Seedling survival after simulating grazing and drought for two species from the Pamirs,northwestern China

For plant populations to persist,seedling recruitment is essential,requiring seed germination,seedling survival and growth.Drought and grazing potentially reduce seedling recruitment via increased mortality and reduced growth.We studied these seederelated processes for two species indigenous to the Pamir Mountains of Xinjiang in northwestern China:Saussurea glacialis and Plantago lessingii.Seeds collected from Taxkorgan,Xinjiang,had a viability rate of 15.8%for S.glacialis but 100%for P.lessingii.Of the viable seeds,the highest germination rates were 62.9%for S.glacialis and 45.6%for P.lessingii.In a greenhouse experiment,we imposed a series of stressful conditions,involving a combination of simulated grazing and drought events.These had the most severe impact on younger seedlings.Modelling showed that 89%of S.glacialis mortality was due to early simulated grazing,whereas 80%of P.lessingii mortality was due to early simulated drought.Physiological differences could contribute to their differing resilience.S.glacialis may rely on water storage in leaves to survive drought events,but showed no shifts in biomass allocation that would improve grazing tolerance.P.lessingii appears more reliant on its root system to survive grazing,but the root reserves of younger plants could be insufficient to grow deeper in response to drought.After applying all mortality factors,17.7 seedlings/parent of P.lessingii survived,while only<0.1 seedlings/parent of S.glacialis survived,raising concerns for its capacity to persist in the Pamirs.Inherent genetic differences may underlie the two species’contrasting grazing and drought responses.Thus,differing conservation strategies are required for their utilization and protection.

A circular approach for sustainable agriculture and human health

In the 21st century,global food systems cannot remain stuck in the past.Agriculture currently contributes about one fourth of global greenhouse gas emissions and about half of all nutrient wastes annually[1].As the number of humans on the planet continues to grow,the effects of climate change will worsen and ecosystems will continue to deteriorate.Innovation in today’s agricultural food production systems is therefore urgently needed to increase crop and animal outputs,enhance dietary diversity and improve human health while conserving environments and sustaining natural resources and cultures.

Global carbon sequestration potential of agroforestry and increased tree cover on agricultural land

Biomass is fundamental to circular agricultural systems.Estimates of above-and below-ground biomass on agricultural land based upon IPCC Tier 1 estimates are compared with an updated carbon density map based on remote sensing,with results indicating the methodology and initial estimations are robust.Two scenarios are evaluated to estimate carbon sequestration potential of increasing tree cover on agricultural land:1)incremental change and 2)a systemic change to agroforestry.Estimates of above-and below ground biomass carbon were combined with a tree cover analysis to estimate the increase in biomass.Global increases(4−6 PgC for incremental change;12−19 PgC for systemic change)highlight substantial mitigation potential.Increasing global tree cover on agricultural land by 10%would sequester more than 18 PgC.South America has the highest potential,followed by Southeast Asia,West and Central Africa,and North America.Brazil,Indonesia,Philippines,India,the United States and China are among the top countries with the highest carbon sequestration potential on agricultural land with increased tree cover.

Trees as hotspots:Using forests,trees,and agroforestry to foster diverse sustainable landscapes

Forests,trees,and agroforestry(FTA)are ecosystem hotspots.They exemplify the contributions of biodiversity to sustainable and resilient landscapes,green circular economy and to sustainable agriculture and food systems for healthy diets.However,most research on these topics have been performed separately and lack comparison.The International FTA-Kunming Conference'Forests,trees and agroforestry for diverse sustainable landscapes'22nd–24th June 2021,focused on these contributions,brought together scientists NGOs,and policy makers to further the understanding of tree diversity;provided a communication platform for scientists to share their research results;evaluated the role of tree diversity in agroecology and circular agriculture;assessed benefits of landscape restoration;and explored applied research in mountain ecosystems and food security.The goals were to gather evidence that ground the design of solutions that can contribute to the implementation of the post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and towards the UN Food Systems Summit,and the overall implementation of the SDGs.This paper summarizes the outcomes of the international FTA Conference in Kunming 2021 and points out the highlights of research involved in six major themes.

