Sphagnum peat moss is one of the most commonly used substrates for forest plant and houseplant production. It is extracted from peat bogs in the circumboreal region and exported worldwide. Commercial peat moss is pasteurized, and is therefore believed to be free of viable ectomycorrhizal propagules. We used a bioassay with Pinus montezumae to demonstrate that commercial peat moss carries viable ectomycorrhizal spores, able to form mycorrhizae. Ectomycorrhizal fungi on seedling root-tips were sequenced for phylogenetic analyses using the ITS rDNA barcode region. We found three species: Suillus brevipes, Sphaerosporella brunnea, and Thelephora terrestris. S. brevipes and T. terrestris were found as viable inoculum transported in the peat moss, while S. brunnea was a greenhouse contaminant. S. brevipes and T. terrestris have biological characteristics (such as heat resistant and long living spores) that facilitate their survival to the extraction, transport, and storage processes of peat moss. This allows them to colonize nursery seedlings and to become potential invasive species in plantation areas. S. brevipes and T. terrestris are two of the most introduced fungi by anthropic activities; it has been argued that the vehicle for the introductions are their pine symbionts. This is the first time it has been demonstrated that peat moss is an important vehicle for the introduction of these fungi; a fact potentially related to the pattern of introduction of these ectomycorrhizal species from the northern hemisphere to elsewhere in the world.
The present study describes Hemiaustroboletusgen. nov. in the subfamily Austroboletoideae (Boletaceae). Hemiaustroboletus is supported by morphological and molecular data using LSU and RPB2 regions. Additionally, its geographic distribution and intraspecific variation were inferred using ITS sequences. The genus is characterised by pileate-stipitate basidiomata; purple, brown, reddish-brown, orange-brown to dark brown vinaceous pileus; whitish or lilac to vinaceous context and a subclavate stipe. Microscopically, it is characterised by ornamented, slightly verrucose, cracked to perforated brown basidiospores. Two species are described within the genus, Hemiaustroboletus vinaceobrunneussp. nov. and H. vinaceussp. nov.Hemiaustroboletus vinaceussp. nov. is morphologically similar to Austroboletus gracilis, which suggests they may have been confused in the past. This study presents the phylogenetic placement, microscopic structures, detailed morphological descriptions and illustrations of both new species.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.