Wickerhamiella pagnoccae sp. nov. and Candida tocantinsensis sp. nov., two ascomycetous yeasts from flower bracts of Heliconia psittacorum (Heliconiaceae)

Abstract

Two novel yeast species were isolated from nectar of flower bracts of Heliconia psittacorum (Heliconiaceae) collected in a Cerrado ecosystem in the state of Tocantins, northern Brazil. Wickerhamiella pagnoccae sp. nov., which is closely related to Candida jalapaonensis, is heterothallic and produces one spheroid ascospore per ascus. Candida tocantinsensis sp. nov. belongs to the Metschnikowiaceae clade and its nearest relative is Candida ubatubensis, but the sequence identity (%) in the D1/D2 domains of the rRNA gene is low. The type strain of W. pagnoccae is UFMG-F18C1T ( = CBS 12178T = NRRL Y-48735T) and the type strain of C. tocantinsensis is UFMG-F16D1T ( = CBS 12177T = NRRL Y-48734T).

Decomposition of plant‐sourced carbon compounds by heterotrophic betaproteobacteria isolated from a tropical Costa Rican bromeliad

“…Diverse microorganisms have been recovered from tropical plant sources, including floral nectar, tree holes, Heliconia bracts, and bromeliad tank water (Walker et al 1991;Goffredi et al 2011a,b;Alvarez-Pérez et al 2012;Barbosa et al 2012). While culture-based methods are greatly limited in their assessment of the entire microbial community, these findings indicate the presence of a complex aquatic plant microbiota in the rainforest.…”

Wickerhamiella allomyrinae f.a., sp. nov., a yeast species isolated from the gut of the rhinoceros beetle Allomyrina dichotoma

“…Most species in the Wickerhamiella clade are highly specialized nutritionally and ecologically, and some of them have a strong association with flowers and floricolous insects Barbosa et al, 2012). For example, Lachance et al (1998) described five species in the Wickerhamiella clade, including two asexual taxa, Candida drosophilae and Candida lipophila, isolated from flowers of Ipomoea acuminata and its associated insect Drosophila floricola.…”

Yeasts Biodiversity and Its Significance: Case Studies in Natural and Human-Related Environments, Ex Situ Preservation, Applications and Challenges

“…Flowers and other parts of plant species belonging to the Convolvulaceae, Bromeliaceae and Heliconiaceae families are rich sources of novel yeast species. Most of the novel yeast species isolated from these plants belong to the Metschnikowia, Wickerhamiella and Starmerella clades (Lachance et al 2001;Ruivo et al 2005;Rosa et al 2007;Barbosa et al 2011). In ephemeral flowers of the Convolvulaceae, the yeasts are transported by pollinating and non-pollinating flies, beetles and bees that deposit them in the corolla (Lachance et al 2001).…”

“…In ephemeral flowers of the Convolvulaceae, the yeasts are transported by pollinating and non-pollinating flies, beetles and bees that deposit them in the corolla (Lachance et al 2001). In the longer-lasting flowers of the Heliconiaceae, yeasts are probably introduced by a different and more diverse set of animal vectors and they may grow on the sugary compounds present in nectar (Barbosa et al 2011). Most yeast species isolated from flowers are supposedly nectar-inhabiting yeasts.…”