Characterization and rank assignment criteria for the anaerobic fungi (Neocallimastigomycota).

Establishing a solid taxonomic framework is crucial for enabling discovery and documentation efforts. This ensures effective communication between scientists as well as reproducibility of results between laboratories, and facilitates the exchange and preservation of biological material. Such framework can only be achieved by establishing clear criteria for taxa characterization and rank assignment. Within the anaerobic fungi (phylum Neocallimastigomycota), the need for such criteria is especially vital. Difficulties associated with their isolation, maintenance and long-term storage often result in limited availability and loss of previously described taxa. To this end, we provide here a list of morphological, microscopic, phylogenetic and phenotypic criteria for assessment and documentation when characterizing newly obtained Neocallimastigomycota isolates. We also recommend a polyphasic rank-assignment scheme for novel genus-, species- and strain-level designations for newly obtained Neocallimastigomycota isolates.

Crystallicutis gen. nov. (Irpicaceae, Basidiomycota), including C. damiettensis sp. nov., found on Phoenix dactylifera (date palm) trunks in the Nile Delta of Egypt.

The taxonomy of Polyporales is complicated by the variability in key morphological characters across families and genera, now being gradually resolved through molecular phylogenetic analyses. Here a new resupinate species, Crystallicutis damiettensis sp. nov. found on the decayed trunks of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) trees in the fruit orchards of the Nile Delta region of Egypt is reported. Multigene phylogenetic analyses based on ITS, LSU, EF1α, RPB1 and RPB2 loci place this species in Irpicaceae, and forming a distinct clade with Ceraceomyces serpens and several other hitherto unnamed taxa, which we also incorporate into a new genus Crystallicutis. We name two of these species, Crystallicutis huangshanensis sp. nov. and Crystallicutis rajchenbergii sp. nov. The distinctive feature of Crystallicutis gen. nov. is the presence of crystal-encrusted hyphae in the hymenium and subiculum. Basidiomes are usually honey-yellow with white margins but there is variability in the presence of clamp connections and cystidia, as noted for other genera within Irpicacae. C. damiettensis is hitherto consistently associated with date palms killed by the red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, a highly damaging and invasive pest, recently spread to the Mediterranean region. C. damiettensis causes rapid wood decay by a potentially unusual white-rot mechanism and may play a role in the damage caused by R. ferrugineus.

Reclassification of Pterulaceae Corner (Basidiomycota: Agaricales) introducing the ant-associated genus Myrmecopterula gen. nov., Phaeopterula Henn. and the corticioid Radulomycetaceae fam. nov.

Pterulaceae was formally proposed to group six coralloid and dimitic genera: Actiniceps (=Dimorphocystis), Allantula, Deflexula, Parapterulicium, Pterula, and Pterulicium. Recent molecular studies have shown that some of the characters currently used in Pterulaceae do not distinguish the genera. Actiniceps and Parapterulicium have been removed, and a few other resupinate genera were added to the family. However, none of these studies intended to investigate the relationship between Pterulaceae genera. In this study, we generated 278 sequences from both newly collected and fungarium samples. Phylogenetic analyses supported with morphological data allowed a reclassification of Pterulaceae where we propose the introduction of Myrmecopterula gen. nov. and Radulomycetaceae fam. nov., the reintroduction of Phaeopterula, the synonymisation of Deflexula in Pterulicium, and 53 new combinations. Pterula is rendered polyphyletic requiring a reclassification; thus, it is split into Pterula, Myrmecopterula gen. nov., Pterulicium and Phaeopterula. Deflexula is recovered as paraphyletic alongside several Pterula species and Pterulicium, and is sunk into the latter genus. Phaeopterula is reintroduced to accommodate species with darker basidiomes. The neotropical Myrmecopterula gen. nov. forms a distinct clade adjacent to Pterula, and most members of this clade are associated with active or inactive attine ant nests. The resupinate genera Coronicium and Merulicium are recovered in a strongly supported clade close to Pterulicium. The other resupinate genera previously included in Pterulaceae, and which form basidiomes lacking cystidia and with monomitic hyphal structure (Radulomyces, Radulotubus and Aphanobasidium), are reclassified into Radulomycetaceae fam. nov. Allantula is still an enigmatic piece in this puzzle known only from the type specimen that requires molecular investigation. A key for the genera of Pterulaceae and Radulomycetaceae fam. nov. is also provided here.

Reclassification of Parapterulicium Corner (Pterulaceae, Agaricales), contributions to Lachnocladiaceae and Peniophoraceae (Russulales) and introduction of Baltazaria gen. nov.

