Geastrum minutisporum is characterized by a basidioma up to 25 mm wide, exoperidium saccate to planar, non-hygroscopic; a globose to subglobose, sessile and greyish brown endoperidium; a silky fibrillose peristoma, lighter or darker than the endoperidium and with globose, slightly asperulate basidiospores, 2–2.5–3 μm in diam, with a short apiculus up to 0.5 μm long. Specimens were collected at the Reserva Hídrica Provincial Pampa de Achala located in the upper portion of Sierras Grandes from Córdoba, central Argentina. Morphology and phylogenetic analysis based on sequences of the ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer region support Geastrum minutisporum as a new species.

A new species Rosellinia convexa from China is illustrated and described. Phylogenetic analysis based on internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of nuclear ribosomal DNA (including ITS1, 5.8S rRNA gene and ITS2), β-tubulin gene, α-actin gene and Polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2) gene sequence data confirmed that it differed from other species in this genus. On the basis of evidence from morphology, it differs from other Rosellinia species in having brown ascospores with convex umbilical ends and a larger ascal apical apparatus.

Phyllosphere fungi show high species diversity and fulfill important ecological functions not only in natural forests but also in plantations. We sought to estimate the species diversity and community structure of phyllosphere fungi from tropical tree plantation plots in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. We conducted a massively parallel amplicon sequencing analysis of fungi collected from the leaves of Shorea leprosula (Dipterocarpaceae), an ecologically and commercially important tree species. Phyllosphere fungal compositions and spatial variability were investigated for 31 S. leprosula trees across four plots within a plantation stand. In total, 488 fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were recognized in 153,194 ribosomal internal transcribed spacer reads at 95% OTU identity level. Rare OTUs accounted for the majority of fungal diversity detected in the study site; 200 OTUs (41%) comprised fewer than 10 reads and 465 OTUs (95%) were found in fewer than half of the samples. Fungal OTU compositions of S. leprosula trees were differentiated within a narrow area of the plantation and even between plots that were separated by 15 m. These findings indicate that highly diverse fungal OTUs form spatially structured communities even within a tropical plantation stand of single tree species.

A biosynthetic pathway for (E)-methyl cinnamate formation was evaluated in Tricholoma matsutake by tracer experiments using ¹³C- and ²H-labeled precursors. One hundred percent selective ¹³C incorporation was observed when L-[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-¹³C₉, ^15/N]phenylalanine was converted to (E)-[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-¹³C₉]cinnamate and (E)-[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-¹³C₉]methyl cinnamate. Similarly, 100% selective ¹³C incorporation was observed when (E)-[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-¹³C₉]cinnamate was converted to (E)-[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-¹³C₉]methyl cinnamate. In contrast, the ²H incorporation selectivities were 82.1% and 81.4% when L-[2,3,4,5,6,7,7,8-²H₈]phenylalanine was converted to (E)-[2,3,4,5,6,7,8-²H₇]cinnamate and (E)-[2,3,4,5,6,7,8-²H₇]methyl cinnamate, respectively. Thus, T. matsutake synthesizes (E)-methyl cinnamate from L-phenylalanine via (E)-cinnamate. (E)-cinnamate was likely formed through two pathways: one was major and the other was a minor.

Marine arenicolous fungi constitute a valuable resource inhabiting deteriorated ecosystems, where diversity is threatened by human-related activities. Though, information regarding their genetic diversity remains poor. Therefore, the aim of this study was to suggest inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) primers as an accessible tool to conduct screenings of the genetic diversity in marine fungal species, using as a model Corollospora maritima sensu lato. Our results demonstrated that ISSRs represent an efficient genotyping technique. We were able to calculate the standard summary statistics for population genetics, indicating that isolates from the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of California harbor high levels of genetic diversity compared to isolates from other littorals.

It has been known that the agaric fungus Hebeloma radicosum fruits from mole latrines located in the ground and that ectomycorrhizas develop within the same latrines. But the identity between the fruit bodies on the ground and the mycosymbionts of the ectomycorrhizas below ground has not been established. Molecular genetic data revealed that the fungal hyphae composing the ectomycorrhizas are identical with the fruit bodies of H. radicosum. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis clearly separated H. radicosum and H. radicosoides, suggesting that they are truly different species.

The Japanese red-cap Caesar's mushroom, “Tamagotake”, formerly identified as Amanita caesarea or A. hemibapha, was reevaluated taxonomically. The morphological characteristics of Japanese “A. hemibapha” specimens corresponded to the lectotype of A. caesareoides, but not to the isotype of A. hemibapha. Phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the nuclear ribosomal RNA gene showed that Japanese “A. hemibapha” specimens formed a single clade with the lectotype of A. caesareoides, which were positioned adjacently to A. caesarea and A. jacksonii. A Thai A. hemibapha specimen, which corresponded morphologically to the isotype of A. hemibapha, was grouped with the Indian specimens and indicated a distant clade from A. caesareoides. Therefore, the Japanese red-cap Caesar's mushroom is A. caesareoides.

Moniliophthora roreri, the causal agent of frosty pod rot of cacao, is a member of the mushroom-forming family Marasmiaceae (Marasmiineae, Agaricales, Basidiomycota). Yet, M. roreri has never been observed to produce a mushroom fruiting body, but rather produces billions of spores on the surface of infected pods. The question of whether these spores are produced via meiosis or mitosis has been the subject of some speculation. However, numerous molecular-based studies have been unable to support a hypothesis of sexual recombination for this fungus. We re-examined sporogenesis and the nuclear condition of hyphae and spores in M. roreri via nuclear staining and spore germination studies. Conidia are produced asexually in a thallic and rhexolytic manner as is true for other Marasmiineae species such as M. perniciosa, Flammulina velutipes and Marasmius puerariae. We also found that hyphal cells as well as spores harbor one or two nuclei, rarely three, that conidium size is influenced by number of nuclei within, and that individual isolates produced consistently and significantly different proportions of binucleate and mononucleate spores regardless of varietal group.

Soil fungal communities in tropical regions remain poorly understood. In order to increase the knowledge of diversity of soil-inhabiting fungi, we extracted total DNA from top-organic soil collected in seven localities dominated by four major ecosystems in the tropical island of Puerto Rico. In order to comprehensively characterize the fungal community, we PCR-amplified the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) fungal barcode using newly designed degenerated primers and varying annealing temperatures to minimize primer bias. Sequencing results, obtained using Ion Torrent technology, comprised a total of 566,613 sequences after quality filtering. These sequences were clustered into 4140 molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs) after removing low frequency sequences and rarefaction to account for differences in read depth between samples. Our results demonstrate that soil fungal communities in Puerto Rico are structured by ecosystem. Ascomycota, followed by Basidiomycota, dominates the diversity of fungi in soil. Amongst Ascomycota, the recently described soil-inhabiting class Archaeorhizomycetes was present in all localities, and taxa in Archaeorhizomycetes were among the most commonly observed MOTUs. The Basidiomycota community was dominated by soil decomposers and ectomycorrhizal fungi with a distribution strongly affected by local variation to a greater degree than Ascomycota.

Here, we describe C8-222, a novel cerulenin-resistant strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Meijo-9 that encodes a point mutation (FAS2-1253A mutation) resulting in a Gly to Ala substitution at position 1253 of the fatty acid synthase alpha subunit (Fas2 protein), which was isolated by traditional screening in the presence of cerulenin. Notably, this mutation yielded enhanced production of caprylic acid, but not of caproic acid. As caprylic acid is a precursor of ethyl caprylate, a compound that confers “fruity-flowery” flavors, usage of this mutant may enable the production of new types of sake.