The legacy effects of rubber defoliation period on the refoliation phenology,leaf disease,and latex yield

The leaf phenology of trees has received particular attention for its crucial role in the global water and carbon balances,ecosystem,and species distribution.However,current studies on leaf phenology have mainly focused on temperate trees,while few studies including tropical trees.Little attention has been paid to globally extensive industrial plantations.Rubber plantations are important to both the local and global economies.In this study,we investigated the legacy effects of defoliation phenology on the following year’s leaf flushing,leaf disease,and also latex yield of rubber trees,an economically important tree to local people and the world.Results show that extended duration of defoliation increased the subsequent duration of refoliation and rates of infection by powdery mildew disease,but led to reduced latex yield in March.This legacy effect of rubber defoliation may relate to the carbohydrate reserved in the trees.A longer duration of defoliation would consume more reserved carbohydrates,reducing available reserves for disease defense and latex production.Extended duration of defoliation period was associated with either a lower temperature before the cessation of latex tapping in October-November and/or a higher temperature after the cessation of latex tapping in December-January.Leaf falling signals the end of photosynthetic activities in deciduous trees.Thus,the leaf falling phenology will impact ecological processes involving rubber trees.Our findings indicated that the inclusion of defoliation periods in future rubber trees’ research,will be crucial to furthering our understanding of leaf flushing,powdery mildew disease,and latex yield.

A new record of Pluteaceae(Agaricales)from Pakistan

During a survey of agarics from the Himalayan moist temperate regions in Pakistan,a new record Volvariella taylorii was collected.Full description,color images of basidiocarps,drawings of microscopic features,and a phylogenetic tree to show the placement of the taxon are provided.

Polyurethane-degrading fungi from soils contaminated with rocket propellant and their ability to decompose alkyne terminated polybutadiene with urethane

A large amount of propellant materials are produced every year,and storage and disposal of these propellant materials seriously contributes to environmental pollution.Alkyne terminated polybutadiene with urethane segments(PUPB)is the macromolecule backbone of these propellant materials,and degradation of PUPB is central to the eco-friendly treatment of propellant materials.In this study,we isolated a polyurethane(PU)-and PUPB-degrading fungus from soils contaminated with rocket propellant,and the fungus H14 was identified as Fusarium solani(Mart.)Sacc.based on macro-and micro-morphology as well as phylogenetic analyses.The ability of F.solani H14 to degrade PU film and PUPB patches was evaluated via mass loss,scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and enzyme production ability.Mass loss analyses revealed a 25.8%reduction in mass of PU and 1.3%reduction in mass of PUPB after F.solani H14 was incubated with PU and PUPB for 90 days,respectively.We found that F.solani H14 mycelia significantly colonized both PU and PUPB.SEM images showed that the surface of PU films and PUPB patches formed holes,underwent folding and experienced damage as well as irregular fissuring from the erosion of fungal hypha.Moreover,two possible degradative enzymes,lipase and esterase,were produced by F.solani.Our study opens a new avenue of research for eco-friendly treatments of explosive materials and propellants.This paper represents the first article on the degradation of PUPB patches.

Root symbioses as belowground C pumps:a mitigation strategy against rising CO_(2)levels

Mycorrhizal and N-fixing root symbioses evolved at two points in the past when global CO_(2)was highest,consistent with the high demand these symbioses place on host C.Trees hosting both mycorrhiza and N-fixing bacteria are able to fix more atmospheric CO_(2)and grow at faster rates than non-symbiotic plants,or plants with only mycorrhiza.We argue that on the basis of this improved C capture,N-fixing trees act as C-pumps,sequestering C and locking it in biomass,thus,if properly managed,can contribute significantly towards the mitigation of rising CO_(2)levels.

