Fungal Ecology

Many ectomycorrhizal fungi show selective associations with certain host tree taxa. Their significance has been demonstrated in the vegetative growth of the fungi, such as structuring the fungal community of the mycorrhizal roots. On the other hand, our understanding of the effects of host selection on reproductive traits such as pore production is very limited. Using two independently published descriptions of host associations and spore dimensions, the differences in spore volumes depending on the associated host taxa were examined in species belonging to 10 ectomycorrhizal genera. The species in Suillus were the most host-selective while those in Inocybe were generalist. Some species in Suillus, Lactarius, Russula, and Hebeloma produced significantly (P<0.05) larger spores when they associated with certain host taxa or groups, including Pinaceae or broad-leaved hosts. However, such differences were not found in Leccinum and Tricholoma. The ecological/evolutionary processes to facilitate host selection through spore volumes were discussed.

Panamanian montane forests harbor a high diversity of fungi, particularly of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi, however their taxonomy and diversity patterns remain for the most part unexplored. Here we present state of the art fungal taxonomy and diversity patterns at Fortuna Forest Reserve based on morphological and molecular identification of over 1,000 fruiting body collections of macromycetes made over a period of five years. We compare these new results with previously published work based on environmental sampling of Oreomunnea mexicana root tips. We compiled a preliminary list of species and report 22 new genera and 29 new fungal species for Panama. Based on fruiting body collection data we compare the species composition of ECM fungal communities associated with Oreomunnea stands across sites differing in soil fertility and amount of rainfall. We also examine the effect of a long-term nitrogen addition treatment on the fruiting body production of ECM fungi. Finally, we discuss the biogeographic importance of Panama collections which fill in the knowledge gap of ECM fungal records between Costa Rica and Colombia. Given that the isthmus of Panama was an important migration route of ECM tree and fungal species from northern temperate areas to South America, the ECM fungal communities of Panama might show a high degree of isolation and therefore a high level of endemism. We expect that the forests at Fortuna will continue to yield new ECM macromycete data as we continue to study the collected specimens and describe new species.

The entomopathogenic fungus Conoideocrella luteorostrata (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) has recently been implicated in natural epizootics among exotic elongate hemlock scale (EHS) insects in Fraser fir Christmas tree farms in the eastern U.S. Since 1913, asexual populations of C. luteorostrata have been reported from various plant-feeding Hemiptera in the southeastern U.S., but a thorough morphological and phylogenetic examination of the species, particularly detailed characterization of populations involved in recent epizootics in EHS, are lacking. The recovery of multiple strains of C. luteorostrata from mycosed EHS cadavers collected in Ashe County North Carolina provided an opportunity to conduct pathogenicity assays and morphological and phylogenetic studies to investigate genus- and species-level boundaries among members of the Clavicipitaceae. Pathogenicity assays confirmed C. luteorostrata causes mortality of EHS first instar crawlers, an essential first step in developing C. luteorostrata as a biocontrol. The results of the morphological study failed to recover a sexual stage from EHS cadavers or pure cultures, but revealed conidia aligned with previous measurements of the paecilomyces-like asexual state of C. luteorostrata (6.9 {micro}m x 2.6 {micro}m average), with colony and conidiophore morphology consistent with previously reported observations. Additionally, a hirsutella-like synanamorph of C. luteorostrata was observed for the first time under specific lab conditions. In both a four-locus, 54-taxa Clavicipitaceae-wide phylogenetic analysis including the D1-D2 domains of the nuclear 28S rRNA gene (28S), elongation factor 1 alpha (EF1-), DNA-directed RNA polymerase II subunit 1 (RPB1) and DNA-directed RNA polymerase II subunit 2 (RPB2) and a two-locus, 38-taxa (28S & EF1-) phylogenetic analysis, C. luteorostrata, C. tenuis and C. krungchingensis were resolved as strongly supported monophyletic lineages across all loci and both methods (maximum likelihood & Bayesian inference) of phylogenetic inference with the exception of 28S for C. tenuis. Despite the strong support for individual Conoideocrella species, none of the analyses supported the monophyly of the genus, with the inclusion of Dussiella. Due to the paucity of publicly available RPB1 and RPB2 sequence data for Conoideocrella, EF1- provided superior delimitation of intraspecies groupings for C. luteorostrata and C. tenuis and should be used in future studies. Further development of C. luteorostrata as a biocontrol agent against EHS both in Christmas tree farms and surrounding hemlock forests will require additional surveys across diverse Hemiptera and expanded pathogenicity testing to better understand host range and efficacy of this fungus.

