Zythiostroma | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | |
Division: | |
Subdivision: | |
Class: | |
Order: | |
Family: | |
Genus: | Zythiostroma |
Type species | |
Zythiostroma mougeotii (Fr.) Höhn. | |
Species | |
Zythiostroma is a genus of canker fungus in the family Nectriaceae. The two or three species in the genus, which are anamorphs of the genus Nectria , have been found in Europe and Java. [1]
The type species Zythiostroma mougeotii was originally described as Sphaeria mougeotii by Elias Magnus Fries in 1828, [2] but was later called Sphaeronaemella mougeotii by Italian mycologist Pier Andrea Saccardo in 1884. [3]
The teleomorph forms of Z. pinastri and Z. mougeotti are Nectria cucurbicula and N. sinopica , respectively. [4] [5]
The mycelium produced by Zythiostroma species is branched, contains septa (partitions that divide cells into compartments), and is pale brown to translucent hyaline. The conidiomata (structures that bear conidia) start their development below the level of the cortex, but eventually appear on the surface, and may be either separate or aggregated. Their shape can be spherical to depressed in the center, although they may collapse irregularly. Conidiomata are red, with irregularly shaped and convoluted compartments. There is a single opening (ostiole) on top of the conidiomata that is circular, and shaped like a pimple. The conidiophores (specialized stalks that hold up the conidiomata) are septate, branched irregularly, cylindrical, tapered to the apices, hyaline, smooth, and formed from the inner wall of the locules. The conidia are acropleurogenous, meaning they develop at the tips and sides of the conidiomata. They are also hyaline, aseptate (without partitions), straight or slightly curved, thin-walled, and do not contain oil droplets. [6]
One species has decimated populations of the rare plant Banksia verticillata at Waychinicup National Park east of Albany in Western Australia. [7] One has also been associated with uncommon but severe cankers on Eucalyptus obliqua in Tasmania. [8] Zythiostroma mougeotii has been found associated with Rosaceae species in eastern Westphalia, Germany. [9] The species Z. pinastrum was one of several fungal pathogens found growing on the shoots of the common yew (Taxus baccata) in the Botanical Garden in Kraków in Poland. [10]
An unidentified Zythiostroma species, isolated from an aspen, was shown to produce the diterpenoid compounds zythiostromic acid A, zythiostromic acid B, and zythiostromolid when grown in liquid culture. These chemicals have what is known as a cleistanthane skeleton, a structure previously only reported from plant sources. The Zythiostroma species from which the compounds were isolated has antifungal effects against the growth of the blue stain fungus Ophiostroma crassivaginatum . [11]
Nectria is a genus of Ascomycete fungi. They are most often encountered as saprophytes on decaying wood but some species can also occur as parasites of trees, especially fruit trees and a number of other hardwood trees. Some species are significant pests causing diseases such as apple canker, Nectria twig blight, and coral spot in orchards.
Taxus floridana, the Florida yew, is a species of yew, endemic to a small area of under 10 km² on the eastern side of the Apalachicola River in mesophytic forests of northern Florida at altitudes of 15–40 m. It is listed as critically endangered. It is protected in reserves at the Torreya State Park and at the Nature Conservancy's Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve, and has legal protection under the United States and Florida Endangered Species laws.
Botryosphaeria dothidea is a plant pathogen that causes the formation of cankers on a wide variety of tree and shrub species. It has been reported on several hundred plant hosts and on all continents except Antarctica. B. dothidea was redefined in 2004, and some reports of its host range from prior to that time likely include species that have since been placed in another genus. Even so, B. dothidea has since been identified on a number of woody plants—including grape, mango, olive, eucalyptus, maple, and oak, among others—and is still expected to have a broad geographical distribution. While it is best known as a pathogen, the species has also been identified as an endophyte, existing in association with plant tissues on which disease symptoms were not observed. It can colonize some fruits, in addition to woody tissues.
Nectria cinnabarina, also known as coral spot, is a plant pathogen that causes cankers on broadleaf trees. This disease is polycyclic and infects trees in the cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. N. cinnabarina is typically saprophytic, but will act as a weak parasite if presented with an opportunity via wounds in the tree or other stressors that weaken the tree's defense to the disease. A study published in 2011 showed that this complex consists of at least 4 distinct species. There are only a few ways to manage this disease with techniques such as sanitation and pruning away branches that have the cankers. N. cinnabarina is not as significant a problem as other Nectria spp., some of which are the most important pathogens to infect hardwood trees.
