Afforestation-Induced Shifts in Soil Bacterial Diversity and Community Structure in the Saihanba Region.

Afforestation plays a pivotal role in ecosystem restoration, exemplified by the Saihanba Mechanized Forest Farm, the world's largest planted forest; however, the assembly mechanisms and interactions of soil microbial communities in such forests remain inadequately understood. This study aimed to elucidate the impact of different afforestation tree species, namely Larix gmelinii var. principis-rupprechtii, Picea asperata, and Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica, on soil bacterial diversity and community structure in comparison to grassland. Sixty soil samples were collected at a 20 cm depth, and high-throughput sequencing was employed to identify bacterial communities and assess their interactions with environmental factors. A total of 6528 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were identified, with Solirubrobacter, Conexibacter, Bacillus, Massilia, Gaiella, Acidibacter, and Vicinamibacter being the dominant genera. Afforestation significantly impacted soil bacterial alpha diversity, with notable influence from key soil chemical properties, including available phosphorus (AP), cation exchange capacity (CEC), and the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of soil organic matter (SOM-C/N). The Mantel test highlighted pH, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and spatial variable (dbMEM) as primary environmental factors influencing dominant bacterial genera. The bacterial community structure demonstrated deterministic homogeneous selection, wherein SOM-C/N emerged as a significant factor influencing the dissimilarity of soil bacterial communities. Furthermore, plantation soils exhibited a more complex network structure than grassland soil, highlighting the crucial role of bacterial communities in vegetation changes and providing valuable insights into their response to environmental factors during the reforestation process.

Ceriporiopsistianshanensis (Polyporales, Agaricomycetes) and Sideratianshanensis (Hymenochaetales, Agaricomycetes), two new species of wood-inhabiting fungi from Xinjiang, Northwest China.

Wood-inhabiting fungi are abundant in China, but their distribution is uneven, with more fungi in southwest China and fewer fungi in northwest China. During the investigation of wood-inhabiting fungi in Xinjiang, we collected a large number of specimens. Eight specimens growing on Piceaschrenkiana were collected from Tianshan Mountains, and they were described as two new species in Ceriporiopsis and Sidera based on morphological characters and molecular evidence. Ceriporiopsistianshanensis is characterized by a cream to salmon-buff pore surface, larger pores measuring 1-3 per mm, and broadly ellipsoid basidiospores 5-6.5 × 3-4 µm. Sideratianshanensis is characterized by annual to perennial basidiocarps, measuring 15 mm thick, pores 5-7 per mm, cream to rosy buff pore surface, and allantoid basidiospores 3-3.5 × 1-1.4 µm. Detailed illustrations and descriptions of the novel species are provided.

Species diversity, molecular phylogeny and ecological habits of Cyanosporus (Polyporales, Basidiomycota) with an emphasis on Chinese collections.

Cyanosporus is a genus widely distributed in Asia, Europe, North America, South America and Oceania. It grows on different angiosperm and gymnosperm trees and can cause brown rot of wood. Blue-tinted basidiomata of Cyanosporus makes it easy to distinguish from other genera, but the similar morphological characters make it difficult to identify species within the genus. Phylogeny and taxonomy of Cyanosporus were carried out based on worldwide samples with an emphasis on Chinese collections, and the species diversity of the genus is updated. Four new species, C.flavus, C.rigidus, C.subungulatus and C.tenuicontextus, are described based on the evidence of morphological characters, distribution areas, host trees and molecular phylogenetic analyses inferred from the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions, the large subunit of nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (nLSU), the small subunit of nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (nSSU), the small subunit of mitochondrial rRNA gene (mtSSU), the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RPB1), the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RPB2), and the translation elongation factor 1-α gene (TEF). Our study expanded the number of Cyanosporus species to 35 around the world including 23 species from China. Detailed descriptions of the four new species and the geographical locations of the Cyanosporus species in China are provided.

