Gliocladium

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Gliocladium
Pink rot of Areca palm.jpg
Pink rot of areca palm ( Chrysalidocarpus lutescens ) caused by Gliocladium vermoeseni
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Sordariomycetes
Order: Hypocreales
Family: Hypocreaceae
Genus: Gliocladium
Corda, 1840
Species

See text

Gliocladium [1] is an asexual fungal genus in the Hypocreaceae. Certain other species including Gliocladium virens were recently transferred to the genus Trichoderma [2] and G. roseum became Clonostachys rosea f. rosea in the Bionectriaceae. Gliocladium is a mitosporic, filamentous fungus. Species of Gliocladium rarely produce a sexual state. [3] Most pathogenic, disease-causing fungi in humans are mitosporic like Gliocladium. [3] Gliocladium is filamentous; it grows tubular, elongated, and thread-like. [4] It can be considered a contaminant.

Contents

Species

Species fungorum currently (July 2018) lists the remaining species (+ G. zaleskii):

Note: the commonly-occurring (previously type) species "Gliocladium penicilloides" has now been placed in the genus Sphaerostilbella .

Features

Species of Gliocladium are considered to have pathogenic potential although they are not commonly thought of as a disease causing agent in humans and animals. Gliotoxin is a metabolite of G. (now Trichoderma ) deliquescens. [4] The significance of gliotoxin has not yet been determined.

Gliocladium species occur worldwide in soil and decaying organic matter. Some species of Gliocladium are parasitic on other fungi. Gliocladium is found world-wide. Gliocladium is classified as a RG-1 organism; it is assessed to have low to no individual or community risk. Also, this microorganism is unlikely to cause human or animal disease. This status has been assessed by the American Biological Safety Association based upon criteria of the Classification of Infective Microorganisms by Risk Group. [6]

Most species of Gliocladium grow rapidly in culture producing spreading colonies with a cotton-like texture, covering a Petri dish in 1 week. The colonies are initially white and cream-like; but may become reddish or green as they age and sporulate. [7]

Microscopically, Gliocladium species produces hyphae, conidiophores, and conidia borne from hyaline phialides. [7] The conidiophores are erect, dense, and have a brush-like structure which produce tapering, slimy phialides. [7] Gliocladium can produce conidiophores that are branching and vertically oriented, similar to the genera Verticillium , Trichoderma and Penicillium . [7] Conidia are single-celled and cylindrical, accumulating in slime droplets at the tips of phialides that often become confluent across the apex of the entire conidiophore. This characteristic is in contrast to the dry conidia borne in persistent chains that characterize members of the genus Penicillium [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Penicillium</i> Genus of fungi

Penicillium is a genus of ascomycetous fungi that is part of the mycobiome of many species and is of major importance in the natural environment, in food spoilage, and in food and drug production.

Tolypocladium inflatum is an ascomycete fungus originally isolated from a Norwegian soil sample that, under certain conditions, produces the immunosuppressant drug ciclosporin. In its sexual stage (teleomorph) it is a parasite on scarab beetles. It forms a small, compound ascocarp that arises from the cadaver of its host beetle. In its asexual stage (anamorph) it is a white mold that grows on soil. It is much more commonly found in its asexual stage and this is the stage that was originally given the name Tolypocladium inflatum.

<i>Stachybotrys</i> Genus of fungi

Stachybotrys is a genus of molds, hyphomycetes or asexually reproducing, filamentous fungi, now placed in the family Stachybotryaceae. The genus was erected by August Carl Joseph Corda in 1837. Historically, it was considered closely related to the genus Memnoniella, because the spores are produced in slimy heads rather than in dry chains. Recently, the synonymy of the two genera is generally accepted. Most Stachybotrys species inhabit materials rich in cellulose. The genus has a widespread distribution and contained about 50 species in 2008. There are 88 records of Stachybotrys on Species Fungorum, of which 33 species have DNA sequence data in GenBank. Species in the genus are commonly found in soil, plant litter and air and a few species have been found from damp paper, cotton, linen, cellulose-based building materials water-damaged indoor buildings, and air ducts from both aquatic and terrestrial habitats.

<i>Trichoderma</i> Genus of fungi

Trichoderma is a genus of fungi in the family Hypocreaceae that is present in all soils, where they are the most prevalent culturable fungi. Many species in this genus can be characterized as opportunistic avirulent plant symbionts. This refers to the ability of several Trichoderma species to form mutualistic endophytic relationships with several plant species. The genomes of several Trichoderma specieshave been sequenced and are publicly available from the JGI.

Hyphomycetes are a form classification of fungi, part of what has often been referred to as fungi imperfecti, Deuteromycota, or anamorphic fungi. Hyphomycetes lack closed fruit bodies, and are often referred to as moulds. Most hyphomycetes are now assigned to the Ascomycota, on the basis of genetic connections made by life-cycle studies or by phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences; many remain unassigned phylogenetically.

Graphium is a genus of fungi in the family Microascaceae. Historically, Graphium was used for hyphomycetes with erect, black synnemata bearing a single, terminal, ball of one-celled, hyaline conidia produced from annellides. More than 100 species were described following that general concept before the diversity of sexual states and DNA phylogenies led to reclassification of most species. The approximately 20 species remaining in the modern genus are assumed to be minor plant pathogens on trees. Most species reported in soil, plant debris, woody substrates, manure, and polluted water are now classified in other genera such as Parascedosporium or Ophiostoma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fungi imperfecti</span> Fungal classification based on asexual characters when sexual reproduction is unidentified

The fungi imperfecti or imperfect fungi are fungi which do not fit into the commonly established taxonomic classifications of fungi that are based on biological species concepts or morphological characteristics of sexual structures because their sexual form of reproduction has never been observed. They are known as imperfect fungi because only their asexual and vegetative phases are known. They have asexual form of reproduction, meaning that these fungi produce their spores asexually, in the process called sporogenesis.

