Effects of Fermented Nori (<i>Pyropia yezoensis</i>) Liquid Fertilizer on Plant Growth Characteristics and Nutrient Content of Komatsuna (<i>Brassica rapa</i>L. var. Wakana Komatsuna) Cultivated in Vermiculite

We conducted plant growth experiments in microbe-free vermiculite to study the effects of four types of fermented seaweed liquid fertilizer (SLF) made from nori (Pyropia yezoensis) seaweed on the germination, plant growth characteristics, SPAD value, and nutrient content and uptake of komatsuna (Brassica rapa L. var. wakana komatsuna). The four types of fermented nori SLF used in this study were prepared by anaerobic fermentation of unwashed nori (SLF1), aerobic fermentation of unwashed nori (SLF2), anaerobic fermentation of washed nori (SLF3), and aerobic fermentation of washed nori (SLF4). Komatsuna seeds treated with 200-, 300-, and 400-fold dilutions of SLFs exhibited improved relative germination ratios (RGRs) at 3 and 4 days after sowing (DAS). At 4 DAS, the RGRs of seeds treated with 10-, 100-, 200-, 300-, and 400-fold SLF dilutions showed no differential effect. Seeds treated with undiluted SLFs did not germinate by 4 DAS. SLF1 may promote komatsuna seed germination. The nitrogen (N), calcium, magnesium, sodium (Na), and iodine (I) contents of plants treated with SLF1 were significantly increased relative to plants treated with the other SLFs. Moreover, the I and Na contents of plants were significantly increased by foliar spray application of different dilutions of SLF1. However, SLF treatment markedly reduced the shoot dry weight compared with 1/2-strength modified Hoagland nutrient (MHN) solution, although the same amounts of N and K were applied. SPAD values of the plants treated with SLFs were significantly higher than those of plants treated with MHN. Foliar treatment with SLFs had no significant effect on plant growth, SPAD value, or uptake of nutrients (except Na) relative to the control, but the I content was increased. Plants treated with SLF1 and SLF2 exhibited the highest Na uptake. Foliar spray treatments with SLF1 resulted in the highest I contents in plants. Based on our results, SLF1 is suitable for use as a liquid fertilizer to promote germination and increase nutrient content in komatsuna. These results need to be followed up in soil experiments in the presence of microbes in the rhizosphere.

Effects of Fermented Nori (<i>Pyropia yezoensis</i>) Seaweed Liquid Fertilizers on Growth Characteristics, Nutrient Uptake, and Iodine Content of Komatsuna (<i>Brassica rapa</i>L.) Cultivated in Soil

We investigated the effects of fermented nori (Pyropia yezoensis) liquid fertilizers on plant growth, soil plant analysis development (SPAD) values, and nutrient uptake of komatsuna (Brassica rapa L. var. wakana komatsuna) plants. The four types of fermented nori seaweed liquid fertilizers (SLFs) evaluated in this study were prepared by anaerobic fermentation of unwashed nori (SLF1), aerobic fermentation of unwashed nori (SLF2), anaerobic fermentation of washed nori (SLF3), and aerobic fermentation of washed nori (SLF4). In Experiment 1, the highest plant growth, SPAD, and nutrient uptake values were obtained from treatment with SLF2 and SLF4. There were no significant differences between the effects of basal and foliar application of SLFs, except for iodine (I) content;plants treated with SLF1 had the highest I content. In Experiment 2, plant growth and nutrient uptake decreased with higher concentrations of SLFs. Plants treated with 25% SLF2 + 75% chemical fertilizer (CF) or 25% SLF4 + 75% CF exhibited significantly higher plant growth and nutrient uptake. The highest I content resulted from treatment with 75% SLF1 + 25% CF or 100% SLF1. Taken together, our results showed that 25% SLF + 75% CF produced the best plant growth characteristics, nutrient uptake, and I content relative to the controls. Therefore, basal application of these liquid organic fertilizers can be used to increase productivity, nutrient uptake, and I content and to reduce nitrate-nitrogen content in komatsuna production.