New host and geographic records of five pleosporalean hyphomycetes associated with Musa spp.(Banana)

A study was undertaken to collect and identify saprobic fungi associated with Musa spp.(banana)from Taiwan(China),and Thailand.Samples were collected during the dry season and their morpho-molecular relationships were investigated.Five brown pleosporalean hyphomycetous taxa in Periconiaceae and Torulaceae viz.Periconia cortaderiae,P.delonicis,Torula chromolaenae,T.fici,and T.masonii were identified for the first time from Musa spp.(Musaceae).Phylogenetic analyses of a combined SSU,LSU,ITS,RPB2 and TEF DNA sequence dataset further justified the taxonomic placements of these five taxa in the above mentioned families.Periconia delonicis is reported for the first time on a monocotyledonous host and T.masonii is the first geographical record from Taiwan(China).

Mapping tree species distribution in support of China's integrated tree-livestock-crop system

The primary challenge of the contemporary world is to meet accelerating requirements for food.Limited land,competition between crop and livestock farming and climate change are major challenges.Agroforestry offer a form of sustainable agriculture through the direct provision of food by raising farmers’incomes and through various ecosystem services.The first essential step in adopting agroforestry is the selection of appropriate tree species that fit local climates.In this paper,we mapped 20 fodder trees and important crops in China using the multi-model ensemble and Ecocrop modelling approach.Relying on the intersectional concept of set theory,the fuzzy logic technique was applied to identify regions where candidate trees could be grown with appropriate crops and livestock.The resulting models provide important insights into the climatic suitability of trees and crops and offer knowledge critical to the proper integration of trees with crops and livestock at specific locations.The results offer support for developing appropriate strategies regarding potential land-use within agroforestry systems in order to maximize ecosystem services and the benefits of sustainable agriculture.Model outputs could easily convert into conventional maps with clearly defined boundaries for site-specific planning for tree-crop-livestock integration.The next step for actualizing an integrated system is to investigate specifically what these different species may contribute to the existing farming systems,quantify the benefits and estimate any possible tradeoffs.

A review of bambusicolous Ascomycota in China with an emphasis on species richness in southwest China

Bamboos not only provide socio-economic benefits to communities within the region,but also provide ecosystem services such as soil-water conservation,stabilization of sandy soils and restoration of soil nutrients.Bambusicolous ascomycetes refer to ascomycetous fungi living on any substrate of bamboo.As the largest group of fungi on bamboo,they play a significant ecological value in species composition and the structure of the fungal community,circulation of materials and energy flow of nutritional elements.In an effort to document the bambusicolous Ascomycota found in China,we assessed all major sources of academic literature,journal papers,and the USDA database(https://nt.ars-grin.gov/fungaldatabases/fungushost/fungushost.cfm)for reports of these fungi from China.As a result,we produced a systematic and comprehensive checklist of bambusicolous Ascomycota in China.Current names of fungi,bamboo host name,bamboo substrate,details of collected localities,references and latest classification for every bambusicolous ascomycete in China are also provided.In addition,we focused on the species richness of bambusicolous Ascomycota in China with an emphasis on southwest China.

Integrative approaches for species delimitation in Ascomycota

Biodiversity loss from disturbances caused by human activities means that species are disappearing at an ever increasing rate.The high number of species that have yet to be described have generated extreme crisis to the taxonomist.Therefore,more than in any other era,effective ways to discover and delimitate species are needed.This paper reviews the historically fore-most approaches used to delimit species in Ascomycota,the most speciose phylum of Fungi.These include morphological,biological,and phylogenetic species concepts.We argue that a single property to delineate species boundaries has various defects and each species concept comes with its own advantages and disadvantages.Recently the rate of species discovery has increased because of the advancement of phylogenetic approaches.However,traditional phylogenetic methods with few gene regions lack species-level resolution,and do not allow unambiguous conclusions.We detail the processes that affect gene tree heterogeneity,which acts as barriers to delimiting species boundaries in classical low-rank phylogenies.So far,limited insights were given to the DNA-based methodologies to establish well-supported boundaries among fungal species.In addition to reviewing concepts and methodologies used to delimit species,we present a case study.We applied differ-ent species delimitation methods to understand species boundaries in the plant pathogenic and cryptic genus Phyllosticta(Dothideomycetes,Botryosphaeriales).Several DNA-based methods over-split the taxa while in some methods several taxa fall into a single species.These problems can be resolved by using multiple loci and coalescence-based methods.Further,we discuss integrative approaches that are crucial for understanding species boundaries within Ascomycota and provide several examples for ideal and pragmatic approaches of species delimitation.