Bark beetle-associated fungi contribute to beetle nutrition, detoxification, and interactions with conifer hosts; however, their composition and function across development and environments remain poorly understood. We characterised fungal communities of two pine-feeding Ips bark beetles, I. sexdentatus and I. acuminatus, in larval, pupal, and adult stages, and in wild versus laboratory populations, using high-throughput ITS2 amplicon sequencing combined with qPCR and functional assays. Both beetles harboured a stable core mycobiome dominated by Kuraishia, Ogataea, Ophiostoma, Graphilbum and Cyberlindnera, while adults showed species-specific differences and wild beetles, especially I. acuminatus, exhibited greater diversity than laboratory populations. Beetles shared more taxa with unfed control wood than with gallery wood, indicating acquisition during feeding and concurrent restructuring of the wood mycobiome. Monoterpene bioassays on beetle-associated yeasts revealed that mixtures of -pinene, 3-carene and terpinolene suppressed growth more strongly than single compounds, suggesting synergistic inhibition. Yeasts selectively antagonised entomopathogenic fungi and expressed complementary cell-wall-lytic and digestive activities, consistent with combined roles in pathogen suppression and plant-polymer deconstruction. Our results show that Ips mycobiomes are conserved yet dynamic across life stages and environments, and emphasise the importance of multi-terpene and interaction assays for understanding bark beetle-fungus-conifer interactions. ImportanceOur study reveals that pine-feeding bark beetles co-evolved in close association with a stable core mycobiota that supports nutrient acquisition, detoxification, and chemical signalling, while additional fungal partners shift in response to beetle development, environment, and host context. By demonstrating higher mycobiome diversity in beetle larvae and wild populations, substantial overlap between beetle- and wood-associated fungi, differential sensitivity to monoterpene blends and selective antagonism of yeasts towards entomopathogenic fungi, our study unravels key ecological and mechanistic principles shaping beetle-fungus assemblages under conifers, paving the way for more in-depth functional investigations.

Wood decay fungi play a central role in forest carbon cycling, yet the mechanisms linking fungal biodiversity to decomposition remain unclear because species richness and interspecific interactions are rarely separated. Here, these effects were experimentally disentangled using a laboratory wood decomposition microcosm with four common wood-decay fungi. By manipulating the spatial arrangements of pre-colonized wood blocks, fungal species richness and the frequency of interspecific interactions were independently varied. Wood mass loss was quantified, and lignin and carbohydrate analyses were conducted to examine the changes in decay strategies and the potential accumulation of recalcitrant fungal products. Both fungal species richness and interspecific interactions enhanced wood decomposition, but their effects depended on species identity and combinations. Selection effects were observed when competitively dominant species replaced weaker competitors. Several species combinations showed decomposition rates exceeding those of pure cultures, indicating complementarity and facilitation by interspecific interactions. Generalized linear mixed models revealed that interaction frequency and species richness independently influenced decay rates in a species-specific manner. Chemical analyses revealed that interspecific interactions altered the relative loss of lignin and carbohydrates, indicating shifts in the enzymatic allocation and/or production of acid-insoluble fungal metabolites during competition. Our results indicate that competitive interactions among wood decay fungi often accelerate decomposition to offset energetic costs. However, deadlock interactions among basidiomycetes may promote the accumulation of recalcitrant fungal compounds, potentially slowing decomposition over longer timescales. We propose the "accumulated inhibitor hypothesis" to reconcile contrasting fungal diversity-decomposition relationships and highlight the importance of interaction frequency in fungal biodiversity-ecosystem functioning research.