Ramularia coleosporii(Mycosphaerella)on Plumeria rust in Thailand

A hyperparasitic fungus was found on uredinia of Coleosporium plumeria on leaves of Plumeria rubra in Thailand.The hyperparasite was identified as Ramularia coleosporii following an examination of its morphological characters and a phylogenetic analysis by using ITS sequence data.This is the first record of R.coleosporii on C.plumeriae in Thailand.Ramularia coleosporii has the potential for biocontrol management strategies of the rust.

Rodent management in Aotearoa New Zealand: approaches and challenges to landscape-scale control

Aotearoa—New Zealand has only four rodent species,all introduced.In order of arrival,they are Pacific rat Rattus exulans,brown rat R.norvegicus,house mouse Mus musculus,and black rat R.rattus.Rodent management in New Zealand aims mainly to conserve indigenous biodiversity rather than to protect crops or manage diseases,as is usual elsewhere.We describe four major“regimes”and one major vision for rodent control in New Zealand to meet ecological restoration objectives.Current challenges for island eradications are for large islands that are remote or populated by people.Aerial 1080 is the only large-scale(tens of thousands of hectares)option for black rat control,but its application requires adjustment to counter subsequent rapid black rat repopulation.Unfenced“ecosanctuaries”(mean 720 ha)use ground-based traps and poisons to target mainly black rats and face constant reinvasion.Ecosanctuaries with mammal-resistant fences(up to 3500 ha)limit reinvasion and target more pest species and have enabled the return of previously extirpated taxa to the main islands.Predator Free 2050 aims to eradicate the rat species(but not mice)plus some other introduced mammals from New Zealand by 2050.This vision is not attainable with current tools,but research and experimental management is exploring techniques and technologies.The large scale(to 100000 ha)at which black rats are now targeted for control to extremely low abundance seems to be unique to New Zealand.

Using classification assignment rules to assess land-use change impacts on forest biodiversity at local-to-national scales

Background： Ecosystem representation is one key component in assessing the biodiversity impacts of land-use changes that will irrevocably alter natural ecosystems. We show how detailed vegetation plot data can be used to assess the potential impact of inundation by a proposed hydroelectricity dam in the Mokihinui gorge, New Zealand, on representation of natural forests. Specifically we ask： 1） How well are the types of forest represented Locally, regionally, and nationally; and 2） How does the number of distinct communities （i.e. beta diversity） in the target catchment compare with other catchments nationally？ Methods： For local and regional comparisons plant species composition was recorded on 45 objectively located 400 m2 vegetation plots established in each of three gorges, with one being the proposed inundation area of the Mokihinui lower gorge. The fuzzy classification framework of noise clustering was used to assign these plots to a specific alliance and association of a pre-existing national-scale classification. NationaLly, we examined the relationship between the number of alliances and associations in a catchment and either catchment size or the number of plots per catchment by fitting Generalised Additive Models. Results： The four alliances and five associations that were observed in the Mokihinui lower gorge arepresent in the region but limited locally. One association was narrowly distributed nationally, but is the mostfrequent association in the Mokihinui lower gorge; inundation may have consequences of national importance to its long-term persistence. That the Mokihinui lower gorge area had nearly twice as many plots that could not be assigned to pre- existing alliances and associations than either the Mokihinui upper or the Karamea lower gorges and proportionally more than the national dataset emphasises the compositional distinctiveness of this gorge. These outlier plots in the Mokihinui lower gorge may be unsorted assemblages of species or reflect sampling bias or that native- dominated woody riparian vegetation is rare on the landscape. At a national scale, the Mokihinui catchment has a higher diversity of forest alliances and associations （i.e. beta-diversity） than predicted based on catchment size and sampling intensity. Conclusions： Our analytical approach demonstrates one transparent solution to a common conservation planning problem： assessing how well ecosystems that will be destroyed by a proposed land-use change are represented using a multi-scale spatial and compositional framework. We provide a useful tool for assessing potential consequences of land-use change that can help guide decision making.