One stop shop IV: taxonomic update with molecular phylogeny for important phytopathogenic genera: 76-100 (2020)

This is a continuation of a series focused on providing a stable platform for the taxonomy of phytopathogenic fungi and fungus-like organisms.This paper focuses on one family:Erysiphaceae and 24 phytopathogenic genera:Armillaria,Barrio-psis,Cercospora,Cladosporium,Clinoconidium,Colletotrichum,Cylindrocladiella,Dothidotthia,,Fomitopsis,Ganoderma,Golovinomyces,Heterobasidium,Meliola,Mucor,Neoerysiphe,Nothophoma,Phellinus,Phytophthora,Pseudoseptoria,Pythium,Rhizopus,Stemphylium,Thyrostroma and Wojnowiciella.Each genus is provided with a taxonomic background,distribution,hosts,disease symptoms,and updated backbone trees.Species confirmed with pathogenicity studies are denoted when data are available.Six of the genera are updated from previous entries as many new species have been described.

Biphasic taxonomic approaches for generic relatedness and phylogenetic relationships of Teichosporaceae

The placement of the dothideomycetous family Teichosporaceae has been controversial.Recent phylogenetic investigations have used a taxonomic lumping approach with the Floricolaceae and its genera have been synonymized under the earlier fam-ily name,Teichosporaceae.Intergeneric relationships were therefore obscure and proper generic delimitation was needed in upcoming studies.We here taxonomically revised the family Teichosporaceae based on both morphological and phylogenetic evidence.Teichosporaceae species have immersed or semi-immersed,erumpent to superficial,ostiolate ascomata,cellular or trabeculate pseudoparaphyses,cylindrical to oblong or sub-clavate asci and ellipsoid to oblong or fusiform,cylindric-fusiform or oblong to elliptical,ovoid to clavate,symmetric or asymmetric,initially hyaline or pale brown to dark brown or yellowish brown,1-3-septate or muriform ascospores.Asexual morphs are coelomycetous.Type or representative speci-mens of Teichosporaceae were loaned and fresh specimens were collected from China and Thailand.Maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses of a combined ITS,LSU,SSU,tef1-αand rpb2 dataset were performed to clarify the phylogenetic affinities of taxa and examine monophyly of newly proposed genera.One new species(Floricola festucae),one new host record(Ramusculicola thailandica)and four new combinations(Aurantiascoma nephelii,A.quercus,Magnibotryascoma acaciae,M.melanommoides)are introduced.The broad genus concept of Teichospora is dismissed based on morphological dissimilarities and the monophyletic status of the proposed genera.We accept Asymmetrispora,Aurantiascoma,Floricola,Magnibotryascoma,Misturatosphaeria,Pseudoaurantiascoma,Pseudomisturatosphaeria,Ramusculicola and Teichospora as distinct genera in the Teichosporaceae.All recognized genera are phenotypically characterized and phylogenetically well-supported.The phylogenetic placements of three genera(Chaetomastia,Loculohypoxylon and Sinodidymella),which do not have molecular data cannot be conclusively clarified at present,but are still placed in Teichosporaceae for future studies.

