Coprophilous contributions to the phylogeny of Lasiosphaeriaceae and allied taxa within Sordariales (Ascomycota, Fungi)

The diversity of filamentous fungi that can grow at high ambient pH values (i.e., 8-11) remains largely understudied. Here we study 100 alkalitolerant and alkaliphilic isolates from the soils around the basin of soda lakes in Asia and Africa to assess the major evolutionary lineages and morphologies pertinent to the alkaliphilic trait in filamentous fungi. The Emericellopsis lineage (Hypocreales, Hypocreomycetidae), along with Plectosphaerellaceae (Hypocreomycetidae), Pleosporaceae (Dothideomycetes), Chaetomiaceae (Sordariomycetidae) families appeared to be overrepresented with strong alkalitolerants and effective alkaliphiles. In particular, Sodiomyces species (Plectosphaerellaceae), Acrostalagmus luteoalbus (Plectosphaerellaceae), Emericellopsis alkalina (Hypocreales), Thielavia sp. (Chaetomiaceae), and Alternaria sect. Soda (Pleosporaceae) grew best at high ambient pH. The pH tolerance of Chordomyces antarcticum, Acrostalagmus luteoalbus and some other species was largely affected by the presence of extra Na + in the growth medium. Moderate alkalitolerants included Scopulariopsis members (Microascales), Fusarium, Cladosporium, and many asexual acremonium-like species from Bionectriaceae. Weak alkalitolerants were represented by sporadic isolates of Penicillium, Purpureocillium lilacinum, and Alternaria alternata species, with the growth optimum at neutral or acidic pH. Weak alkalitolerants develop loose dry chains of spores easily dispersed by air. Their presence at low frequency with the growth optimum at neutral or acidic pH leads us to treat them as transient species in the alkaline soils, as those are also ubiquitous saprobes in normal soils. Our phylogenetic analyses show that the alkaliphilic trait in filamentous fungi has evolved several times. Several lineages harboring strong alkalitolerants derived from the known marine-borne fungi (Emericellopsis, Alternaria sect. Phragmosporae), or fall within the fungi associated with halophytic grasses (Pleosporaceae). Soda soils contain a diversity of fungi that range from weak alkalitolerant to alkaliphilic, which in few cases is associated with darkly pigmented mycelium and formation of microsclerotia. The alkaliphilic trait is spread throughout the Ascomycota, and usually juxtaposes with slime-covered polyphyletic acremonium-, verticillium-, gliocladium-types of asexual morphology, hyphae aggregating in chords, and enclosed fruit bodies.

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“…isolate s M3 16 a nd M317 , Chaetomiaceae Kruys et al 2014;Wang et al 2014), displayed an obligate alkaliphilic phenotype, as seen in Fig. 16.…”

Section: Growth Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 91%

On the diversity of fungi from soda soils

Grum-Grzhimaylo¹,

et al. 2015

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“…analysed LSU rDNA sequence data and confirmed the Apiosporaceae belongs in Xylariales, and is a sister group to Amphisphaeriaceae. (Kruys et al 2015). It groups with a number of other taxa with unclear affinities to each other, lacking higher-level support (Kruys et al 2015).…”

Section: Orders Of Sordariomycetesmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…(Kruys et al 2015). It groups with a number of other taxa with unclear affinities to each other, lacking higher-level support (Kruys et al 2015). A monotypic lignicolous genus with no known asexual morph, the type of which was described in Sphaerulina (Kohlmeyer 1962) and has been referred to Haligena (Kohlmeyer and Kohlmeyer 1979).…”

Section: Orders Of Sordariomycetesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ztg. : 450 (1873) A genus in the Lasiosphaeriaceae with A. lanuginosum Nitschke as the type species (Kruys et al 2015). The genus, as currently circumscribed, comprises 35 species that are morphologically diverse.…”

Section: Orders Of Sordariomycetesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Molecular data indicates that the family is paraphyletic, with many genera polyphyletic e.g. Arnium, and the family requires wider sampling with an increased number of loci sequenced (Kruys et al 2015). A phylogenetic study based on LSU nrDNA and β-tubulin sequences highlights four lineages of Lasiosphaeriaceae (Kruys et al 2015).…”

Section: Fungal Diversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Towards a natural classification and backbone tree for Sordariomycetes

et al. 2015

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Sordariomycetes is one of the largest classes of Ascomycota and is characterised by perithecial ascomata and inoperculate unitunicate asci. The class includes many important plant pathogens, as well as endophytes, saprobes, epiphytes, and fungicolous, lichenized or lichenicolous taxa. The class includes freshwater, marine and terrestrial taxa and has a worldwide distribution. This paper provides an updated outline of the Sordariomycetes and a backbone tree incorporating asexual and sexual genera in the class. Based on phylogeny and morphology we introduced three subclasses; D i a p o r t h o m y c e t i d a e , L u l w o r t h i o m y c e t i d a e a n dTogniniales. The outline is based on literature to the end of 2014 and the backbone tree published in this paper. Notes for 397 taxa with information, such as new family and genera novelties, novel molecular data published since the Outline of Ascomycota 2009, and new links between sexual and asexual genera and thus synonymies, are provided. The Sordariomycetes now comprises six subclasses, 28 orders, 90 families and 1344 genera. In addition a list of 829 genera with uncertain placement in Sordariomycetes is also provided.

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