Advances in Information Provision from Wireless Sensor Networks for Irrigated Crops

Current advances in connected sensor technologies for near real-time environmental monitoring are transforming the quality of information provision to land managers. This “Third Industrial Revolution” that connects digital sensor data analytics with adaptive services aims to transform data processing for timely decision support. The information is needed to improve irrigation scheduling, because global demand for food relies heavily on irrigation and global freshwater resources are diminishing. Previously, practitioners used visual indicators, infrequent measurements or predictive water balance models to estimate irrigation schedules. Visual indicators and infrequent measurements are approximate, and predictive models require many inputs so that likely cumulative errors cause inaccuracies in scheduling. In contrast, wireless sensor networks enable near real-time continuous measurement of soil moisture at targeted positions providing the site-specific information required for precision irrigation scheduling and efficient freshwater management. This paper describes and compares the structure, build and implementation of Crossbow, DigiMesh, and LoRa systems to deliver information on spatio-temporal soil water status and crop stress to practitioners over smart phones and webpages to improve management of irrigated land. Our study found that the newer LoRA system has advantages over the other systems, especially on flat land, with furthest node range of >10 km and advanced communication protocols that can penetrate dense vegetation. The mesh networking of the DigiMesh and Crossbow systems was preferred in hilly terrain to communicate around hills, and allows easy expansion of the network. The Crossbow system is simpler to install but presents difficulties for third party sensor integration. All systems allowed a step change in our ability to track dynamic changes in soil hydraulic properties and crop stress, to improve irrigation water use efficiency.

Alpine grassland degradation intensifies the burrowing behavior of small mammals:evidence for a negative feedback loop

Globally,grassland degradation is an acute ecological problem.In alpine grassland on the Tibetan Plateau,increased densities of various small mammals in degraded grassland are assumed to intensify the degradation process and these mammals are subject to lethal control.However,whether the negative impact of small mammals is solely a result of population size or also a result of activity and behavior has not been tested.In this study,we use plateau pika as a model to compare population size,core area of colony,and the number of burrow entrances and latrines between lightly and severely degraded grassland.We test whether the alleged contribution of pika to grassland degradation is a result of increased population size or increased burrowing activities of individuals in response to lower food abundance.We found that grassland degradation resulted in lower plant species richness,plant height,and biomass.Furthermore,the overall population size of pika was not significantly affected by location in lightly and severely degraded grassland.However,pika core areas in severely grassland degradation were significantly larger and had significantly higher densities of burrows and latrines.Our study provides convincing evidence that habitat-induced changes in the behavior of small,burrowing mammals,such as pika,can exacerbate grassland degradation.This finding has significant implications for managing small mammals and restoring degraded grassland ecosystems.

Net ecosystem carbon exchange for Bermuda grass growing in mesocosms as affected by irrigation frequency