Fungal diversity notes 1611-1716: taxonomic and phylogenetic contributions on fungal genera and species emphasis in south China

This article is the 15th contribution in the Fungal Diversity Notes series,wherein 115 taxa from three phyla,nine classes,28 orders,48 families,and 64 genera are treated.Fungal taxa described and illustrated in the present study include a new family,five new genera,61 new species,five new combinations,one synonym,one new variety and 31 records on new hosts or new geographical distributions.Ageratinicolaceae fam.nov.is introduced and accommodated in Pleosporales.The new genera introduced in this study are Ageratinicola,Kevinia,Pseudomultiseptospora(Parabambusicolaceae),Marasmiellomycena,and Vizzinia(Porotheleaceae).Newly described species are Abrothallus altoandinus,Ageratinicola kunmingensis,Allocryptovalsa aceris,Allophoma yuccae,Apiospora cannae,A.elliptica,A.pallidesporae,Boeremia wisteriae,Calycina papaeana,Clypeo-coccum lichenostigmoides,Coniochaeta riskali-shoyakubovii,Cryphonectria kunmingensis,Diaporthe angustiapiculata,D.campylandrae,D.longipapillata,Diatrypella guangdongense,Dothiorella franceschinii,Endocalyx phoenicis,Epicoc-cum terminosporum,Fulvifomes karaiensis,F.pannaensis,Ganoderma ghatensis,Hysterobrevium baoshanense,Inocybe avellaneorosea,I.lucida,Jahnula oblonga,Kevinia lignicola,Kirschsteiniothelia guangdongensis,Laboulbenia caprina,L.clavulata,L.cobiae,L.cosmodisci,L.nilotica,L.omalii,L.robusta,L.similis,L.stigmatophora,Laccaria rubriporus,Lasiodiplodia morindae,Lyophyllum agnijum,Marasmiellomycena pseudoomphaliiformis,Melomastia beihaiensis,Nemania guangdongensis,Nigrograna thailandica,Nigrospora ficuum,Oxydothis chinensis,O.yunnanensis,Petriella thailandica,Phaeoacremonium chinensis,Phialocephala chinensis,Phytophthora debattistii,Polyplosphaeria nigrospora,Pronectria loweniae,Seriascoma acutispora,Setoseptoria bambusae,Stictis anomianthi,Tarzetta tibetensis,Tarzetta urceolata,Tetraploa obpyriformis,Trichoglossum beninense,and Tricoderma pyrrosiae.We provide an emendation for Urnula ailaoshanensis Agaricus duplocingulatoides var.brevisporus introduced as a new variety based on morphology and phylogeny.

The numbers of fungi: is the descriptive curve flattening?

The recent realistic estimate of fungal numbers which used various algorithms was between 2.2 and 3.8 million.There are nearly 100,000 accepted species of Fungi and fungus-like taxa,which is between 2.6 and 4.5%of the estimated species.Several forums such as Botanica Marina series,Fungal Diversity notes,Fungal Biodiversity Profiles,Fungal Systematics and Evolution-New and Interesting Fungi,Mycosphere notes and Fungal Planet have enhanced the introduction of new taxa and nearly 2000 species have been introduced in these publications in the last decade.The need to define a fungal species more accurately has been recognized,but there is much research needed before this can be better clarified.We address the evidence that is needed to estimate the numbers of fungi and address the various advances that have been made towards its understanding.Some genera are barely known,whereas some plant pathogens comprise numerous species complexes and numbers are steadily increasing.In this paper,we examine ten genera as case studies to establish trends in fungal description and introduce new species in each genus.The genera are the ascomycetes Colletotrichum and Pestalotiopsis(with many species or complexes),Atrocalyx,Dothiora,Lignosphaeria,Okeanomyces,Rhamphoriopsis,Thozetella,Thyrostroma(rela-tively poorly studied genera)and the basidiomycete genus Lepiota.We provide examples where knowledge is incomplete or lacking and suggest areas needing further research.These include(1)the need to establish what is a species,(2)the need to establish how host-specific fungi are,not in highly disturbed urban areas,but in pristine or relatively undisturbed forests,and(3)the need to establish if species in different continents,islands,countries or regions are different,or if the same fungi occur worldwide?Finally,we conclude whether we are anywhere near to flattening the curve in new species description.

