Locoweed plants in the southwestern United States often harbour a slow-growing endophytic fungus, Undifilum oxytropis (Phylum: Ascomycota; Order: Pleosporales), which produces a toxic alkaloid, swainsonine. Consumption of U. oxytropis by grazing animals induces a neurological disorder called locoism for which the toxic alkaloid swainsonine has been reported to be the causal agent. Little is kno...

Species in the Botryosphaeriaceae are common plant pathogens and saprobes found on a variety of mainly woody hosts. Teleomorphs typically have hyaline, aseptate ascospores. However, some have been reported with brown ascospores and their taxonomic status is uncertain. A multi-gene approach (SSU, ITS, LSU, EF1-alpha and beta-tubulin) was used to resolve the correct phylogenetic position of the d...

In this study we present a new approach to characterize fungal diversity with DNA sequencing of mycelium grown from trapped airborne spores. Fungal spores were extracted systematically from air in three boreal forest sites (clear-cut, young and old-growth forests) using an air sampling device. Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences from the nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) were generated, and...

The species diversity of culturable endophytic fungi was studied in the leaves and twigs symptomatic asymptomatic Fraxinus excelsior trees. Endophytic mycobiota dominated by Ascomycota species, with Pleosporales (44.17%) Diaporthales (23.79%) endophytes being most frequently observed tree samples. number isolates richness varied depending on sampling date (May October) tissue location. Of 54 id...

Most fungal diversity studies have previously been based on morphological examination and cultivation methods. In this study we use a molecular method based on DGGE coupled with sequence analysis of 18S rRNA gene to assess fungal diversity on leaves of Magnolia liliifera. To achieve this, we extracted total genomic DNA and used fungal specific primers (NS1 and GCFung) to obtain fungal sequences...

Very few studies have addressed the phylogenetic diversity of fungi from Northeast India under the Eastern Himalayan range. In the present study, an attempt has been made to study the phylogenetic diversity of culturable soil fungi along the altitudinal gradients of eastern Himalayas. Soil samples from 24 m above sea level to 2,000 m above sea level altitudes of North-East India were collected ...

The taxonomy of the coelomycetes has undergone dramatic changes in recent years, but remains controversial due to the high number of taxa involved, their poor morphological differentiation, the rare occurrence of the sexual morphs, and rapid loss of fertility in vitro. In the present study, we revisited the families Cucurbitariaceae and Didymellaceae (Pleosporales, Dothideomycetes), which inclu...

The use of dark septate fungi (DSE) to promote plant growth can be beneficial to agriculture, and these organisms are important allies in the search for sustainable agriculture practices. This study investigates the contribution of dark septate fungi to the absorption of nutrients by rice plants and their ensuing growth. Four dark septate fungi isolates that were identified by Internal transcri...

In order to identify the endophytic fungi of some plants of the family Asteraceae, samples of Achillea filipendulina Lam. were collected from Golestan province (Iran) in spring 2016. The plants were rinsed gently with running water, and then were cut into 0.5–1 cm pieces. The surface sterilization was done by sodium hypochlorite (1.5–2.5% NaOCl), followed by 75% ethan...