Intensification of grazed grasslands following conversion from dryland to irrigated farming has the potential to alter ecosystem carbon(C)cycling and affect components of carbon dioxide(CO_(2))exchange that could lead to either net accumulation or loss of soil C.While there are many studies on the effect of water availability on biomass production and soil C stocks,much less is known about the effect of the frequency of water inputs on the components of CO_(2)exchange.We grew Bermuda grass(Cynodon dactylon L.)in mesocosms under irrigation frequencies of every day(I_(1) treatment,30 d),every two days(I_(2) treatment,12 d),every three days(I_(3) treatment,30 d),and every six days(I_(6) treatment,18 d,after I_(2) treatment).Rates of CO_(2)exchange for estimating net ecosystem CO_(2)exchange(F_(N)),ecosystem respiration(R_(E)),and soil respiration(R_(S))were measured,and gross C uptake by plants(F_(G))and respiration from leaves(R_(L))were calculated during two periods,1–12 and 13–30 d,of the 30-d experiment.During the first 12 d,there were no significant differences in cumulative F_(N)(mean±standard deviation,61±30 g C m^(-2),n=4).During the subsequent 18 d,cumulative F_(N) decreased with decreasing irrigation frequency and increasing cumulative soil water deficit(W),with values of 70±22,60±16,and 18±12 g C m^(-2) for the I_(1),I_(3),and I_(6) treatments,respectively.There were similar decreases in F_(G),R_(E),and R_(L) with increasing W,but differences in R_(S) were not significant.Use of the C_(4) grass growing in a C_(3)-derived soil enabled partitioning of R_(S) into its autotrophic(R_(A))and heterotrophic(R_(H))components using a^(13)C natural abundance isotopic technique at the end of the experiment when differences in cumulative W between the treatments were the greatest.The values of R_(H) and its percentage contributions to R_(S)(43%±8%,42%±8%,and 8%±5%for the I_(1),I_(3),and I_(6) treatments,respectively)suggested that R_(H) remained unaffected across a wide range of W and then decreased under extreme W.There were no significant differences in aboveground biomass between the treatments.Nitrous oxide(N_(2)O)emission was measured to determine if there was a trade-off effect between irrigation frequency and increasing W on net greenhouse gas emission,but no significant differences were found between the treatments.These findings suggest that over short periods in well-drained soil,irrigation frequency could be managed to manipulate soil water deficit in order to reduce net belowground respiratory C losses,particularly those from the microbial decomposition of soil organic matter,with no significant effect on biomass production and N_(2)O emission.

Fries所著Observationes Mycologicae(cancellans issue再版)中虫草属及其相关种的名称(英文)

Fries 1818年所著Observationes Mycologicae(cancellans issue再版)中,发表了虫草属Cordyceps及该属13个新组合(11个种,2个变种)。而在这部著作的原始版本中,它们是以Cordylia nom.illegit.和Cordylia属的13个组合记载的。17个在原始版本中缺失的名称,再版时处理为7个新种、5个新组合、2个不合法名称和3个裸名。

Fungicolous fungi:terminology,diversity,distribution,evolution,and species checklist

Fungicolous fungi are a very large,diverse,ecological and trophic group of organisms that are associated with other fungi.This association occurs with species of different lineages across the fungal kingdom.They are recognized as symbionts,mycoparasites,saprotrophs,and even neutrals.Wherever fungi have been found,fungicolous taxa have also been found.Homogeneous environments favour the development of highly adapted and coevolved fungicolous species,which could have led to host-specificity aspects.As a primary consumer,fungicolous fungi decrease the turnaround time of certain nutrients in food webs,due to their special often-rapid life cycles.They may also significantly affect population dynamics and population sizes of their hosts in aquatic or terrestrial ecosystems.As mycoparasites of pathogenic fungi,some fungicolous fungi have been explored as biocontrol agents.They may also cause serious diseases of cultivated edible and medicinal mushrooms,decreasing both yield and quality.Fungicolous fungi could be used as model organisms that may help determine better understanding of species interactions,fungal evolution and divergence,and fungicolous mechanisms.This review summarizes our current understanding of fungicolous fungi,with a particular focus on the terminology,diversity,global distribution,and interaction with their hosts.We also provide a checklist including 1552 fungicolous fungal taxa so far recorded following the updated classification schemes.There is a need for further investigations on this ecologically important group of fungi to better understand their biology,ecological aspects,origin and divergence,hostspecificity and application in biocontrol.Accurate identification of these fungi as pathogens and their significance in quarantine purposes on the mushroom industry need further evaluations so that efficient control measures can be developed for better disease management purposes.