Morphology and molecular phylogeny reveal five new species of Hydnellum (Bankeraceae, Thelephorales) from China.

The genus Hydnellum is a kind of ectomycorrhizal fungi that can play a role in the material cycle by connecting the plant roots to the soil, and some species of Hydnellum are medicinal fungi with vital research value. The species diversity of Hydnellum is unclear in China. In this study, five new species of Hydnellum are described from China based on morphological characters and phylogenetic analyses inferred from two datasets of ITS + LSU and ITS + LSU + SSU + RPB2 sequences. H. chocolatum is characterized by its chocolate basidiomata with the fibrillose, spongy to tomentose pileal surface, and subglobose to globose basidiospores measuring (4.5-)5-6 × 4-5(-5.8) µm. H. concentricum is characterized by its zonate pileal surface, thin context, short stipe, presence of both simple septa and clamp connections in generative hyphae of spines, and subglobose to ellipsoidal basidiospores measuring (3.5-)4-5(-5.2) × (3.2-)3.5-5 µm. H. crassipileatum is characterized by its thick pileus with the reddish brown to grayish brown pileal surface, and subglobose to ellipsoidal basidiospores measuring 4-6(-6.5) × 4-5.5 µm. H. melanocarpum is characterized by its vinaceous brown to black pileus with spongy pileal surface, presence of both simple septa and clamp connections in generative hyphae of spines, and subglobose basidiospores measuring 4.5-5.5(-6) × (3.5-)3.8-5.1 µm. H. radiatum is characterized by its radially aligned stripes on pileal surface, grayish brown context, short stipe, and subglobose to ellipsoidal basidiospores measuring (3.5-)4-5 × 3-4.5(-5) µm. Full descriptions, illustrations, and phylogenetic trees to show the placement of the new species are provided.

A Phylogenetic and Taxonomic Study on Phellodon (Bankeraceae, Thelephorales) from China.

In this study, phylogenetic analyses of Phellodon from China were carried out based on sequences from the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions, the large subunit of nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (nLSU), the small subunit of nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (nSSU), the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RPB1), and the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RPB2), combined with morphological characters of the collected specimens in China. The fruiting bodies of the specimens were used to observe their characteristics, and three new species of Phellodon are discovered. Phellodon crassipileatus is characterized by its pale brown to dark brown pileal surface, tomentose pileal margin, white spines, and the presence of clamp connections in generative hyphae of pileal surface, context, and stipe. Phellodon griseofuscus is characterized by its dark brown to black pileal surface, white to pale brown pileal margin, the presence of both simple septa and clamp connections in generative hyphae of spines, and moderately long basidia. Phellodon perchocolatus is characterized by its woody and broad pileus, brown to greyish brown pileal surface when fresh, tomentose pileal margin when young, which becomes glabrous with age, and the presence of both simple septa and clamp connections in the generative hyphae of the spines. This is the first time both single and multi-genes analysis is used in such a phylogenetic and taxonomic study on Phellodon, which can provide the basis for the phylogenetic study of the genus.

Species Diversity, Molecular Phylogeny, and Ecological Habits of Fomitopsis (Polyporales, Basidiomycota).

Fomitopsis is a worldwide brown-rot fungal genus of Polyporales, which grows on different gymnosperm and angiosperm trees and has important ecological functions and economic values. In this study, species diversity, phylogenetic relationships, and ecological habits of Fomitopsis were investigated. A total of 195 specimens from 24 countries representing 29 species of Fomitopsis were studied. Based on the morphological characters and phylogenetic evidence of DNA sequences including the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions, the large subunit of nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (nLSU), the small subunit of nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (nSSU), the small subunit of mitochondrial rRNA gene (mtSSU), the translation elongation factor 1-α gene (TEF), and the second subunit of RNA polymerase II (RPB2), 30 species are accepted in Fomitopsis, including four new species: F. resupinata, F. srilankensis, F. submeliae and F. yimengensis. Illustrated descriptions of the novel species and the geographical locations of the Fomitopsis species are provided.

