High‑throughput sequencing view on the magnitude of global fungal diversity

High-throughput DNA sequencing has dramatically transformed several areas of biodiversity research including mycol-ogy.Despite limitations,high-throughput sequencing is nowadays a predominant method to characterize the alpha and beta diversity of fungal communities.Across the papers utilizing high-throughput sequencing approaches to study natural habitats in terrestrial ecosystems worldwide,>200 studies published until 2019 have generated over 250 million sequences of the primary mycological metabarcoding marker,the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 2(ITS2).Here we show that at a 97%sequence similarity threshold,the total richness of non-singleton fungal taxa across the studies published so far is 1.08 million,mostly Ascomycota(56.8%of the taxa)and Basidiomycota(36.7%of the taxa).The Chao-1 estimate of the total extant fungal diversity based on this dataset is 6.28 million taxa,representing a conservative estimate of global fungal species richness.Soil and litter represent the habitats with the highest alpha diversity of fungi followed by air,plant shoots,plant roots and deadwood with Chao-1 predictions,for samples containing 5000 sequences,of 1219,569,392,228,215 and 140 molecular species,respectively.Based on the high-throughput sequencing data,the highest proportion of unknown fungal species is associated with samples of lichen and plant tissues.When considering the use of high-throughput sequenc-ing for the estimation of global fungal diversity,the limitations of the method have to be taken into account,some of which are sequencing platform-specific while others are inherent to the metabarcoding approaches of species representation.In this respect,high-throughput sequencing data can complement fungal diversity predictions based on methods of traditional mycology and increase our understanding of fungal biodiversity.

Investigating the coagulation of non-proteinaceous algal organic matter: Optimizing coagulation performance and identification of removal mechanisms

The removal of algal organic matter(AOM) is a growing concern for the water treatment industry worldwide. The current study investigates coagulation of non-proteinaceous AOM(AOM after protein separation), which has been minimally explored compared with proteinaceous fractions. Jar tests with either aluminum sulphate(alum) or polyaluminium chloride(PACl) were performed at doses of 0.2–3.0 mg Al per 1 mg of dissolved organic carbon in the p H range 3.0–10.5. Additionally, non-proteinaceous matter was characterized in terms of charge, molecular weight and carbohydrate content to assess the treatability of its different fractions. Results showed that only up to 25% of non-proteinaceous AOM can be removed by coagulation under optimized conditions. The optimal coagulation p H(6.6–8.0 for alum and 7.5–9.0 for PACl) and low surface charge of the removed fraction indicated that the prevailing coagulation mechanism was adsorption of non-proteinaceous matter onto aluminum hydroxide precipitates. The lowest residual Al concentrations were achieved in very narrow p H ranges, especially in the case of PACl. High-molecular weight saccharidelike organics were amenable to coagulation compared to low-molecular weight(< 3 k Da)substances. Their high content in non-proteinaceous matter(about 67%) was the reason for its low removal. Comparison with our previous studies implies that proteinaceous and nonproteinaceous matter is coagulated under different conditions due to the employment of diverse coagulation mechanisms. The study suggests that further research should focus on the removal of low-molecular weight AOM, reluctant to coagulate, with other treatment processes to minimize its detrimental effect on water safety.

Lost Memories of Winter： Breaking the FLC Silence

Vernalization, the acquisition of competence to flower after extended cold treatment, has puzzled researchers throughout the last century. Great progress in understanding the molecular mechanisms of vernalization in Arabidopsis has been made in the course of the last 20 years, placing the flowering repressor- encoding gene FLOWERING LOCUS C （FLC） in the limelight （Bouch6 et al., 2017）. In vernalization-dependent accessions, FRIGIDA （FRI） ensures strong expression of FLC that delays flowering, and extended exposure to low temperatures such as during winter leads to stable repression of FLC, which in turn clears the way for induction of flowering.

Coordinating plant pigment production:A green role for ORANGE family proteins

Chlorophylls and carotenoids are essential pigments for photosynthesis and plastid/plant development.Chlorophylls are utilized for light harvesting and primary charge separation,whereas carotenoids are accessory light-harvesting pigments that also play major roles in photoprotection,in the assembly and stability of photosystems,and as precursors to phytohormones and other important signaling molecules.The biosynthesis of these pigments must be precisely regulated to ensure their balanced production for the synthesis,assembly,and maintenance of the photosynthetic apparatus.

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.