Divergence time calibrations for ancient lineages of Ascomycota classification based on a modern review of estimations

Inaccurate taxonomic placement of fossils can lead to the accumulation of errors in molecular clock studies and their generated evolutionary lineages.There are limited fossil data that can be used in divergence time estimations.Therefore,reliable morphological characterization and taxonomical identification of fossil fungi are extremely important.Most fossils of Dothideomycetes and Sordariomycetes are from the early Cenozoic(66-23 Mya),with fewer from the late Mesozoic(174-145 Mya).However,it is hard to distinguish some fossil descriptions as photographs and illustrations are unclear;thus,the validity of using these fossils in calibrations of molecular clocks is problematic.This study brings scattered paleobiological data on selected fossil Ascomycota,using descriptions,fossil images and illustrations,coupled with recent age estimations,and taxonomic and phylogenetic affinity of extant species.As an integrated approach,this study summarizes a historical fossil outline with a reliable minimum age for 16 calibrating points viz.crown of Aigialus,Anzia,Aspergillus,Asterina,Calicium chlorosporum–C.nobile,Capnodiales,Chaenotheca,Colletotrichum,Diaporthales,Meliola,Ophiocordyceps,Microthyriales,Microthyrium,Muyocopron,Pezizomycotina and Stigmatomyces.A scheme of Ascomycota ancient lineages is also provided in order to improve divergence time estimations.

An assessment of the potential impact of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 in Aotearoa New Zealand

New Zealand delayed the introduction of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 into the community by the continued use of strict border controls through to January 2022.This allowed time for vaccination rates to increase and the roll out of third doses of the vaccine(boosters)to begin.It also meant more data on the characteristics of Omicron became available prior to the first cases of community transmission.Here we present a mathematical model of an Omicron epidemic,incorporating the effects of the booster roll out and waning of vaccine-induced immunity,and based on estimates of vaccine effectiveness and disease severity from international data.The model considers differing levels of immunity against infection,severe illness and death,and ignores waning of infection-induced immunity.This model was used to provide an assessment of the potential impact of an Omicron wave in the New Zealand population,which helped inform government preparedness and response.At the time the modelling was carried out,the date of introduction of Omicron into the New Zealand community was unknown.We therefore simulated outbreaks with different start dates,as well as investigating different levels of booster uptake.We found that an outbreak starting on 1 February or 1 March led to a lower health burden than an outbreak starting on 1 January because of increased booster coverage,particularly in older age groups.We also found that outbreaks starting later in the year led to worse health outcomes than an outbreak starting on 1 March.This is because waning immunity in older groups started to outweigh the increased protection from higher booster coverage in younger groups.For an outbreak starting on 1 February and with high booster uptake,the number of occupied hospital beds in the model peaked between 800 and 3,300 depending on assumed transmission rates.We conclude that combining an accelerated booster programme with public health measures to flatten the curve are key to avoid overwhelming the healthcare system.

Effect of vaccination,border testing,and quarantine requirements on the risk of COVID-19 in New Zealand:A modelling study

We couple a simple model of quarantine and testing strategies for international travellers with a model for transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in a partly vaccinated population.We use this model to estimate the risk of an infectious traveller causing a community outbreak under various border control strategies and different levels of vaccine coverage in the population.Results are calculated from N¼100,000 independent realisations of the stochastic model.We find that strategies that rely on home isolation are significantly higher risk than the current mandatory 14-day stay in government-managed isolation.Nevertheless,combinations of testing and home isolation can still reduce the risk of a community outbreak to around one outbreak per 100 infected travellers.We also find that,under some circumstances,using daily lateral flow tests or a combination of lateral flow tests and polymerase chain reaction(PCR)tests can reduce risk to a comparable or lower level than using PCR tests alone.Combined with controls on the number of travellers from countries with high prevalence of COVID-19,our results allow different options for managing the risk of COVID-19 at the border to be compared.This can be used to inform strategies for relaxing border controls in a phased way,while limiting the risk of community outbreaks as vaccine coverage increases.

