Taxonomic revision of Geotrichum and Magnusiomyces, with the descriptions of five new Geotrichum species from China.

The arthroconidial yeast-like species currently classified in the asexual genera Geotrichum and Saprochaete and the sexual genera Dipodascus, Galactomyces and Magnusiomyces are frequently associated with dairy and cosmetics production, fruit rot and human infection. However, the taxonomic system of these fungi has not been updated to accommodate the new nomenclature code adopting the "one fungus, one name" principle. Here, we performed phylogenetic analyses of these yeast-like species based on the sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and the D1/D2 domain of the large subunit of the rRNA gene. Two monophyletic groups were recognised from these species. One group contained Dipodascus, Galactomyces, and Geotrichum species and the other Magnusiomyces and Saprochaete species. We thus assigned the species in each group into one genus and selected the genus name Geotrichum for the first group and Magnusiomyces for the second one based on the principle of priority of publication. Five new Geotrichum species were identified from arthroconidial yeast strains recently isolated from various sources in China. The new species are described as Ge. dehoogii sp. nov., Ge. fujianense sp. nov., Ge. maricola sp. nov., Ge. smithiae sp. nov., and Ge. sinensis sp. nov.

Anchoring Active Li Metal in Oriented Channel by In Situ Formed Nucleation Sites Enabling Durable Lithium-Metal Batteries.

Lithium metal is the ultimate anode material for pursuing the increased energy density of rechargeable batteries. However, fatal dendrites growth and huge volume change seriously hinder the practical application of lithium metal batteries (LMBs). In this work, a lithium host that preinstalled CoSe nanoparticles on vertical carbon vascular tissues (VCVT/CoSe) is designed and fabricated to resolve these issues, which provides sufficient Li plating space with a robust framework, enabling dendrite-free Li deposition. Their inherent N sites coupled with the in situ formed lithiophilic Co sites loaded at the interface of VCVT not only anchor the initial Li nucleation seeds but also accelerate the Li+ transport kinetics. Meanwhile, the Li2Se originated from the CoSe conversion contributes to constructing a stable solid-electrolyte interphase with high ionic conductivity. This optimized Li/VCVT/CoSe composite anode exhibits a prominent long-term cycling stability over 3000 h with a high areal capacity of 10 mAh cm-2. When paired with a commercial nickel-rich LiNi0.83Co0.12Mn0.05O2 cathode, the full-cell presents substantially enhanced cycling performance with 81.7% capacity retention after 300 cycles at 0.2 C. Thus, this work reveals the critical role of guiding Li deposition behavior to maintain homogeneous Li morphology and pave the way to stable LMBs.

Vishniacozyma pseudocarnescens sp. nov., a new anamorphic tremellomycetous yeast species.

Three strains belonging to the basidiomycetous yeast genus Vishniacozyma were isolated from marine water samples collected from intertidal zones in Liaoning province, northeast China. Phylogenetic analyses based on the sequences of the small subunit (SSU) ribosomal DNA (rDNA), the D1/D2 domain of the large subunit (LSU) ribosomal DNA (rDNA), the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS), the two subunits of DNA polymerase II (RPB1 and RPB2), the translation elongation factor 1-α (TEF1), and the mitochondrial gene cytochrome b (CYTB) showed that these strains together with 20 strains from various geographic and ecological origins from other regions of the world represent a novel species in the genus Vishniacozyma. We propose the name Vishniacozyma pseudocarnescens sp. nov. (holotype CGMCC 2.6457) for the new species, which differs phenotypically from its close relatives V. carnescens, V. tephrensis, and V. victoriae by its ability to grow at 30 °C and on 50 % (w/v) glucose-yeast extract agar.

Cystofilobasidium josepaulonis sp. nov., a novel basidiomycetous yeast species.

A yeast strain belonging to the basidiomycetous yeast genus Cystofilobasidium was isolated from a marine sediment sample collected in an intertidal zone in Shandong province, PR China. The results of phylogenetic analyses based on sequences of the D1/D2 domain of the 26S ribosomal RNA gene and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region indicate that this strain, together with three other strains isolated from basal ice collected in Norway, the gut of an insect and an alga collected in Russia, represent a novel species of the genus, for which the name Cystofilobasidium josepaulonis sp. nov. (holotype strain CGMCC 2.6672T) is proposed. The novel species differs from the known species of the genus Cystofilobasidium by 1.7 %-4.1 and 11.3 %-17.1 % mismatches in the D1/D2 domain and the ITS region, respectively. This species forms teliospores on potato dextrose agar (PDA) and 10 % V8 juice agar, but teliospore germination with basidia was not observed.

Yeast Diversity in the Qaidam Basin Desert in China with the Description of Five New Yeast Species.

The Qaidam Basin is the highest and one of the largest and driest deserts on Earth. It is considered a mars analog area in China. In contrast to numerous studies concerning its geology, geophysical, and chemistry, relatively few studies have reported microbial diversity and distribution in this area. Here, we investigated culturable yeast diversity in the northeast Qaidam Basin. A total of 194 yeast strains were isolated, and 12 genera and 21 species were identified, among which 19 were basidiomycetous yeasts. Naganishia albida, N. adeliensis, and Filobasidium magnum were the three most dominant species and were distributed in thirteen samples from eight locations. Five new species (Filobasidium chaidanensis, Kondoa globosum, Symmetrospora salmoneus, Teunia nitrariae, and Vishniacozyma pseudodimennae) were found and described based on ITS and D1D2 gene loci together with phenotypic characteristics and physiochemical analysis. Representative strains from each species were chosen for the salt-tolerant test, in which species showed different responses to different levels of NaCl concentrations. Further, the strain from soil can adapt well to the higher salt stress compared to those from plants or lichens. Our study represents the first report of the yeast diversity in the Qaidam Basin, including five new species, and also provides further information on the halotolerance of yeasts from the saline environment in mars analog.

Bioselective Synthesis of a Porous Carbon Collector for High-Performance Sodium-Metal Anodes.

Biomass-derived carbon materials prepared via pyrolysis from natural wood structures show potential for a storage application. Natural wood is composed of multiple carbon sources, including lignin, hemicellulose, and cellulose, which influence the formation and microstructure of pyrolysis carbon. However, the mechanism is not fully understood. In this work, vast lignin is selectively consumed via biodegradation with fungi from basswood. The results demonstrate that the as-prepared carbon material has a short-range ordered graphitic structure after thermal treatment. The improved graphitization degree of carbon suggests that cellulose is beneficial to graphite formation during pyrolysis. The elevated graphitization degree helps to improve the charge transfer and the thermodynamic stability of the electrode reaction. As a proof of concept, the obtained carbon current collector as a sodium-metal anode can undergo cycling at an areal capacity of 10 mAh cm-2 for over 4500 h and yield an excellent Coulombic efficiency of >99.5%.