Phylogenetic Analyses and Morphological Studies Reveal Four New Species of Phellodon (Bankeraceae, Thelephorales) from China.

Phellodon is a genus of ectomycorrhizal fungi with important ecological roles and exploitable biological activities. In this study, four new species of Phellodon, P. caesius, P. henanensis, P. concentricus and P. subgriseofuscus, are described from China based on morphological characters and molecular evidence. The phylogenetic analyses of Phellodon were carried out based on the ITS + nLSU gene regions and the combined sequence dataset of ITS + nLSU + nSSU + RPB1 + RPB2 gene regions. Phellodon caesius is characterized by its dark bluish-grey, dark grey to black grey pileus, ash grey to dark bluish-grey spines, and the presence of both simple septa and clamp connections on generative hyphae of stipe. Phellodon concentricus is characterized by its zonate pileal surface, dark grey context in pileus, and spongy basidiomata. Phellodon henanensis is characterized by its ash grey, light vinaceous grey to light brown pileal surface, thin context in pileus, and the presence of both simple septa and clamp connections on generative hyphae of spines. Phellodon subgriseofuscus is characterized by its fuscous to black pileal surface, white to light brown spines, and vinaceous grey context. Illustrated descriptions and the ecological habits of the novel species are provided.

Molecular phylogeny and taxonomy of the remarkable genus Leptoporus (Polyporales, Basidiomycota) with description of a new species from Southwest China.

Leptoporus is a rare and remarkable genus, mainly occurring in coniferous forests in the Northern Hemisphere. Recent phylogenetic studies showed that Leptoporus belongs to Irpicaceae in the phlebioid clade. It is worth noting that most species in the phlebioid clade can cause white-rot decay, except for the Leptoporus species, which can cause a brown-rot decay. In this study, we performed phylogenetic and taxonomic studies of Leptoporus and related genera. Molecular phylogenetic analyses were conducted based on sequences from multiple loci including the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions, the large subunit of nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (nLSU), the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II gene (RPB1), the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II gene (RPB2), and the translation elongation factor 1-α gene (TEF1). Combined with morphological characteristics, a new species, Leptoporus submollis sp. nov., is discovered and illustrated from Southwest China.

Taxonomy and molecular phylogeny of Trametopsis (Polyporales, Basidiomycota) with descriptions of two new species.

Trametopsis is a worldwide genus belonging to Irpicaceae in the phlebioid clade, which can cause a white decay of wood. Previously, only three species were ascribed to the genus. In this study, we performed a morphological and phylogenetic study of Trametopsis. Molecular phylogenetic analyses of multiple loci included the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions, the large subunit nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (nLSU), the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RPB1), the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RPB2) and the translation elongation factor 1-α gene (TEF1). Phylogenetic trees were inferred from the combined datasets of ITS+nLSU sequences and ITS+nLSU+RPB1+RPB2+TEF1 sequences by using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses. Combined with molecular data, morphological characters and ecological traits, two new species of Trametopsis are discovered. Trametopsisabieticola is characterised by its pileate, solitary or imbricate basidiomata, buff to buff-yellow pileal surface when fresh, becoming pinkish buff to clay-buff when dry, cream to buff pore surface when fresh, becoming pinkish buff to greyish brown upon drying, round to angular and large pores (0.5-1 per mm), cylindrical basidiospores (5.8-7.2 × 1.9-2.6 µm), distributed in the high altitude of mountains and grows on Abies sp. Trametopsistasmanica is characterised by its resupinate basidiomata, cream to pinkish-buff pore surface when fresh, becoming honey-yellow to snuff brown upon drying, cylindrical basidiospores (5.2-6.3 × 1.8-2.2 µm), and by growing on Eucalyptus sp. Detailed descriptions and illustrations of the two novel species are provided.