Diversity of the 'Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris' and 'Candidatus Phytoplasma fraxini' isolates that infect urban trees in Bogotá, Colombia.

Phytoplasmas have been associated with a disease that affects trees of at least 11 species from different botanic families in Bogotá, Colombia. 'Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris' and 'Candidatus Phytoplasma fraxini' are the major groups of phytoplasma in the area of Bogotá. In this study, the genetic diversity within 'Ca. P. asteris' and 'Ca. P. fraxini' was studied in five urban tree species: Croton species (Euphorbiaceae), Fraxinus uhdei (Oleaceae), Magnolia grandiflora (Magnoliaceae), Populus nigra (Salicaceae) and Quercus humboldtii (Fagaceae). Analyses of the 16S rRNA gene using nested PCR, RFLP and sequencing showed that phytoplasmas of 'Ca. P. asteris' could be assigned to: subgroup 16SrI-B; a new subgroup named 16SrI-AF, with a restriction pattern similar to that of 16SrI-B; and a new subgroup named 16SrI-AG, with a restriction pattern similar to that of 16SrI-K and 16SrI-AH with a restriction pattern similar to that of 16SrI-AC. 'Ca. P. fraxini' isolates belonged to a new subgroup named 16SrVII-G, with a restriction pattern similar to that of 16SrVII-A. To complement the identification of the phytoplasma strains, we amplified nonribosomal genes such as leuS and secA. Unexpectedly, it was observed that in 16 trees in which 16S rRNA gene analysis showed the presence of 'Ca. P. fraxini' only, the leuS or secA primers amplified sequences exclusively affiliated to 'Ca. P. asteris. In those plants, sequences belonging to 'Ca. P. fraxini' leuS or secA genes were not amplified. The present work contributes to the identification of novel strains of both species in Colombia, and supports previous suggestions that phytoplasmas in South America are highly variable.

Taxonomic novelties in Magnolia-associated pleosporalean fungi in the Kunming Botanical Gardens (Yunnan, China).

This paper represents the first article in a series on Yunnanese microfungi. We herein provide insights into Magnolia species associated with microfungi. All presented data are reported from the Kunming Botanical Gardens. Final conclusions were derived from the morphological examination of specimens coupled with phylogenetic sequence data to better integrate taxa into appropriate taxonomic ranks and infer their relationships. Shearia formosa, the type species of Shearia, lacks type material, and its phylogenetic position accordingly remains unresolved. A fresh collection of Shearia formosa, obtained from Magnolia denudata and M. soulangeana in China, therefore, designated a neotype for stabilizing the application of the species and/or genus name. Phylogenetic analyses of a combined DNA data matrix containing SSU, LSU, RPB2 and TEF loci of representative Pleosporales revealed that the genera Crassiperidium, Longiostiolum and Shearia are a well-defined monophylum. It is recognized as the family Longiostiolaceae and strongly supported by Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood methods. Its members are characterized by immersed to semi-immersed, globose to subglobose ascomata with a central, periphysate ostiole, a peridium composed of rectangular to polygonal cells, cylindrical to clavate asci, broadly fusiform, hyaline to pale brown ascospores, a coelomycetous asexual morph with pycnidial conidiomata, enteroblastic, annellidic, ampulliform, doliiform or cylindrical conidiogenous cells and cylindrical to fusiform, transverse and sometimes laterally distoseptate conidia without a sheath or with a basal lateral sheath. Nigrograna magnoliae sp. nov. is introduced from Magnolia denudata with both asexual and sexual morphs. We observed the asexual morph of Brunneofusispora sinensis from the culture and therefore amended the generic and species descriptions of Brunneofusispora.

Plant-microorganisms interaction promotes removal of air pollutants in Milan (Italy) urban area.

