Ascomycota is a phylum of the kingdom Fungi that, together with the Basidiomycota, forms the subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the sac fungi or ascomycetes. It is the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species. The defining feature of this fungal group is the "ascus", a microscopic sexual structure in which nonmotile spores, called ascospores, are formed. However, some species of Ascomycota are asexual and thus do not form asci or ascospores. Familiar examples of sac fungi include morels, truffles, brewers' and bakers' yeast, dead man's fingers, and cup fungi. The fungal symbionts in the majority of lichens such as Cladonia belong to the Ascomycota.
The nitrogen cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which nitrogen is converted into multiple chemical forms as it circulates among atmospheric, terrestrial, and marine ecosystems. The conversion of nitrogen can be carried out through both biological and physical processes. Important processes in the nitrogen cycle include fixation, ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification. The majority of Earth's atmosphere (78%) is atmospheric nitrogen, making it the largest source of nitrogen. However, atmospheric nitrogen has limited availability for biological use, leading to a scarcity of usable nitrogen in many types of ecosystems.
Desulfobacterales are an order of sulfate-reducing bacteria within the phylum Thermodesulfobacteria. The order contains three families; Desulfobacteraceae, Desulfobulbaceae, and Nitrospinaceae. The bacterium in this order are strict anaerobic respirators, using sulfate or nitrate as the terminal electron acceptor instead of oxygen. Desulfobacterales can degrade ethanol, molecular hydrogen, organic acids, and small hydrocarbons. The bacterium of this order have a wide ecological range and play important environmental roles in symbiotic relationships and nutrient cycling.
A growth medium or culture medium is a solid, liquid, or semi-solid designed to support the growth of a population of microorganisms or cells via the process of cell proliferation or small plants like the moss Physcomitrella patens. Different types of media are used for growing different types of cells.
The Taphrinomycotina are one of three subdivisions constituting the Ascomycota and is more or less synonymous with the slightly older invalid name Archiascomycetes. Recent molecular studies suggest that the group is monophyletic and basal to the rest of the Ascomycota.
Neolecta is a genus of ascomycetous fungi. The species share the English designation "Earth tongues" along with some better-known fungi with a similar general form, but in fact they are only distantly related.
Taphrina is a fungal genus within the Ascomycota that causes leaf and catkin curl diseases and witch's brooms of certain flowering plants. One of the more commonly observed species causes peach leaf curl. Taphrina typically grow as yeasts during one phase of their life cycles, then infect plant tissues in which typical hyphae are formed, and ultimately they form a naked layer of asci on the deformed, often brightly pigmented surfaces of their hosts. No discrete fruit body is formed outside of the gall-like or blister-like tissues of the hosts. The asci form a layer lacking paraphyses, and they lack croziers. The ascospores frequently bud into multiple yeast cells within the asci. Phylogenetically, Taphrina is a member of a basal group within the Ascomycota, and type genus for the subphylum Taphrinomycotina, the class Taphrinomycetes, and order Taphrinales.
Taphrina deformans is a fungus and plant pathogen, and a causal agent[s] of peach leaf curl. Peach trees infected with T. deformans will experience leaf puckering and distortion, acquiring a characteristic downward and inward curl. Leaves will also undergo chlorosis, turning a pale green or yellow, and later show a red or purple tint. Fruit can either drop prematurely or show surface distortions. Severe infection can also produce lesions on the flowers. The host tree will experience defoliation if the leaves are badly diseased. If a seedling is severely infected, it may die. Almond trees display similar symptoms.
A dough conditioner, flour treatment agent, improving agent or bread improver is any ingredient or chemical added to bread dough to strengthen its texture or otherwise improve it in some way. Dough conditioners may include enzymes, yeast nutrients, mineral salts, oxidants and reductants, bleaching agents and emulsifiers. They are food additives combined with flour to improve baking functionality. Flour treatment agents are used to increase the speed of dough rising and to improve the strength and workability of the dough.