The genus Parapterulicium was first introduced to accommodate two Brazilian species of coralloid fungi with affinities to Pterulaceae (Agaricales). Despite the coralloid habit and the presence of skeletal hyphae, other features, notably the presence of gloeocystidia, dichophyses and papillate hyphal ends, differentiate this genus from Pterulaceaesensu stricto. Fieldwork in Brazil resulted in the rediscovery of two coralloid fungi identifiable as Parapterulicium, the first verified collections of this genus since Corner's original work in the 1950s. Molecular phylogenetic analyses of nrITS and nrLSU sequences from these modern specimens revealed affinities with the /peniophorales clade in the Russulales, rather than Pterulaceae. The presence of distinctive hyphal elements, homologous to the defining features of /peniophorales, is consistent with the phylogenetic evidence and thus clearly distinguished Parapterulicium and its type species P.subarbusculum from Pterulaceae, placing this genus within /peniophorales. Parapterulicium was also found to be polyphyletic so Baltazaria gen. nov. is proposed to accommodate P.octopodites, Scytinostromagalactinum, S.neogalactinum and S.eurasiaticogalactinum also within /peniophorales.

Above- and below-ground responses of Calamagrostis purpurea to UV-B radiation and elevated CO2 under phosphorus limitation.

UV-B radiation and elevated CO2 may impact rhizosphere processes through altered below-ground plant resource allocation and root exudation, changes that may have implications for nutrient acquisition. As nutrients limit plant growth in many habitats, their supply may dictate plant response under elevated CO2. This study investigated UV-B exposure and elevated CO2 effects, including interactions, on plant growth, tissue chemistry and rooting responses relating to P acquisition. The sub-arctic grass Calamagrostis purpurea was subjected to UV-B (0 or 3.04 kJ m⁻² day⁻¹) and CO2 (ambient 380 or 650 ppmv) treatments in a factorial glasshouse experiment, with sparingly soluble P (0 or 0.152 mg P per plant as FePO4) a further factor. It was hypothesized that UV-B exposure and elevated CO2would change plant resource allocation, with CO2 mitigating adverse responses to UV-B exposure and aiding P uptake. Plant biomass and morphology, tissue composition and rhizosphere leachate properties were measured. UV-B directly affected chemical composition of shoots and interacted with CO2 to give a greater root biomass. Elevated CO2 altered the composition of both shoots and roots and increased shoot biomass and secondary root length, while leachate pH decreased. Below-ground responses to CO2 did not affect P acquisition although P limitation progressively reduced leachate pH and increased secondary root length. Although direct plant growth, foliar composition and below-ground nutrient acquisition responses were dominated by CO2 treatments, UV-B modified these CO2 responses significantly. These interactions have implications for plant responses to future atmospheric conditions.

The Ascomycota tree of life: a phylum-wide phylogeny clarifies the origin and evolution of fundamental reproductive and ecological traits.

We present a 6-gene, 420-species maximum-likelihood phylogeny of Ascomycota, the largest phylum of Fungi. This analysis is the most taxonomically complete to date with species sampled from all 15 currently circumscribed classes. A number of superclass-level nodes that have previously evaded resolution and were unnamed in classifications of the Fungi are resolved for the first time. Based on the 6-gene phylogeny we conducted a phylogenetic informativeness analysis of all 6 genes and a series of ancestral character state reconstructions that focused on morphology of sporocarps, ascus dehiscence, and evolution of nutritional modes and ecologies. A gene-by-gene assessment of phylogenetic informativeness yielded higher levels of informativeness for protein genes (RPB1, RPB2, and TEF1) as compared with the ribosomal genes, which have been the standard bearer in fungal systematics. Our reconstruction of sporocarp characters is consistent with 2 origins for multicellular sexual reproductive structures in Ascomycota, once in the common ancestor of Pezizomycotina and once in the common ancestor of Neolectomycetes. This first report of dual origins of ascomycete sporocarps highlights the complicated nature of assessing homology of morphological traits across Fungi. Furthermore, ancestral reconstruction supports an open sporocarp with an exposed hymenium (apothecium) as the primitive morphology for Pezizomycotina with multiple derivations of the partially (perithecia) or completely enclosed (cleistothecia) sporocarps. Ascus dehiscence is most informative at the class level within Pezizomycotina with most superclass nodes reconstructed equivocally. Character-state reconstructions support a terrestrial, saprobic ecology as ancestral. In contrast to previous studies, these analyses support multiple origins of lichenization events with the loss of lichenization as less frequent and limited to terminal, closely related species.