Predicting global numbers of teleomorphic ascomycetes

Sexual reproduction is the basic way to form high genetic diversity and it is beneficial in evolution and speciation of fungi.The global diversity of teleomorphic species in Ascomycota has not been estimated.This paper estimates the species number for sexual ascomycetes based on five different estimation approaches,viz.by numbers of described fungi,by fungus:substrate ratio,by ecological distribution,by meta-DNA barcoding or culture-independent studies and by previous estimates of species in Ascomycota.The assumptions were made with the currently most accepted,“2.2–3.8 million”species estimate and results of previous studies concluding that 90%of the described ascomycetes reproduce sexually.The Catalogue of Life,Species Fungorum and published research were used for data procurement.The average value of teleomorphic species in Ascomycota from all methods is 1.86 million,ranging from 1.37 to 2.56 million.However,only around 83,000 teleomorphic species have been described in Ascomycota and deposited in data repositories.The ratio between described teleomorphic ascomycetes to predicted teleomorphic ascomycetes is 1:22.Therefore,where are the undiscovered teleomorphic ascomycetes?The undescribed species are no doubt to be found in biodiversity hot spots,poorly-studied areas and species complexes.Other poorly studied niches include extremophiles,lichenicolous fungi,human pathogens,marine fungi,and fungicolous fungi.Undescribed species are present in unexamined collections in specimen repositories or incompletely described earlier spe-cies.Nomenclatural issues,such as the use of separate names for teleomorph and anamorphs,synonyms,conspecific names,illegitimate and invalid names also affect the number of described species.Interspecies introgression results in new species,while species numbers are reduced by extinctions.

Correction to:Predicting global numbers of teleomorphic ascomycete

In the section Biodiversity hotspots,the origin of most ascomycetous type collections was incorrectly worded.The original article has been corrected.

Appressorial interactions with host and their evolution

Fungi have evolved diverse strategies to acquire nutrients as endophytes,saprobes,symbionts,or pathogens.Appressoria have been intensively studied due to their importance in attaching and breaching the host surface.These specialized infection structures have evolved into various morpho-types:proto-appressoria,hyaline appressoria,melanized(dark)appressoria,and compound appressoria.In this review,we discuss the differences in the formation,differentiation,and function of appres-soria among fungi with diverse life strategies.Using DNA sequence information,LSU,5.8S,SSU and rpb2 gene fragments,we reconstructed the ancestral states for appressorial types in the main phyla of fungi and fungus-like organisms and found that the hyaline appressoria was the most ancestral form.Our analysis estimated proto-appressoria diversification during the Mesozoic period(92-239 million years ago),however,its origin remains inconclusive.Our data suggest that these hyaline appressoria diversified into melanized or compound appressoria,with evidence of adaptive radiation.

Refined families of Dothideomycetes:orders and families incertae sedis in Dothideomycetes

Numerous new taxa and classifications of Dothideomycetes have been published following the last monograph of families of Dothideomycetes in 2013.A recent publication by Honsanan et al.in 2020 expanded information of families in Dothideo-mycetidae and Pleosporomycetidae with modern classifications.In this paper,we provide a refined updated document on orders and families incertae sedis of Dothideomycetes.Each family is provided with an updated description,notes,including figures to represent the morphology,a list of accepted genera,and economic and ecological significances.We also provide phylogenetic trees for each order.In this study,31 orders which consist 50 families are assigned as orders incertae sedis in Dothideomycetes,and 41 families are treated as families incertae sedis due to lack of molecular or morphological evidence.The new order,Catinellales,and four new families,Catinellaceae,Morenoinaceae Neobuelliellaceae and Thyrinulaceae are introduced.Seven genera(Neobuelliella,Pseudomicrothyrium,Flagellostrigula,Swinscowia,Macroconstrictolumina,Pseudobogoriella,and Schummia)are introduced.Seven new species(Acrospermum urticae,Bogoriella complexoluminata,Dothiorella ostryae,Dyfrolomyces distoseptatus,Macroconstrictolumina megalateralis,Patellaria microspora,and Pseu-domicrothyrium thailandicum)are introduced base on morphology and phylogeny,together with two new records/reports and five new collections from different families.Ninety new combinations are also provided in this paper.