony characters on Blakeslee's malt extract agar. DNA sequencing of the secondary identification marker, beta-tubulin, was done for representative strains from each group. In some cases, ITS and calmodulin were sequenced to confirm identifications. In total, 13 species were identified, while eight strains consistently resolved into a unique clade with P. discolor, P. echinulatum and P. solitum as its closest relatives. Penicillium speluncae is described using macroand micromorphological characters, multigene phylogenies (including ITS, beta-tubulin, calmodulin and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit) and extrolite profiles. Major extrolites produced by the new species include cyclopenins, viridicatins, chaetoglobosins, and a microheterogenous series of cyclic and linear tetrapeptides.

The origin of land plants: a matter of mycotrophism.

It is hypothesized that terrestrial plants are the product of an ancient and continuing symbiosis of a semi-aquatic ancestral green alga and an aquatic fungus-an oomycete. The Siluro-Devonian "explosive" colonization of land, and indeed the very evolution of plants, was possible only through such mutualistic partnerships-partnerships that were equipped to cope with the problems of desiccation and starvation associated with terrestrial existence.

Christmas tree allergy: mould and pollen studies.

A history of respiratory or other allergic symptoms during the Christmas season is occasionally obtained from allergic patients and can be related to exposure to conifers at home or in school. Incidence and mechanism of production of these symptoms were studied. Of 1657 allergic patients, respiratory and skin allergies to conifers occurred in 7%. This seasonal syndrome includes sneezing, wheezing and transitory skin rashes. The majority of patients develop their disease within 24 hours, but 15% experience symptoms after several days' delay. Mould and pollen studies were carried out in 10 test sites before, during and after tree placement in the home. Scrapings from pine and spruce bark yielded large numbers of Penicillium, Epicoccum and Alternaria, but these failed to become airborne. No significant alteration was discovered in the airborne fungi in houses when trees were present. Pollen studies showed release into air of weed, grass and tree pollens while Christmas trees were in the house. Oleoresins of the tree balsam are thought to be the most likely cause of the symptoms designated as Christmas tree allergy.

Ecological and evolutionary significance of mycorrhizal symbioses in vascular plants (A Review).

MYCORRHIZAE, THE SYMBIOSES BETWEEN FUNGI AND PLANT ROOTS, ARE NEARLY UNIVERSAL IN TERRESTRIAL PLANTS AND CAN BE CLASSIFIED INTO TWO MAJOR TYPES: endomycorrhizae and ectomycorrhizae. About four-fifths of all land plants form endomycorrhizae, whereas several groups of trees and shrubs, notably Pinaceae, some Cupressaceae, Fagaceae, Betulaceae, Salicaceae, Dipterocarpaceae, and most Myrtaceae form ectomycorrhizae. Among legumes, Papilionoideae and Mimosoideae have endomycorrhizae and usually form bacterial nodules. The members of the third subfamily, Caesalpinioideae, rarely form nodules, and one of the included groups, the two large, pantropical, closely related tribes Amherstieae and Detarieae, regularly form ectomycorrhizae. Nodules and ectomycorrhizae may well be alternative means of supplying organic nitrogen to the plants that form them.Those plants having endomycorrhizae usually occur in forests of high species richness, whereas those with ectomycorrhizae usually occur in forests of low species richness. The roots of ectomycorrhizal trees, however, support a large species richness of fungal symbionts, probably amounting to more than 5000 species worldwide, whereas those of endomycorrhizal trees have low fungal species richness, with only about 30 species of fungi known to be involved worldwide. Ectomycorrhizal forests are generally temperate or occur on infertile soils in the tropics. They apparently have expanded in a series of ecologically important events through the course of time from the Middle Cretaceous onward at the expense of endomycorrhizal forests.

The agricultural pathology of ant fungus gardens.

Gardens of fungus-growing ants (Formicidae: Attini) traditionally have been thought to be free of microbial parasites, with the fungal mutualist maintained in nearly pure "monocultures." We conducted extensive isolations of "alien" (nonmutualistic) fungi from ant gardens of a phylogenetically representative collection of attine ants. Contrary to the long-standing assumption that gardens are maintained free of microbial pathogens and parasites, they are in fact host to specialized parasites that are only known from attine gardens and that are found in most attine nests. These specialized garden parasites, belonging to the microfungus genus Escovopsis (Ascomycota: anamorphic Hypocreales), are horizontally transmitted between colonies. Consistent with theory of virulence evolution under this mode of pathogen transmission, Escovopsis is highly virulent and has the potential for rapid devastation of ant gardens, leading to colony mortality. The specialized parasite Escovopsis is more prevalent in gardens of the more derived ant lineages than in gardens of the more "primitive" (basal) ant lineages. Because fungal cultivars of derived attine lineages are asexual clones of apparently ancient origin whereas cultivars of primitive ant lineages were domesticated relatively recently from free-living sexual stocks, the increased virulence of pathogens associated with ancient asexual cultivars suggests an evolutionary cost to cultivar clonality, perhaps resulting from slower evolutionary rates of cultivars in the coevolutionary race with their pathogens.