Needle pathogens cause the discoloration, death, or premature abscission of conifer foliage, which reduce growth and vigor, and repeated defoliation may eventually result in tree mortality. Since 2016, forest managers in the southeast United States have reported an increasing scale, frequency, and severity of needle disease outbreaks on the regions principal timber species, loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.). These recent outbreaks are raising concern throughout the region, as needle diseases are not traditionally considered a threat to P. taeda. Lecanosticta acicola (Thum.) Syd., the native causal agent of brown-spot needle blight, has been recovered from some outbreaks, however, the full array of fungi associated with symptoms has not been explored. In this research, P. taeda foliage was collected from affected stands throughout the region and analyzed to identify fungi associated with needle disease symptoms. We employed both targeted molecular diagnostics, to confirm the presence or absence of L. acicola, and DNA metabarcoding, to characterize the foliar mycobiome and screen for other potential pathogens. Lecanosticta acicola was detected among symptomatic needles from multiple states, particularly in western portions of the P. taeda range but rarely from stands in eastern states. Fungal ITS1 metabarcoding revealed multiple pathogens in symptomatic needles and identified associations between known pathogens fungi and differing symptoms. Additionally, the fungal community composition of needles varied with patterns of symptom presentation. This study is the first regionwide assessment of fungi associated with recent large-scale needle disease outbreaks on P. taeda and identifies multiple pathogens that warrant study in greater detail.

Tree diebacks are complex and multi-factorial diseases with suspected biotic and abiotic components. Microbiome effects on plant health are challenging to assess due to the complexity of fungal and bacterial communities. Grapevine wood dieback is the main threat to sustainable production worldwide and no causality with microbial species has been established. Here, we aimed to test the hypothesis that grapevine esca disease progression has reproducible drivers in the fungal species community. For this, we analyzed a set of 21 vineyards planted simultaneously with a single susceptible cultivar to provide replication at the landscape scale. We sampled a total of 496 plants across vineyards in two different years to perform deep amplicon sequencing analyses of the fungal communities inhabiting grapevine trunks. The communities were highly diverse with a total of 4,129 amplified sequence variants assigned to 697 distinct species. Individual plants varied in fungal community composition depending on the year of sampling, vineyard location, and disease status. However, we detect no specific fungal species driving symptom development across the vineyards contrary to long-standing expectations. Our study shows how landscape-scale replicated field surveys allow for powerful hypothesis-testing for complex dieback disease drivers and prioritize future research towards additional factors.

During mycological surveys in Yunnan Province, China, specimens of a fungus producing massive, upright stromata up to 50 cm high and individually 2.2 Kg in weight were sampled. Through an integrative taxonomic approach combining detailed morphology, multilocus phylogeny (ITS, LSU, RPB2, TUB2), and phylogenomic analyses, this fungus is proposed as the new species Dianjunus rex gen. et sp. nov., the type of the new family Dianjunaceae (Xylariales). Phylogenetic analyses robustly place Dianjunaceae as a distinct sister clade to Graphostromataceae. Divergence time estimation dates the origin of this family to the early Paleocene (~65 Mya), coinciding with the post-K-Pg extinction period, when an estimated 75% of all plant and animal species went extinct, and a significant ecological reorganization of life on earth happened. The stromata of D. rex represent the largest fructifications documented within the Ascomycota, significantly expanding the known morphological range of the Xylariales. The study provides a comprehensive description, including a nodulisporium-like anamorph with periconiella-like branching patterns, and discusses the taxon's phylogenetic placement, and distinctive morphology. This discovery highlights the unexplored fungal diversity in East Asian forests.