Correction to:Fungicolous fungi:terminology,diversity,distribution,evolution,and species checklist

Correction to:Fungal Diversity https://doi.org/10.1007/s13225-019-00422-9 There were errors in Figs.1 and 2 in the original publication.Figure panels 1a,1b,1h and 1p did not match the legend.The correct Fig.1 is published below.In Fig.2,the word Fusion should be Fusional.

Taxonomic and phylogenetic contributions to fungi associated with the invasive weed Chromolaena odorata (Siam weed)

This article provides morphological descriptions and illustrations of microfungi associated with the invasive weed,Chro-molaena odorata,which were mainly collected in northern Thailand.Seventy-seven taxa distributed in ten orders,23 families(of which Neomassarinaceae is new),12 new genera(Chromolaenicola,Chromolaenomyces,Longiappendispora,Pseudocapulatispora,Murichromolaenicola,Neoophiobolus,Paraleptospora,Pseudoroussoella,Pseudostaurosphaeria,Pseudothyridariella,Setoarthopyrenia,Xenoroussoella),47 new species(Aplosporella chromolaenae,Arthrinium chromolae-nae,Chromolaenicola chiangraiensis,C.lampangensis,C.nanensis,C.thailandensis,Chromolaenomyces appendiculatus,Diaporthe chromolaenae,Didymella chromolaenae,Dyfrolomyces chromolaenae,Leptospora chromolaenae,L.phraeana,Longiappendispora chromolaenae,Memnoniella chromolaenae,Montagnula chiangraiensis,M.chromolaenae,M.chromo-laenicola,M.thailandica,Murichromolaenicola chiangraiensis,M.chromolaenae,Muyocopron chromolaenae,M.chromo-laenicola,Neomassarina chromolaenae,Neoophiobolus chromolaenae,Neopyrenochaeta chiangraiensis,N.chromolaenae,N.thailandica,N.triseptatispora,Nigrograna chromolaenae,Nothophoma chromolaenae,Paraleptospora chromolaenae,P.chromolaenicola,Patellaria chromolaenae,Pseudocapulatispora longiappendiculata,Pseudoroussoella chromolaenae,Pseudostaurosphaeria chromolaenae,P.chromolaenicola,Pseudothyridariella chromolaenae,Pyrenochaetopsis chromolae-nae,Rhytidhysteron chromolaenae,Setoarthopyrenia chromolaenae,Sphaeropsis chromolaenicola,Tremateia chiangraiensis,T.chromolaenae,T.thailandensis,Xenoroussoella triseptata,Yunnanensis chromolaenae),12 new host records,three new taxonomic combinations(Chromolaenicola siamensis,Pseudoroussoella elaeicola,Pseudothyridariella mahakashae),and two reference specimens(Torula chromolaenae,T.fici)are described and illustrated.Unlike some other hosts,e.g.bamboo(Poaceae)and Pandanaceae,the dominant group of fungi on Siam weed were Dothideomycetes.Only 15 species previously recorded from northern Thailand were found in this study.Most of the taxa are likely to have jumped hosts from surrounding plants and are unlikely to be a specialist to Siam weed.Most fungal families found on Siam weed had divergence estimates with stem ages in the Cretaceous,which coincided with the expected origin of the host family(Asteraceae).This further indicates that the species have jumped hosts,as it is unlikely that the taxa on the alien Siam weed came from the Americas with its host.They may,however,have jumped from other Asteraceae hosts.In a preliminary screening 40(65%)of the 62 species tested showed antimicrobial activity and thus,the fungi associated with C.odorata may be promising sources of novel bioactive compound discovery.We provide a checklist of fungi associated with C.odorata based on the USDA Systematic Mycology and Microbiology Laboratory(SMML)database,relevant literature and our study.In total,130 taxa(116 identified and 14 unidentified species)are distributed in 20 orders,48 families and 85 genera.Pseudocercospora is the most commonly encountered genus on Siam weed.

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.