<i>Purpureocillium lilacinum</i> Species of fungus

Purpureocillium lilacinum is a species of filamentous fungus in the family Ophiocordycipitaceae. It has been isolated from a wide range of habitats, including cultivated and uncultivated soils, forests, grassland, deserts, estuarine sediments and sewage sludge, and insects. It has also been found in nematode eggs, and occasionally from females of root-knot and cyst nematodes. In addition, it has frequently been detected in the rhizosphere of many crops. The species can grow at a wide range of temperatures – from 8 to 38 °C for a few isolates, with optimal growth in the range 26 to 30 °C. It also has a wide pH tolerance and can grow on a variety of substrates. P. lilacinum has shown promising results for use as a biocontrol agent to control the growth of destructive root-knot nematodes.

<i>Penicillium digitatum</i> Species of fungus

Penicillium digitatum is a mesophilic fungus found in the soil of citrus-producing areas. It is a major source of post-harvest decay in fruits and is responsible for the widespread post-harvest disease in Citrus fruit known as green rot or green mould. In nature, this necrotrophic wound pathogen grows in filaments and reproduces asexually through the production of conidiophores and conidia. However, P. digitatum can also be cultivated in the laboratory setting. Alongside its pathogenic life cycle, P. digitatum is also involved in other human, animal and plant interactions and is currently being used in the production of immunologically based mycological detection assays for the food industry.

Penicillium verrucosum is a psychrophilic fungus which was discovered in Belgium and introduced by Dierckx in 1901. Six varieties of this species have been recognized based primarily on differences in colony colour: P. verrucosum var. album, P. verrucosum var. corymbiferum, P. verrucosum var. cyclopium, P. verrucosum var. ochraceum, P. verrucosum var. melanochlorum and P. verrucosum var. verrucosum. This fungus has important implications in food, specifically for grains and other cereal crops on which it grows. Its growth is carefully regulated in order to reduce food spoilage by this fungi and its toxic products. The genome of P. verrucosum has been sequenced and the gene clusters for the biosyntheses of its mycotoxins have been identified.

<i>Aspergillus clavatus</i> Species of fungus

Aspergillus clavatus is a species of fungus in the genus Aspergillus with conidia dimensions 3–4.5 x 2.5–4.5 μm. It is found in soil and animal manure. The fungus was first described scientifically in 1834 by the French mycologist John Baptiste Henri Joseph Desmazières.

Clonostachys is a genus of fungi in the order Hypocreales and family Bionectriaceae.

<i>Penicillium spinulosum</i> Species of fungus

Penicillium spinulosum is a non-branched, fast-growing fungus with a swelling at the terminal of the stipe (vesiculate) in the genus Penicillium. P. spinulosum is able to grow and reproduce in environment with low temperature and low water availability, and is known to be acidotolerant. P. spinulosum is ubiquitously distributed, and can often be isolated from soil. Each individual strain of P. spinulosum differs from others in their colony morphology, including colony texture, amount of sporulation and roughness of conidia and conidiophores.

<i>Mariannaea elegans</i> Species of fungus

Mariannaea elegans an anamorphic fungus. It is mainly found on rotting wood and soil. M. elegans is not pathogenic to humans, animals, or plants.

Botryotrichum piluliferum is a fungal species first identified in 1885 by Saccardo and Marchal. It was discovered to be the asexual state of a member of the ascomycete genus, Chaetomium. The name B. piluliferum now applies to the fungus in all its states. B. piluliferum has been found worldwide in a wide range of habitats such as animal dung and vegetation. The colonies of this fungus start off white and grow rapidly to a brown colour. The conidia are smooth and white. B. piluliferum grows optimally at a temperature of 25-30 °C and a pH of 5.5.

<i>Trichoderma koningii</i> Species of fungus

Trichoderma koningii is a very common soil dwelling saprotroph with a worldwide distribution. It has been heavily exploited for agricultural use as an effective biopesticide, having been frequently cited as an alternative biological control agent in the regulation of fungi-induced plant diseases. They are endosymbionts associated with plant root tissues, exhibiting mycoparasitism and promoting plant growth due to their capacity to produce different secondary metabolites.

<i>Acrostalagmus</i> Genus of fungi

Acrostalagmus is a genus of fungi belonging to the family Plectosphaerellaceae.

<i>Volutella</i> (fungus) Genus of fungi

Volutella is a genus of fungi belonging to the family Nectriaceae.

<i>Stilbella</i> Genus of fungi

Stilbella is a genus of fungi in the order Hypocreales. The relationship of this taxon to other taxa within the order is unknown, and it has not yet been placed with certainty into any family. It is sometimes placed in the family Bionectriaceae.

Conioscypha is a genus of terrestrial and freshwater fungi in the monotypic family Conioscyphaceae and the monotypic order Conioscyphales. They are found on decayed wood, leaves, or bamboo stems. Except for Conioscypha japonica which was isolated from dog skin fragments and hair in 2017.

References

  1. Corda (1840) Icon. fung. (Prague)4: 30.
  2. Mycobank. "Gliocladium virens".
  3. 1 2 "Mitosporic Fungi – MeSH – NCBI". Archived from the original on 19 November 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 "Gliocladium Species". doctorfungus.org. Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  5. "Gliocladium". www.mycobank.org. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  6. "ABSA – Risk Group Classification for Infectious Agents". absa.org. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Mycology Online | Gliocladium sp". mycology.adelaide.edu.au. Retrieved 2 June 2014.