The objective of this study was to re-analyse the molecular phylogeny and/or the morphology of all species, which have been attributed to the so-far mono-generic fungal family Ambisporaceae. The genus Ambispora has been well-known for its spore bi-morphy described even from single spore clusters. Triple-walled spores are differentiated on sporiferous saccules, while mono-walled spores are formed on simple subtending hyphae. New phylogenetic analyses reveal dissimilarities of [&ge;]10% in partial nrDNA gene of three different stable phylogenetic clades and thus suggest the division of Ambispora into three genera, which simultaneously request for advanced morphological separations. These advances are primarily based on the more diverse spore wall composition of the ambisporoid-acaulosporoid morph rather than on the rather simple-glomoid morph. While all known species of the triple-walled morph have an evanescent to semi-permanent outer spore wall, i) Am. fennica, Am. brasiliensis, Am. gerdemannii and Am. nicolsonii have a smooth, permanent central spore wall (Am. fennica clade, A), ii) the central wall of Am. appendicula, Am. callosa, Am. leptoticha and Am. jimgerdemannii is alveolate (Am. appendicula clade, B), and iii) the central wall of Am. granatensis is smooth, but easily degraded, thus rather short-lived and not permanent but evanescent (Am. granatensis clade, C). In conclusion, species of the Am. fennica clade represent the genus Ambispora, while species of the Am. appendicula clade represent the new genus Appendiculaspora, and the mono-specific Am. granatensis clade represents the new genus Ephemerapareta. Species of an additional morph, with triple-walled spores, but apparently formed on subtending hyphae, and having a diagnostic reticulate, football-like middle wall, are here separated from the revised genus Ambispora based solely on morphological analyses, since molecular identification analyses so far failed and remained merely unknown. This later morph and genus is based on the type species Pelotaspora reticulata comb. nov, and on P. austrolatina sp. nov. Concomitant molecular phylogenetic and morphological analyses are needed to attribute not only Pelotaspora spp., but also those species, for which hitherto only the ambisporoid-glomoid morph has been observed correctly within the family Ambisporaceae. Without molecular analyses, such species with glomoid but unknown ambisporoid-acaulosporoid morph have to be retained within Ambispora.

Fungi play an important role in carbon - and nutrient cycling. It is, however, unclear if diversity of fungi is essential to fulfill this role. With this meta-analysis, we aim to understand the relationship between fungal diversity and decomposition of plant materials (leaf litter and wood) in terrestrial and aquatic environments. The selection criteria for papers were the presence of a fungal diversity gradient and quantification of decomposition as mass loss. In total 40 papers met the selection criteria. We hypothesized that increase of fungal species will result in stronger decomposition, especially in species poor communities. Both artificial inoculated and naturally assembled fungal communities were included in the analysis in order to assess whether manipulated experiments are representative for field situations. We found a significant positive effect of increased fungal diversity on decomposition. However, in manipulated experiments this relationship was only positive when a control treatment of one fungus was compared with multispecies communities. This relationship became negative when comparisons of higher initial richness (at least two fungal species as "control") were included. In contrast, under natural field conditions increased fungal diversity coincided with increased decomposition. This suggests that manipulated experiments are not representative for field situations. Possible reasons for this are discussed. Yet, both in manipulated and field experiments, environmental factors can influence diversity - decomposition relationships as indicated by a negative relationship of increasing C:N ratio on the effect of fungal diversity on decomposition. Overall, our results show that fungal diversity can have an important role in decomposition, but that design of experiments (manipulated or field) and quality of the plant material should be taken into account for interpretation of this diversity-functioning relationship.

