Towards a better understanding of the role of nectar-inhabiting yeasts in plant–animal interactions

Abstract

Flowers offer a wide variety of substrates suitable for fungal growth. However, the mycological study of flowers has only recently begun to be systematically addressed from an ecological point of view. Most research on the topic carried out during the last decade has focused on studying the prevalence and diversity of flower-inhabiting yeasts, describing new species retrieved from floral parts and animal pollinators, and the use of select nectar yeasts as model systems to test ecological hypotheses. In this primer article, we summarize the current state of the art in floral nectar mycology and provide an overview of some research areas that, in our view, still require further attention, such as the influence of fungal volatile organic compounds on the foraging behavior of pollinators and other floral visitors, the analysis of the direct and indirect effects of nectar-inhabiting fungi on the fitness of plants and animals, and the nature and consequences of fungal-bacterial interactions taking place within flowers.

Presence of the Weakly Pathogenic Fusarium poae in the Fusarium Head Blight Disease Complex Hampers Biocontrol and Chemical Control of the Virulent Fusarium graminearum Pathogen

“…The knowledge that plant pathogens can be controlled through the action of other microbes has spurred researchers to explore the use of these antagonistic bacteria and fungi as biocontrol agents against fungal, bacterial, and oomycete pathogens. Their modes of action comprise direct antagonism, antibiosis, mycoparasitism, competition for niche, and induction of the plant’s intrinsic plant defense amongst others ( De Silva et al, 2019 ; Khan et al, 2020 ; Raymaekers et al, 2020 ).…”

An Overview on Truffle Aroma and Main Volatile Compounds

“…In fact, it is known as “underground gold” or “diamond of the kitchen” and it is considered a costly delicacy. Although it can be alone consumed as food it is generally used as spice to enhance the dish savour as aroma flavouring [ 15 , 16 ]. In fact, it is added to different dishes such as meat, pizza, pasta, risotto, and eggs.…”

“…Moreover, the boiled extract is used for the treatment of trachoma and as anti-inflammatory for eye diseases [ 17 ]. Modern scientific literature has evidenced that truffle can be considered a valuable therapeutic agent with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antimutagenic, antitumor, aphrodisiac, and antidepressant activities [ 1 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]. This is the reason why it can be employed in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry [ 16 , 18 ].…”

Candida metrosideri pro tempore sp. nov. and Candida ohialehuae pro tempore sp. nov., two antifungal-resistant yeasts associated with Metrosideros polymorpha flowers in Hawaii

“…Flowers have been increasingly recognized as unexplored reservoirs of yeast diversity due to the production of nutrient-rich exudates, such as floral nectar or stigmatic secretions, in which microbes can thrive [ 1 – 3 ]. Study of yeast diversity in flowers has led during the last decade to the discovery of more than 50 new species of ascomycetes yeasts, dispersed across different continents [ 2 , 4 – 14 ].…”