Apiosporamide, a new antifungal agent from the coprophilous fungus Apiospora montagnei.

Bioassay-guided fractionation of an EtOAc extract from the mycelium of the coprophilous fungus Apiospora montagnei has furnished a new antifungal metabolite, named apiosporamide [1], and the known dihydroisocoumarin cis-(3R,4R)-4-hydroxymellein [4]. The structure of 1 was assigned on the basis of HMBC, HMQC, NOESY, and hrms data. Elucidation of the structure was complicated by the fact that several nmr signals appeared only under certain conditions.

Terezines A-D: new amino acid-derived bioactive metabolites from the coprophilous fungus Sporormiella teretispora.

Four new antifungal compounds, terezines A-D [1-4], have been isolated from liquid cultures of the coprophilous fungus Sporormiella teretispora by preparative tlc and hplc. The structures of these compounds were determined on the basis of nmr and ms data. The known fungal metabolite hyalopyrone [6] was also isolated from S. teretispora.

Appenolides A-C: three new antifungal furanones from the coprophilous fungus Podospora appendiculata.

Appenolides A [1], B [2], and C [3], three new antifungal 2(5H)-furanones, have been isolated from liquid cultures of the coprophilous fungus Podospora appendiculata (UAMH 7225) by repeated preparative tlc on Si gel. The structures were assigned on the basis of nmr and ms data.

Anserinones A and B: new antifungal and antibacterial benzoquinones from the coprophilous fungus Podospora anserina.

Two new benzoquinones with antifungal, antibacterial, and cytotoxic activities have been isolated from liquid cultures of the coprophilous fungus Podospora anserina. The structures of anserinones A (1) and B (2) were assigned on the basis of MS and NMR results, and the absolute stereochemistry of 2 was deduced by analysis of 1H-NMR data for its (R)- and (S)-2-phenylbutyryl ester derivatives.

Polytolypin, a new antifungal triterpenoid from the coprophilous fungus Polytolypa hystricis.

Polytolypin [1], a new pentacyclic triterpenoid exhibiting antifungal and antibiotic activity, has been isolated from cultures of Polytolypa hystricis (JS189), a fungal colonist of porcupine dung. Two known compounds [2 and 3] were also isolated. Polytolypin was obtained by chromatographic fractionation of the EtOAc extract of P. hystricis liquid cultures, and the structure was assigned on the basis of 2D nmr and hrms data.

Cercophorins A-C: novel antifungal and cytotoxic metabolites from the coprophilous fungus Cercophora areolata.

Cercophorins A-C (3-5), three novel isocoumarin derivatives with antifungal and cytotoxic activities, have been isolated from the coprophilous fungus Cercophora areolata (JS 166 = UAMH 7495), a colonist of porcupine dung. Two additional new isocoumarins, decarboxy-citrinone (1) and 4-acetyl-8-hydroxy-6-methoxy-5-methylisocoumarin (2), and a known tricothecene mycotoxin, roridin E (6), were also obtained from this species. Compounds 1-6 were isolated from ethyl acetate extracts of mycelia and liquid cultures of C. areolata through bioassay-guided fractionation and are the first metabolites to be reported from a member of the genus Cercophora. Their structures were assigned on the basis of MS, selective INEPT, and 2D-NMR experiments.

The biofiltration of indoor air: implications for air quality.

An alternative method of maintaining indoor air quality may be through the biofiltration of air recirculating within the structure rather than the traditional approach of ventilation. This approach is currently being investigated. Prior to its acceptance for dealing with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and CO2, efforts were made to determine whether the incorporation of this amount of biomass into the indoor space can have an (negative) impact on indoor air quality. A relatively large ecologically complex biofilter composed of a ca. 10 m2 bioscrubber, 30 m2 of plantings and a 3,500 litre aquarium were established in a 160 m2 'airtight' room in a recently constructed office building in downtown Toronto. This space maintained ca. 0.2 air changes per hour (ACH) compared to the 15 to 20 ACH (with a 30% refresh rate) of other spaces in the same building. Air quality parameters of concern were total VOCs (TVOCs), formaldehyde and aerial spore counts. TVOC and formaldehyde levels in the biofilter room were the same or significantly less than other spaces in the building despite a much slower refresh rate. Aerial spore levels were slightly higher than other indoor spaces but were well within reported values for 'healthy' indoor spaces. Levels appeared to be dependent on horticultural management practices within the space. Most genera of fungal spores present were common indoors and the other genera were associated with living or dead plant material or soil. From these results, the incorporation of a large amount of biomass associated with indoor biofilters does not in itself lower indoor air quality.

Arugosin F: a new antifungal metabolite from the coprophilous fungus Ascodesmis sphaerospora.

