Geometric morphometric analysis of spore shapes improves identification of fungi

Ordynets, Alexander; Keßler, Sarah; Langer, Ewald

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0250477

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…However, this key is mainly based on the differences in the size range of the conidia of the species and, in some cases, these size differences are very subtle. Particular attention should be paid to herbarium specimens, as they may include immature or not well-preserved spores that can affect measurement results (Ordynets et al 2021). We believe that other morphological characteristics that are not visible using standard light microscopy techniques should be considered when identifying species of Spiropes (e.g.…”

Section: Atractilina and Spiropes Two Genera With Heterogeneous Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Systematic revision of species of Atractilina and Spiropes hyperparasitic on Meliolales (Ascomycota) in the tropics

Bermúdez-Cova,

Hofmann,

Yorou

et al. 2024

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Atractilina Dearn. & Barthol. and Spiropes Cif. are genera of asexual fungi that comprise species mainly hyperparasitic on black mildews (Meliolales, Ascomycota). Although a common group of anamorphic fungi, they have been described up to now only by morphology and their systematic position is unknown. The present study provides a morphological treatise of all known species of Atractilina and Spiropes hyperparasitic on Meliolales, including insights into their systematic position, based on DNA sequences generated here for the first time. The study was conducted, based on 33 herbarium specimens and 23 specimens recently collected in Benin and Panama. The obtained DNA sequence data (28S rDNA and ITS rDNA) of A. parasitica and of two species of Spiropes show systematic placements in the Dothideomycetes and Leotiomycetes, respectively. The sequence data of the two Spiropes spp. do not group together. Moreover, the anamorph-teleomorph connection between Atractilina parasitica and Malacaria meliolicola, a pseudothecioid fungus, is confirmed. Three species in the genus Spiropes are proposed as new to science, namely S. angylocalycis, S. carpolobiae and S. croissantiformis. Four species are reported for Benin for the first time, three species for Panama and one species for mainland America. Atractilina and Spiropes are currently two genera with highly heterogeneous species and they might have to be split in the future, once the taxonomic concepts are validated by morphology and molecular sequence data.

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Section: Atractilina and Spiropes Two Genera With Heterogeneous Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Systematic revision of species of Atractilina and Spiropes hyperparasitic on Meliolales (Ascomycota) in the tropics

Bermúdez-Cova,

Hofmann,

Yorou

et al. 2024

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“…The common diseases mainly include rice blast, sheath blight, white leaf blight, flax spot, rice stalk, rice grain smut and bad seedling [4][5][6]. The infection of rice by airborne spores is an important factor causing rice infection [5,[7][8][9]. The determination of spores in the air is an indispensable part in the analysis of the degree of disease occurrence, early warning and prevention [10][11][12][13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A UAV-Borne Six-Vessel Negative-Pressure Enrichment Device with Filters Designed to Collect Infectious Fungal Spores in Rice Fields

Guo,

Ou,

Deng

et al. 2024

Agronomy

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Fungal spores that cause infectious fungal diseases in rice are mainly transmitted through air. The existing fixed, portable or vehicle-mounted fungal spore collection devices used for rice infectious diseases have several disadvantages, such as low efficiency, large volume, low precision and incomplete information. In this study, a mobile fungal spore collection device is designed, consisting of six filters called “Capture-A”, which can collect spores and other airborne particles onto a filter located on a rotating disc of six filters that can be rotated to a position allowing for the capture of six individual samples. They are captured one at a time and designed and validated by capturing spores above the rice field, and the parameters of the key components of the collector are optimized through fluid simulation and verification experiments. The parameter combination of the “Capturer-A” in the best working state is as follows: sampling vessel filter screen with aperture size of 0.150 mm, bent air duct with inner diameter of 20 mm, negative pressure fan with 1500 Pa and spore sampling of cylindrical shape. In the field test, the self-developed “Capturer-A” was compared with the existing “YFBZ3” (mobile spore collection device made by Yunfei Co., Ltd., Zhengzhou, China). The two devices were experimented on at 15 sampling points in three diseased rice fields, and the samples were examined and counted under a microscope in the laboratory. It was found that the spores of rice blast disease and rice flax spot disease of rice were contained in the samples; the number of samples collected by a single sampling vessel of “Capturer-A” was about twice that of the device “YFBZ3”in the test.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hyperparasitic fungi on black mildews (Meliolales, Ascomycota) : hidden diversity in the tropics