Fungal-animal mutualisms remain significantly understudied, yet they represent some of the most successful partnerships known in nature. Fungal farming ambrosia beetles cultivate a consortium of fungal partners that include obligate filamentous members and yeasts. These fungi are maintained in highly specialized insect organs, termed mycangia, and are cultivated as food along the beetle galleries elaborated within host trees. Here we identify two previously described filamentous species, Raffaelea arxii and R. fusca, and the yeast, Ambrosiozyma monospora, as well as two new filamentous fungal species, Neocosmospora affinis and Graphium ambrosium, and two novel yeasts, designated Alloascoidea xylebori and Wickerhamomyces ambrosius, from beetle gallery walls and ambrosia beetle mycangia, using a protocol that minimizes biases in recovery by removal of a commonly used ethanol wash. To meet Koch-like postulates, we further demonstrate that all seven fungal species were individually competent at colonizing aposymbiotic X. affinis mycangia, thus demonstrating each as a viable mycangial mutualist. These data highlight methodological considerations that overcome previous limitations in mycangial content characterization, resulting in the discovery of new ambrosia beetle fungal partners. We further validate the fungal-animal mutualism by demonstrating specific colonization of the mycangial organ by potential fungal partners.

Fungi are widely consumed across the animal kingdom for nutritional and defensive benefits. Millipedes, among the first air-breathing land animals, were also among the first terrestrial fungivores. As detritus-eating omnivores, most millipedes regularly consume fungi. Millipede diets diverged [~]200 million years ago, when obligate fungivorous millipedes (subterclass Colobognatha) diverged from their detritivorous counterparts. Despite their global distribution and uncommon diet, little is known about the association between Colobognaths and the fungi they consume. In 2019, surveys of fungal communities associated with the Colobognath Brachycybe lecontii revealed associations with at least 176 genera of culturable fungi. Given the known biases of culture-based approaches, a more comprehensive survey of B. lecontiis fungal microbiome using amplicon sequencing was undertaken. In this study, we generated amplicon sequence data to look for associations between fungi and B. lecontii, and to determine if patterns of fungal diversity are millipede- or habitat-driven. Altogether, the fungal microbiome of B. lecontii encompassed 620 fungal genera and 100 orders. Despite much greater observed fungal diversity in the amplicon-based study, sampling was likely not sufficient to capture the full diversity of fungi associated with B. lecontii. Taxonomic and functional diversity were significantly influenced by site and colony, indicating that community structure is shaped by geography and habitat. It remains unknown whether these findings are representative of the larger patterns of fungal diversity for the entire millipede subterclass. Nevertheless, the obligate fungivorous lifestyle employed by these long-extant animals may provide important clues regarding fungal diversity and function.

Fungi are widely known for their pathological impact on flowers, but some play a beneficial role in pollination. We report a case of tripartite pollination system in the flowering plant Meiogyne hainanensis (Annonaceae) in Hainan, China. The flowers emit a fruity scent composed of a mixture of mostly sesquiterpenes and aliphatic esters, attracting the primary beetle pollinators Paraphloeostiba sp. (Staphylinidae) and Mimemodes sp. (Monotomidae). The pollinators utilise the floral chamber as a mating ground and oviposit onto the adaxial corrugations of the inner petals. After the end of anthesis, extensive growth of filamentous fungi was observed to be restricted on these corrugated tissues. Upon hatching, the Paraphloeostiba and Mimemodes larvae consumed the fungal mycelia. ITS2 metabarcoding analysis reveals that the diet of the larvae consists of similar fungal taxa as those found on the inner petals. Both were primarily composed of ascomycete fungi such as Fusarium, Penicillium and Cladosporium species. The flower has an unusually long post-anthetic phase that lasts at least 21 days and up to 2 months, during which the fungus-infested petals remain arboreal, offering suitable microclimate and shelter for the broods. This is the second reported angiosperm genus that exhibits tripartite brood-site pollination in which filamentous fungi are an essential mutualistic partner.

Saccharomyces paradoxus is a model organism in ecology and evolution. However, its metabolism in its native habitat remains mysterious: it is frequently found growing on leaf litter, a habitat with few carbon sources that S. paradoxus can metabolize. We hypothesized that leaf-decomposing fungi from the same habitat break down the cellulose in leaf litter extracellularly and release glucose, supporting S. paradoxus growth. We found that facilitation by leaf-decomposing fungi was possible on cellulose and inhibition was common on glucose, suggesting diverse interactions between S. paradoxus and other fungi that have the potential to support S. paradoxus in nature.