Plants and phyllosphere microorganisms may effectively contribute to reducing air pollution in cities through the adsorption and biodegradation of pollutants onto leaves. In this work, during all seasons, we sampled atmospheric particulate matter (PM10) and leaves of southern magnolia Magnolia grandiflora and deodar cedar Cedrus deodara, two evergreen plant species widespread in the urban area of Milan where the study was carried out. We then quantified Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) both in PM10 and on leaves and used sequencing of 16S rRNA gene, shotgun metagenomics and qPCR analyses to investigate the microbial communities hosted by the sampled leaves. Taxonomic and functional profiles of epiphytic bacterial communities differed between host plant species and seasons and the microbial communities on leaves harboured genes involved in the degradation of hydrocarbons. Evidence collected in this work also suggested that the abundance of hydrocarbon-degrading microorganisms on evergreen leaves increased with the concentration of hydrocarbons when atmospheric pollutants were deposited at high concentration on leaves, and that the biodegradation on the phyllosphere can contribute to the removal of PAHs from the urban air.

Phylogeny and morphology of Lasiodiplodia species associated with Magnolia forest plants.

Two new species of Lasiodiplodia (Lasiodiplodia endophytica and Lasiodiplodia magnoliae) are described and illustrated from Magnolia forests in Yunnan, China. Endophytic and saprobic Lasiodiplodia pseudotheobromae and endophytic L. thailandica are new records from this host. The internal transcribed spacers (ITS), part of the translation elongation factor-1α (tef1) and partial ß-tubulin (tub2) sequence data were analyzed to investigate the phylogenetic relationships of the new species with other Lasiodiplodia species. Lasiodiplodia magnoliae is phylogenetically sister to L. mahajangana and L. pandanicola but morphologically distinct from L. mahajangana in having larger conidia. Lasiodiplodia endophytica is most closely related to L. iraniensis and L. thailandica and the three species can be distinguished from one another by 2 base pair differences in ITS and three or four base pair differences in tef1. The new collections suggest that Magnolia forest plants are good hosts for Lasiodiplodia species with endophytic and saprobic life-styles.

[Microbial community diversity and its characteristics in Magnolia Officinalis Cortex "sweating" process based on high-throughput sequencing].

Magnolia Officinalis Cortex has been used as a traditional Chinese herb for thousands of years in China. According to Chinese Pharmacopoeia,the processing of Magnolia Officinalis Cortex needs " sweating" or " Fahan",which was a special drying process and considered to be an important symbol for high quality and genuine medicinal materials. In this unique processing mode,Magnolia Officinalis Cortex's microbial community structure may be changed,but little is known about microbial diversity during the " sweating". In this study,to analyze the change and its change rules of microbial community of Magnolia Officinalis Cortex in the whole process of " sweating",and find out the microbial community that affects the quality of Magnolia Officinalis Cortex in the process of its " sweating",and provide a basis for further research on the microbial transformation of Magnolia Officinalis Cortex,MiSeq highthroughput sequencing was used to evaluate the microbial diversity of natural " sweating" of Magnolia Officinalis Cortex. In this research,334 genera fungi and 674 genera bacteria were identified. The dominant species weren' t obvious during the early stage of " sweating". Candida was the dominant fungal species( 45. 01%-71. 93%) during the medium " sweating" stage. Aspergillus is the dominant fungal species( 45. 83%-95. 51%) during the late stage of " sweating". Moreover,Enterobacter and Klebsiella were the primary bacterial genus( ≥56. 05%) during the middle and late stages of " sweating". In addition,the predominant bacteria in the process of " sweating" included Bacillus,Deinococcus,Sphingomonas,Hymenobacter and Jatrophihabitans. In conclusion,the microbial diversities and the main dominant fungi and bacteria in the process of " sweating" of Magnolia Officinalis Cortex were initially determined. It was also found that the metabolism of Aspergillus and Candida may be related to the character formation,which were sweet odor and brown inner surface after " sweating". The results provide a theoretical basis for the study of the influence of different microorganisms on the excellent traits formation of " sweating" Magnolia Officinalis Cortex.

Biogeographic Patterns Between Bacterial Phyllosphere Communities of the Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) in a Small Forest.