Chemical studies of the coprophilous fungus Ascodesmis sphaerospora (JS 247) have led to the isolation of arugosin F (1), a new antifungal and antibacterial metabolite. The structure was determined based on NMR and MS data and on comparison with data for known members of the arugosin class. A known xanthone (2) was also isolated.

Sporovexins A-C and a new preussomerin analog: antibacterial and antifungal metabolites from the coprophilous fungus Sporormiella vexans.

Sporovexins A-C (1-3) and 3'-O-desmethyl-1-epipreussomerin C (4) have been isolated from liquid cultures of the coprophilous fungus Sporormiella vexans (JS 306). The structures of these new metabolites were elucidated on the basis of MS and NMR analysis. Compounds 1 and 4 show antifungal activity against competitor fungi, as well as antibacterial effects.

The origin of the attine ant-fungus mutualism.

Cultivation of fungus for food originated about 45-65 million years ago in the ancestor of fungus-growing ants (Formicidae, tribe Attini), representing an evolutionary transition from the life of a hunter-gatherer of arthropod prey, nectar, and other plant juices, to the life of a farmer subsisting on cultivated fungi. Seven hypotheses have been suggested for the origin of attine fungiculture, each differing with respect to the substrate used by the ancestral attine ants for fungal cultivation. Phylogenetic information on the cultivated fungi, in conjunction with information on the nesting biology of extant attine ants and their presumed closest relatives, reveal that the attine ancestors probably did not encounter their cultivars-to-be in seed stores (von Ihering 1894), in rotting wood (Forel 1902), as mycorrhizae (Garling 1979), on arthropod corpses (von Ihering 1894) or ant faeces in nest middens (Wheeler 1907). Rather, the attine ant-fungus mutualism probably arose from adventitious interactions with fungi that grew on walls of nests built in leaf litter (Emery 1899), or from a system of fungal myrmecochory in which specialized fungi relied on ants for dispersal (Bailey 1920) and in which the ants fortuitously vectored these fungi from parent to offspring nests prior to a true fungicultural stage. Reliance on fungi as a dominant food source has evolved only twice in ants: first in the attine ants, and second in some ant species in the solenopsidine genus Megalomyrmex that either coexist as trophic parasites in gardens of attine hosts or aggressively usurp gardens from them. All other known ant-fungus associations are either adventitious or have nonnutritional functions (e.g., strengthening of carton-walls in ant nests). There exist no unambiguous reports of facultative mycophagy in ants, but such trophic ant-fungus interactions would most likely occur underground or in leaf litter and thus escape easy observation. Indirect evidence of fungivory can be deduced from contents of the ant alimentary canal and particularly from the contents of the infrabuccal pocket, a pharyngeal device that filters out solids before liquids pass into the intestine. Infrabuccal pocket contents reveal that ants routinely ingest fungal spores and hyphal material. Infrabuccal contents are eventually expelled as a pellet on nest middens or away from the nest by foragers, suggesting that the pellet provides fungi with a means for the dispersal of spores and hyphae. Associations between such "buccophilous" fungi and ants may have originated multiple times and may have become elaborated and externalized in the case of the attine ant-fungus mutualism. Thus, contrary to the traditional model in which attine fungi are viewed as passive symbionts that happened to come under ant control, this alternative model of a myrmecochorous origin of the attine mutualism attributes an important role to evolutionary modifications of the fungi that preceded the ant transition from hunter-gatherer to fungus farmer.

Bombardolides: new antifungal and antibacterial gamma-lactones from the coprophilous fungus Bombardioidea anartia.

Chemical studies of organic extracts from cultures of the coprophilous fungus Bombardioidea anartia have led to the discovery of bombardolides A--D (1--4), a series of new antifungal and antibacterial metabolites. Three of these metabolites (1--3) were obtained as inseparable pairs of geometric isomers. A new 3-substituted phenol (5) and the known compound asterriquinone B4 were also encountered. The structures of compounds 1--5 were determined by analysis of NMR and MS data.

Pseudodestruxins A and B: new cyclic depsipeptides from the coprophilous fungus Nigrosabulum globosum.

Pseudodestruxins A (1) and B (2), two new cyclic peptides, have been isolated from cultures of the coprophilous fungus Nigrosabulum globosum. The structure of pseudodestruxin A (1) was elucidated using 2D NMR techniques and confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The structure of 2 was assigned by comparing its NMR and FABMS data with those of compound 1. The known compounds ascochlorin and 5-chlorocollectorin B were also isolated from N. globosum. Although 1 and 2 display antibacterial effects, ascochlorin was found to be responsible for the antifungal activity of the crude extract.

Fungal endocarditis caused by Arnium leporinum following cardiac surgery.

A case of fungal endocarditis caused by the coprophilous ascomycete Arnium leporinum is reported in a 19-year-old male living in Colombia. The fungus was seen in tissue and recovered in pure culture from peripheral emboli, a mitral valve, pus from an osteolytic lesion, and kidney. The patient died 21 months after cardiac surgery. The range of A. leporinum in the Americas is expanded to include Colombia.