Taxonomy and phylogeny of hyaline‑spored coelomycetes

Coelomycete is a general term used for asexual fungi which produce conidia in fruiting bodies:pycnidial,acervular,cupulate,pycnothyria or stromatic conidiomata.The group contains numerous plant pathogenic,saprobic and endophytic species associated with a wide range of hosts.Traditionally,morphological characters and host associations have been used as criteria to identify and classify coelomycetes,and this has resulted in a poor understanding of their generic and species boundaries.DNA based taxonomic studies have provided a better outlook of the phylogenetic and evolutionary trends in coelomycetes.However,the present outcomes represent only a preliminary step towards the understanding of coelomycetes.Many genera have not been revisited since they were first described.The present study revises the classification of the hyaline-spored coelomycetes and provides a modern taxonomic framework based on both morphology and phylogeny.In total,248 genera were investigated,of which less than 100 are known to have sequence data.Multi-locus sequence data analyses of 28S nrDNA,18S nrDNA,ITS,RNA polymerase II second largest subunit(rpb2),and part of the translation elongation factor 1-alpha gene(tef1)andβ-tubulin(tub2)gene regions were analysed.As a result,three new genera and 23 new species are introduced.In addition,three new links between sexual and asexual genera are provided.There are 138 genera that lack sequence data,and these are treated as Ascomycota,genera incertae sedis.Line drawings and descriptions are provided based on the examination of types and fresh collections and on the literature.

Taxonomy and phylogeny of dematiaceous coelomycetes

t Coelomycetous fungi are an artificial taxonomic group which produce conidia inside a cavity i.e.conidiomata.Coelomycetes comprise about,1000 genera and 7000 species,which can be endophytic,pathogenic or saprobic.Traditional classification of coelomycetes was previously based on morphology,such as the shape of conidiomata and mode of conidiogenesis,while it was treated as a distinct group i.e.Deuteromycotina.Sequence based taxonomic studies has been used to accommodate asexual fungi in a natural classification system,resolve generic boundaries of polyphyletic genera and species complexes,as well as establish asexual-sexual links.Nevertheless,most of genera lack sequence data,thus,morphology based identification is still important when introducing new genera or species.In this paper we illustrate,describe,and provide taxonomic notes for 235 dematiaceous coelomycetous genera,including five new genera viz.Apiculospora,Didymellocamarosporium,Melanocamarosporium,Melnikia and Paulkirkia.Phylogenetic analyses of combined sequence data are provided to show placements of dematiaceous coelomycetes in Dothideomycetes,Leotiomycetes and Sordariomycetes.One-hundred and fifty-two(65%)of genera have sequence data,thus,their taxonomic placement in a natural classification system,is listed as an outline.However,83 genera still lack sequence data,hence,they are treated as Ascomycota,genera incertae sedis.In addition,separate analyses are provided where better taxonomic resolution is needed.

A thelytokous predatory mite is more cannibalistic towards distant kin

Kin recognition has been widely observed in various taxa.Cannibalism avoidance may be a strong driver for the evolution of kin recognition,as it may avoid a reduction in inclusive fitness.Kin recognition has recently been observed in a generalist phytoseiid,Amblyseius herbicolus(Acari:Phytoseiidae).This study experimentally examined the degree of relatedness needed between prey larvae and cannibal adults of A.herbicolus for the occurrence of kin discrimination.The adults were individually placed in enclosed arenas with two prey,a daughter and a more distant related larva,to observe their cannibalizing choice.The adults of A.herbicolus did not discriminate between close relatives(daughter versus niece)but preferably cannibalized more distant kin(i.e.,first and second cousins once removed).Phenotype matching and familiarization seem prominent as recognition mechanisms used by A.herbicolus adults.The effect of learning on kin recognition through prior contact in A.herbicolus requires further investigation.Studies on other adaptive functions of kin recognition of A.herbicolus,such as cooperation and parental care,may provide meaningful insights.