The phyllosphere presents a unique system of discrete and easily replicable surfaces colonized primarily by bacteria. However, the biogeography of bacteria in the phyllosphere is little understood, especially at small to intermediate scales. Bacterial communities on the leaves of 91 southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) trees 1-452 m apart in a small forest plot were analyzed and fragments of the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequenced using the Illumina platform. Assemblages were dominated by members of the Alphaproteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Acidobacteria. Patterns in community composition were measured by both relative abundance (theta) and presence-absence (Jaccard) dissimilarity metrics. Distance-based Moran's eigenvector map analyses of the distance-decay relationship found a significant, positive relationship between each dissimilarity metric and significant eigenfunctions derived from geographic distance between trees, indicating trees that were closer together had more similar bacterial phyllosphere communities. Indirect gradient analyses revealed that several environmental parameters (canopy cover, tree elevation, and the slope and aspect of the ground beneath trees) were significantly related to multivariate ordination scores based on relative bacterial sequence abundances; however, these relationships were not significant when looking at the incidence of bacterial taxa. This suggests that bacterial growth and abundance in the phyllosphere is shaped by different assembly mechanisms than bacterial presence or absence. More broadly, this study demonstrates that the distance-decay relationship applies to phyllosphere communities at local scales, and that environmental parameters as well as neutral forces may both influence spatial patterns in the phyllosphere.

Paenibacillus kyungheensis sp. nov., isolated from flowers of magnolia.

A Gram-staining-positive, catalase-positive, oxidase-negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped bacterium designated strain DCY88T, was isolated from flowers of magnolia. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence comparison revealed that the strain formed a distinct lineage within the genus Paenibacillus that was closely related to Paenibacillus hordei RH-N24T (97.8 %). The other most closely related species were Paenibacillus illinoisensis NRRL NRS-1356T (94.3 %), Paenibacillus hunanensis DSM 22170T (94.2 %), Paenibacillus peoriae DSM 8320T (93.9 %), Paenibacillus kribbensis Am49T (93.8 %) and the type species of the genus, Paenibacillus polymyxa ATCC 842T (93.3 %). Cells of the strain were endospore-forming and motile by peritrichous flagella. Strain DCY88T formed pink-pigmented colonies on trypticase soy agar and R2A agar medium. Growth of strain DCY88T occurs at temperatures 5-37 °C, at pH 4-9 and 0.5-5.5 % NaCl (w/v). The menaquinone was MK-7.The cell wall peptidoglycan of strain DCY88T contained meso-diaminopimelic acid. The major fatty acids were anteiso-C15 : 0 (61.0 %) and C16 : 0 (11.0 %). The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and an unidentified polar lipid. The strain DCY88T contained spermidine as the major polyamine. The DNA G+C content was 51.6 mol%. The DNA-DNA hybridization relatedness between strain DCY88T and P. hordei RH-N24T was 48 ± 2 %. The phenotypic, phylogenetic and chemotaxonomic results indicate that the strain DCY88T represents a novel species of the genus Paenibacillus, for which the name Paenibacillus kyungheensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is DCY88T ( = JCM 19886T = KCTC 33429T).

The genus Meira: phylogenetic placement and description of a new species.

The genus Meira currently contains three recently described species of mite-associated basidiomycete yeasts from Israel and Japan and is placed in the Exobasidiomycetes (Ustilaginomycotina) Incertae sedis. A previously undescribed species of Meira was isolated from the phylloplane of a magnolia leaf in Louisiana, USA. Herein, we describe Meira miltonrushii sp. nov. and include phylogenetic analyses from three rDNA loci to resolve the placement of Meira. This study provides evidence that Meira belongs to the family Brachybasidiaceae in the Exobasidiales and supports the placement of another mite-associated yeast genus, Acaromyces, within Cryptobasidiaceae (Exobasidiales). We also examine sequences produced by numerous environmental studies that suggest Meira species can be found as endophytes of many plant species. To our knowledge, this is the first record of a member of the genus Meira in North America.

Annual and seasonal variation in the phyllosphere bacterial community associated with leaves of the southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora).

