Mucorales from the semiarid of Pernambuco, Brazil

Abstract

Nineteen taxa of Mucorales, belonging to Absidia, Apophysomyces, Cunninghamella, Fennellomyces, Lichtheimia, Mucor, Mycotypha, Rhizopus and Syncephalastrum were isolated from 36 composite soil samples in three semiarid areas in the State of Pernambuco (Triunfo, Cabrobó and Belém de São Francisco), Northeast Brazil, which are characterized by Caatinga vegetation. Triunfo is preserved, whereas Cabroró and Belém de São Francisco are experiencing low and severe desertification processes, respectively. Mucorales were isolated in Petri dishes in triplicate from 5 mg samples of soil placed on the surface of wheat germ agar plus chloramphenicol and Cercobin [Dimethyl 4,49-(103 phenylene) bis (3-thioallophanate)] medium. The plates were left on a bench at room temperature (28 ± 2 °C) for 72 h of alternating dark and light periods. Absidia cylindrospora presented the highest amount of CFU/g of soil, followed by L. hyalospora, C. phaeospora and C. echinulata var. echinulata. The latter, and R. microsporus var. microsporus, presented the highest frequencies of occurrence. Soils from Triunfo showed higher diversity of Mucorales than the samples from the other areas, although without differing statistically in relation to species richness. The communities of Mucorales from the degraded areas were more similar, while that from the preserved area was quite different. Most of the identified specimens have been commonly isolated from soil in other Brazilian regions, which indicates that they are not endemic of the semiarid. Eleven taxa are registered for the first time in this ecosystem, while F. heterothallicus is reported for the first time in Brazil.

Diversity of Mucorales in natural and degraded semi-arid soils

“…The species of this genus are able to grow well at high temperatures (Hoffmann et al 2013) and those isolated in the present study were also mentioned in other soils of Caatinga and are commonly found in semi-arid Brazilian regions (Cavalcanti et al 2006;Santiago and Souza-Motta 2006;Santiago et al 2013;Santiago et al 2014). Thermophilic and thermotolerant fungi are detected over areas receiving highest incidence of solar radiation because they present greater spore production and germination in soil heated by the sun (Abdullah and Al-Bader 1990).…”

“…However, the richness of only 13 species appears to be lower when compared with the results of Santiago et al (2013) that isolated 19 taxa of Mucorales from soils of Caatinga, and Schoenlein-Crusius et al (2006) and Trufem (1981a, b, c) that reported more than 40 taxa from Atlantic Forest soils in southeastern Brazil. However, the richness of Mucorales from Caatinga was higher when compared to studies from other semi-arid regions.…”

“…Environmental changes could be indicated by knowledge of the Mucorales in this community, estimated by variations of these organisms in impacted areas (Turco et al 1994;Santiago et al 2013). Considering the ecological importance of Mucorales in this community, the aim of the present study was to determine and compare the richness, diversity, frequency, and distribution of species of soils from natural and degraded ecosystems of the Caatinga in Pernambuco State.…”

Development and improved selected markers to biosurfactant and bioemulsifier production by Rhizopus strains isolated from Caatinga soil

“…The isolate (Zheng et al, 2007). Species of Rhizopus are worldwide distributed, inhabiting different environments (Ribes et al, 2000), so they may be isolated from soil, dung, decaying organic material and mature fruits (Santiago et al, 2013), and a variety of food products (Abdel-Hafez, 1984). Some species of this genus live as pathogens causing diseases in humans, animals and plants (Santiago et al, 2013).…”

“…microsporus. Santiago et al (2013) worked from soil samples of three different semi-arid areas of the state of Pernambuco to evaluate the distribution of Mucorales order. These authors reported the R. microsporus var.…”