Research on wood decay in forest ecosystems has traditionally focused on wood-rot fungi, which lead the decay process through attack of the lignocellulose complex. The role of bacteria, which can be highly abundant, is still unclear. Wood-inhabiting bacteria are thought to be nutritionally dependent on decay activities of wood-rot fungi. Therefore, we hypothesized that these bacteria are not antagonistic against wood-rot fungi whereas antagonistic activity against other bacteria may be high (resource competition). This was examined for decaying wood in temperate forests. We found that the abundance of cultivable bacteria in decaying wood can be highly variable. The general pattern is an increase of bacteria with progressive decay, but we also identified several fungi that were apparently able to exclude bacteria from their woody territory. We established a bacterial collection which is highly representative for decaying wood with typical wood-inhabiting taxa: Xanthomonadaceae, Acetobacteraceae, Caulobacteraceae, Methylovirgula, Sphingomonas, Burkholderia and Granulicella. In vitro antagonistic activity against other bacteria and fungi was evaluated. In contrast to our hypothesis, we found surprisingly low antagonistic activity against bacteria (<2% of isolates), while antagonism against fungi was more prevalent. These results may point at a prominent role of mycophagy (growth at the expense of living fungi) among wood-inhabiting bacteria.

BackgroundFungal respiratory allergy is believed to affect up to 30% of hayfever sufferers and up to 70% of severe asthmatics in the UK, however trends in fungal spore seasonality are not well described. Information about seasonal trends would help allergists determine sources of fungal sensitisation and aid disease management. MethodDaily monitoring was carried out at Leicester from 2007 to 2020 using a Burkard volumetric spore trap. Fungal spore concentrations were analysed by microscopy, identifying 23 morphologically distinct taxa. Daily average concentrations were calculated as spores/m3 of air sampled and a 90% method used to determine the spore seasons. ResultsThirteen years of data were used to develop a fungal spore calendar for the nine most abundant spore types identified; Alternaria, Cladosporium, Didymella, Leptosphaeria, Sporobolomyces, Tilletiopsis and Ustilago plus the wider groupings of Aspergillus/Penicillium type and coloured basidiospores. All have been implicated in fungal allergy. We observed long seasons for, Cladosporium, Sporobolomyces and Tilletiopsis, beginning in late spring and ending in late autumn. In contrast Ustilago and the highly allergenic Alternaria showed relatively short seasons, spanning summer and early autumn. Temperature and precipitation were the main meteorological factors related to spore concentration with wind speed appearing to have little influence. Over the study period, there was a reducing trend for total spore concentrations, driven by a reduction in "wet weather" spores, in line with a reduction in precipitation. Conversely, the "dry weather" spores of Alternaria and Cladosporium demonstrated an increasing trend. ConclusionWe present an aeroallergen calendar to provide readily accessible information to patients, healthcare professionals and pharmaceutical companies on exposure concentrations over the year in central England and potentially more widely across the UK. More research on allergenic thresholds would enhance the clinical usefulness of aeroallergen calendars.

BackgroundThe environment in which a fungus grows can directly influence their development, transmission, and pathogenic potential. This environment encompasses factors like nutrient availability, biotic and abiotic stressors, as well as host-derived chemical cues. In fungal pathogens, where conidia act as the infectious agents, the environment impacts the quantity and quality of these spores, thereby aOecting their ability to infect and kill hosts. In the present study, we investigated the effect of host-derived medium types on various phenotypes, including spore production, growth rate, and virulence in two entomopathogenic fungi, Metarhizium acridum and Metarhizium brunneum. Three medium types derived from insect material were compared to a standard laboratory medium. ResultsConidia produced on the insect-derived media exhibited enhanced sporulation and reduced time to sporulation, while conidial germination and maximum growth rate were comparable across medium types, suggesting that some of the medium-induced phenotypic effects were transient. Notably, conidia derived from two of the insect medium types demonstrated higher virulence, indicating that host-derived cues may prime virulence. ConclusionThese results highlight that the composition of growth substrates can regulate fungal reproductive strategies and virulence, with implications for developing high-throughput phenotyping and for the biotechnological optimization of mass production and efficacy of entomopathogenic fungi in biological control applications. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=106 SRC="FIGDIR/small/711814v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (30K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@189013eorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1b0cedborg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@dccb4eorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1a77895_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