Bermúdez Cova

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Meliolales (Sordariomycetes, Ascomycota) is a group of obligate plant parasitic microfungi mainly distributed in the tropics and subtropics. Meliolalean fungi are commonly known as “black mildews”, as they form black, superficial hyphae on the surface of vegetative and reproductive organs of vascular plants. They are considered biotrophic parasites, and the infections caused by black mildews can lead to a decrease in the photosynthetic activity of plants, as well as to an increase in the temperature and respiration rate of their leaves. Meliolales are frequently parasitized by hyperparasitic fungi, i.e., parasitic fungi that have parasitic hosts. These hyperparasites are all Ascomycota and belong mainly to the Dothideomycetes and Sordariomycetes. Although hyperparasites represent a megadiverse group, species were only described by morphology until 1980, and the systematic position of more than 60 % of known species is still unclear. In addition, there are no DNA reference sequences available in public databases for any of the species of hyperparasites of Meliolales, and no ecological studies have been done up to now. Before this study, no exact number of hyperparasitic fungi growing on colonies of black mildews existed. Here, we present a checklist including 189 species of fungi known to be hyperparasitic on Meliolales, but the number of existing species is likely to be even higher. The elaboration of this species checklist laid the foundations for this investigation, as it helped to understand the present state of knowledge of hyperparasitic fungi on Meliolales worldwide. For the present study, fresh specimens of leaves infected with colonies of Meliolales and hyperparasites were opportunistically collected at 32 collection sites in Western Panama and Benin, West Africa, in 2020 and 2022, respectively. In total, 100 samples of plant specimens infected with black mildews were collected, of which 58 samples were parasitized by hyperparasitic fungi. 31 species and morphospecies of hyperparasitic fungi were identified. In addition, 35 historical specimens, including 12 type specimens, were examined for the present work. DNA of hyperparasitic fungi was isolated directly from conidia, synnemata, apothecia, perithecia or pseudothecia of fresh and dried specimens. The main challenges faced by scientists in doing molecular studies of hyperparasitic fungi are related to the fact that the hyperparasitic fungi are intermingled with tissues of the meliolalean hosts and other organisms present in a given sample. This makes the isolation of DNA exclusively from the hyperparasite difficult. Moreover, hyperparasitic fungi on Meliolales are biotrophs and cannot be grown axenically. The hosts themselves are also biotrophic, further complicating DNA isolation from either partner. These factors have contributed to a lack of reference sequences in public databases. After more than 100 attempts, DNA of 20 specimens of hyperparasitic fungi, representing seven species, has been isolated in the context of the present investigation. Three partial nuclear gene regions were amplified and sequenced: nrLSU, nrSSU and nrITS. The datasets were assembled for phylogenetic analyses applying Maximum Likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) methods. DNA sequences of hyperparasitic fungi on Meliolales were generated for the first time in the context of the present investigation. Hyperparasitic fungi on Meliolales do not represent a single systematic group, but a polyphyletic ecological guild of fungi. Because of this huge diversity, only the systematics of species of perithecioid hyperparasites, as well as of the species of the genera Atractilina and Spiropes known to be hyperparasitic on black mildews was discussed in this thesis, as they represented the most common groups of fungi found in Benin and Panama. The results indicated, for example, the systematic position of Dimerosporiella cephalosporii and Paranectriella minuta in the Sordariomycetes and Dothideomycetes, respectively. In addition, the first record of a hyperparasitic fungus of black mildews in the Lecanoromycetes, namely Calloriopsis herpotricha, is reported here. The systematics of Atractilina parasitica and of some species of Spiropes is also discussed here. In the context of the present investigation, four species new to science were described. They are presented with detailed descriptions, photos and scientific illustrations. Taxonomic studies of this thesis also generated seven new synonyms, nine new records for Benin, seven for Panama, one for Africa and two for mainland America, as well as the confirmation of one anamorph-teleomorph connection by molecular sequence data. The ecology of hyperparasitic fungi on Meliolales is complex and far from being completely understood. The hypothesis of host specificity between hyperparasitic fungi, their meliolalean hosts and their plant hosts was tested for the first time, through a tritrophic network analysis. Results indicate that hyperparasites of Meliolales are generalists concerning genera of Meliolales, but apparently specialists at the level of order. In addition, hyperparasitic fungi tend to be found alongside their meliolalean hosts, suggesting a pantropical distribution.

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Geometric morphometric analysis of spore shapes improves identification of fungi

Cited by 5 publications

References 45 publications

Systematic revision of species of Atractilina and Spiropes hyperparasitic on Meliolales (Ascomycota) in the tropics

Systematic revision of species of Atractilina and Spiropes hyperparasitic on Meliolales (Ascomycota) in the tropics

A UAV-Borne Six-Vessel Negative-Pressure Enrichment Device with Filters Designed to Collect Infectious Fungal Spores in Rice Fields

Hyperparasitic fungi on black mildews (Meliolales, Ascomycota) : hidden diversity in the tropics

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