A fungus is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one of the traditional eukaryotic kingdoms, along with Animalia, Plantae and either Protista or Protozoa and Chromista.
Taphrina caerulescens is a species of fungus in the family Taphrinaceae. It is a pathogenic Ascomycete fungus that causes oak leaf blister disease on various species of oak trees. The associated anamorph species is Lalaria coccinea, described in 1990. This disease causes lesions and blisters on Oak leaves. Effects of the disease are mostly cosmetic. Although not taxonomically defined, strains of T. caerulescens have been shown to be host specific with varying ¬ascus morphology between strains. There are differences in strains' abilities to metabolize various carbon and nitrogen compounds. This has been proposed as a method of taxonomically defining subspecies within T. caerulescens.
Yeast assimilable nitrogen or YAN is the combination of free amino nitrogen (FAN), ammonia (NH3) and ammonium (NH4+) that is available for a yeast, e.g. the wine yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, to use during fermentation. Outside of the fermentable sugars glucose and fructose, nitrogen is the most important nutrient needed to carry out a successful fermentation that doesn't end prior to the intended point of dryness or sees the development of off-odors and related wine faults. To this extent winemakers will often supplement the available YAN resources with nitrogen additives such as diammonium phosphate (DAP).
Sporobolomyces koalae is a species of fungus in the order Sporidiobolales. It is an anamorphic yeast. Strains of the yeast were isolated from nasal swabs from three of five captive Queensland koalas kept at the Kobe Oji Zoo in Kobe, Japan. Swabs from three zoo keepers were examined as well, but tested negative for the presence of the yeast. It is not suspected to be pathogenic, as the koalas from which it was isolated were healthy.
Halostagnicola larsenii is a non-motile, aerobic, gram-negative, rod shaped archaeon. It is a halophilic, neutrophilic, chemo-organotroph and was isolated from samples taken from a saline lake in China. The etymology of the name comes from hals, halos Greek for salt, stagnum Latin for a piece of standing water, -cola Latin for inhabitant or dweller, and Larsenii named after the Norwegian microbiologist, Helge Larsen, who was a pioneer in research regarding halophiles.
Arthrobotrys oligospora was discovered in Europe in 1850 by Georg Fresenius. A. oligospora is the model organism for interactions between fungi and nematodes. It is the most common nematode-capturing fungus, and most widespread nematode-trapping fungus in nature. It was the first species of fungi documented to actively capture nematodes.
Rhizopus stolonifer is commonly known as black bread mold. It is a member of Zygomycota and considered the most important species in the genus Rhizopus. It is one of the most common fungi in the world and has a global distribution although it is most commonly found in tropical and subtropical regions. It is a common agent of decomposition of stored foods. Like other members of the genus Rhizopus, R. stolonifer grows rapidly, mostly in indoor environments.
Capronia mansonii is a mesophilic black yeast that is a part of the Herpotrichiellaceae. The species is uncommon in nature but is saprotrophic in nature and been discovered on decaying plant matter, particularly wood. This fungus is naturally found in the Netherlands and has successfully been cultured in lab. It is a teleomorph of the ascomycota division and possesses brown spores.
Naganishia antarctica is a yeast species that has been isolated from soil in Antarctica.
Naganishia albidosimilis is a species of fungus in the family Filobasidiaceae. It is currently only known from its yeast state, isolated from soil in Antarctica.
Cyberlindnera is a genus of yeasts in the Phaffomycetaceae family. Its name is derived from the Latin word “Ciber,” which originates from “Cibus,” meaning “food” and "sustenance". Early German mycologist Paul Lindner, honored for his contributions to descriptions of Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Saccharomycopsis (Endomyces) fibuligera and other notable species of Saccharomyces and Pichia, is the source of the "-lindnera" portion of the name. The genus has gone through many trials, reevaluations, and verifications to become the organized assortment of species it is today. Species under this genus interact with other organisms in a wide variety of ways and can be found across the globe. They are used by humans for their toxicity, fermentation abilities, and capacity to assimilate many organic compounds.