The phyllosphere contains a diverse bacterial community that can be intimately associated with the host plant; however, few studies have examined how the phyllosphere community changes over time. We sampled replicate leaves from a single magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) tree in the winter of three consecutive years (2007-2009) as well as during four seasons of 1 year (2008) and used molecular techniques to examine seasonal and year-to-year variation in bacterial community structure. Multivariate analysis of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis profiles of 16S rRNA gene fragments revealed minimal leaf to leaf variation and much greater temporal changes, with the summer (August 2008) leaf community being most distinct from the other seasons. This was confirmed by sequencing and analysis of 16S rRNA gene clone libraries generated for each sample date. All phyllosphere communities were dominated by Alphaproteobacteria, with a reduction in the representation of certain Beijerinckiaceae during the summer and a concurrent increase in the Methylobacteriaceae being the most significant seasonal change. Other important components of the magnolia phyllosphere included members of the Bacteroidetes, Acidobacteria, and Actinobacteria, with the latter two lineages also showing differences in their representation in samples collected at different times. While the leaf-associated bacterial community sampled at the same time of year in three separate years showed some similarities, generally these communities were distinct, suggesting that while there are seasonal patterns, these may not be predictable from year to year. These results suggest that seasonal differences do occur in phyllosphere communities and that broad-leafed evergreen trees such as M. grandiflora may present interesting systems to study these changes in the context of changing environmental conditions.

Candida stigmatis sp. nov., a new anamorphic yeast species isolated from flowers.

Four strains of a previously unknown yeast species are described for which the name Candida stigmatis is proposed. The strains were isolated from stigmas of ant-visited Magnolia flowers in the Indian city of Hyderabad. The sequences of the D1/D2 domains of the large subunit rRNA genes, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions and the 18S rRNA genes were identical in the isolates and differed from the corresponding sequences of all known yeast species. In a phylogenetic analysis of these sequences, the new species formed a cluster with a group of six closely related anamorph Candida species (the closest species was Candida magnoliae, with 5% nucleotide substitution in the D1/D2 domain). Sexual reproduction was not observed in the isolates. The type strain is 11-465(T). It has been deposited in Centralbureau voor Schimmelcultures (Utrecht, the Netherlands) as CBS 11464(T) and Culture Collection of Yeasts (Bratislava, Slovakia) as CCY 29-179-1(T). The GenBank accession numbers for the nucleotide sequences of its D1/D2 domain, ITS and 18S regions are GQ184144, GQ184143 and GQ184142, respectively.

A novel mosquitocidal Bacillus thuringiensis strain LLP29 isolated from the phylloplane of Magnolia denudata.

Eleven Bacillus thuringiensis isolates were recovered from phylloplanes of Magnolia denudata, a specific source of new strains of B. thuringiensis. Among these, a new strain, LLP29, was found to be most toxic to mosquitoes based on the results of preliminary toxicity analysis. Phase contrast microscopy, mosquitocidal activity, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis and parasporal inclusion were performed to learn more about the characteristics of this novel mosquitocidal isolate. The LC(50) values of LLP29 against Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus were 0.33 and 0.04 ng of protein/ml, respectively. The cyt1 gene, which encodes the Cyt protein that is toxic to mosquitoes, was subsequently detected, cloned, sequenced and expressed in acrystalliferous Bt HD73 Cry(-). The results indicated that it might be a member of the cyt1Aa gene group. The novel strain LLP29 appears to be a new subspecies of B. thuringiensis and should prove useful in the control of mosquitoes and mosquito-borne diseases.

A phylogenetic evaluation of whether endophytes become saprotrophs at host senescence.

Fungal endophytes and saprotrophs generally play an important ecological role within plant tissues and dead plant material. Several reports based solely on morphological observations have postulated that there is an intimate link between endophytes and saprotrophs. This study aims to provide valuable insight as to whether some endophytic fungi manifest themselves as saprotrophs upon host decay. Ribosomal DNA-based sequence comparison and phylogenetic relationships from 99 fungal isolates (endophytes, mycelia sterilia, and saprotrophs) recovered from leaves and twigs of Magnolia liliifera were investigated in this study. Molecular data suggest there are fungal taxa that possibly exist as endophytes and saprotrophs. Isolates of Colletotrichum, Fusarium, Guignardia, and Phomopsis, which are common plant endophytes, have high sequence similarity and are phylogenetically related to their saprotrophic counterparts. This provides evidence to suggest that some endophytic species change their ecological strategies and adopt a saprotrophic lifestyle. The implication of these findings on fungal biodiversity and host specificity is also discussed.