Phytopathogenic fungi are the dominant causal agents of plant diseases. Currently available fungicides have significant disadvantages, being insufficiently effective owing to both intrinsic tolerance and the spread of antibiotic resistance accumulating in plant tissues, posing a global threat to public health. Finding a new broad-spectrum fungicide is a challenge for plant protection. We studied the potency of a novel antimicrobial agent, M451, against different phytopathogenic fungi of the phyla Ascomycota, Oomycota, and Basidiomycota. M451 exhibited significant antifungal activity with EC50 values ranging from 34 to 145 {micro}g/mL. Analysis of the minimal fungicidal concentration and conidial destruction assay revealed that M451 possesses the highest activity compared with different polyene, azole, and phenylpyrrole antifungals against Fusarium oxysporum. Time-kill analysis revealed that M451 was the only antifungal agent tested that exhibited antifungal activity within 5 min of exposure. Spore production and germination were also significantly inhibited by M451 treatment. Based on the broad spectrum of antifungal effects across different plant pathogens, M451 could be a new chemical fungicide for plant disease management.

Ophiostomatalean fungi refers to the species in the order Ophiostomatales of Ascomycota. This group of fungi comprises wood blue-stain agents and some species that are important pathogens of trees, nematodes, or humans. Most species in the Ophiostomatales have beneficial relationships with wood-boring insects such as bark beetles. Recent surveys were conducted to investigate the diversity of Ophiostomatoid fungi associated with Cyrtogenius luteus infesting Pinus massoniana in some areas of Guangdong, China. This study, 382 fungal strains were obtained, and 224 were identified as belonging to the Ophiostomatales order. Identification of these strains revealed that they spanned seven distinct genera. A new species, Masuyamyces qingyuanensis sp. nov., was discovered and identified through a combination of morphological and phylogenetic analyses across four gene regions: beta-tubulin (TUBB), internal transcribed spacer (ITS), large subunit ribosomal RNA (LSU), and translation elongation factor 1 alpha (EF1A).

The climate crisis is changing temperature regimes worldwide, threatening global viticulture and wine production, as temperature is a primary driver of grape development. In Atlantic Canada, temperatures are projected to increase, inducing premature grape ripening, which can impact their biochemical profiles and, consequently, the quality of the vines and wines produced. Temperature is also a key factor in determining the composition and structure of resident fungal communities on the leaves (phyllosphere) and fruits (carposphere) of grape vines. Therefore, to better understand how these communities might change under potential future temperature regimes, we experimentally manipulated grapevines (Vitis sp. cv. LAcadie blanc) in the field. We used on-the-row mini-greenhouses to increase the temperature at different developmental, or phenological, stages of the fruits, and across the whole season. Phyllosphere and carposphere were sampled at four developmental stages, their DNA was extracted, and the fungal communities were identified via ITS metabarcoding. We found that phyllosphere and carposphere had significantly different community composition, which remained relatively stable throughout plant development. Increased temperature treatments had the most significant effect on fungal phyllosphere communities; we observed that phyllosphere samples exposed to higher temperatures before the onset of ripening maintained more diverse fungal communities throughout development. Our analysis showed that the increase in fungal diversity among phyllopshere communities corresponds to enrichments in potential phytopathogenic fungal taxa. However, this increase in phyllosphere fungal diversity was not conserved at other growth stages when the leaves developed at higher temperatures for the whole season. The results of this study will contribute to better understanding the impact of the climate crisis on grapevine phyllosphere and carposphere fungal community composition and assembly. This will allow producers to better adapt to climate variability and to better understand the role that these communities could play on grapevine health.