Acrophialophora fusispora is a poorly studied ascomycete fungus found in soil, air and various plants. A. fusispora is morphologically similar to the genera Paecilomyces and Masonia, but differ in the presence of pigmented conidiophores, verticillate phialides, and frequent sympodial proliferation. Moreover, A. fusispora is distinguished by its pigmented spindle-shaped conidia, covered with spiral bands. The fungus is naturally found in soils of tropical to temperate regions. The fungus has been identified as a plant and animal pathogen, and has recently been recognized as an emerging opportunistic human pathogen. A. fusispora infection in human is rare and has few documented clinical cases, but due to the rarity of the fungus and potential misidentification, the infections may be underdiagnosed. Clinical cases of A. fusispora include cases of keratitis, pulmonary colonization and infection, and cerebral infections. The fungus also has two documented cases of infection in dogs.
Geotrichum candidum is a fungus which is a member of the human microbiome, notably associated with skin, sputum, and faeces where it occurs in 25–30% of specimens. It is common in soil and has been isolated from soil collected around the world, in all continents.
Urnula craterium is a species of cup fungus in the family Sarcosomataceae. Appearing in early spring, its distinctive goblet-shaped and dark-colored fruit bodies have earned it the common names crater cup, devil's urn and the gray urn. The asexual (imperfect), or conidial stage of U. craterium is a plant pathogen known as Conoplea globosa, which causes a canker disease of oak and several other hardwood tree species.
Neofabraea is a genus of fungi in the family Dermateaceae. The genus contains 12 species.
Sarcoscypha occidentalis, commonly known as the stalked scarlet cup or the western scarlet cup, is a species of fungus in the family Sarcoscyphaceae of the Pezizales order. Phylogenetic analysis has shown that it is most closely related to other Sarcoscypha species that contain large oil droplets in their spores. S. occidentalis has an imperfect form, classified as Molliardiomyces occidentalis.
Amanita ravenelii, commonly known as the pinecone lepidella, is a species of fungus in the family Amanitaceae. The whitish fruit bodies are medium to large, with caps up to 17 centimetres wide, and stems up to 25 cm (10 in) long. The cap surface has large warts and the stem has a scaly, bulbous base. The mushrooms have a unique chlorine like odor.
Paraphaeosphaeria pilleata is a species of fungus in the Lophiostomataceae family. The species fruits exclusively in the lower parts of the culms of the black needlerush. It is found on the Atlantic Coast of North Carolina.
Pestalotiopsis microspora is a species of endophytic fungus capable of breaking down and digesting polyurethane. Originally identified in 1880 in fallen foliage of common ivy in Buenos Aires, it also causes leaf spot in Hypericum 'Hidcote' shrubs in Japan.
Coniochaeta hoffmannii, also known as Lecythophora hoffmannii, is an ascomycete fungus that grows commonly in soil. It has also been categorized as a soft-rot fungus capable of bringing the surface layer of timber into a state of decay, even when safeguarded with preservatives. Additionally, it has pathogenic properties, although it causes serious infection only in rare cases. A plant pathogen lacking a known sexual state, C. hoffmannii has been classified as a "dematiaceous fungus" despite its contradictory lack of pigmentation; both in vivo and in vitro, there is no correlation between its appearance and its classification.
Epicoccum nigrum is a species of fungus in the phylum Ascomycota. A plant pathogen and endophyte, it is a widespread fungus which produces coloured pigments that can be used as antifungal agents against other pathogenic fungi. The fluorescent stain epicocconone is extracted from it.
Phialophora verrucosa is a pathogenic, dematiaceous fungus that is a common cause of chromoblastomycosis. It has also been reported to cause subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis and mycetoma in very rare cases. In the natural environment, it can be found in rotting wood, soil, wasp nests, and plant debris. P. verrucosa is sometimes referred to as Phialophora americana, a closely related environmental species which, along with P. verrucosa, is also categorized in the P. carrionii clade.
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.
Harzia acremonioides is a species of seed-borne fungus that occurs in the soil. It has been categorized in the Ceratostomataceae family and under the genus Harzia. The genus Harzia contained up to three accepted species: H. acremonioides, H. verrucose, and H. velatea in 1974. Within the genus Harzia, H. acremonioides is one of the most common species that can be found in all climate regions around the world.
Sprucidea is a genus of four crustose lichens in the family Malmideaceae. Similar to the related genus Malmidea, Sprucidea is characterized by frequently red thalli that contain the secondary compound norsolorinic acid, but differs in the rod-shaped instead of ellipsoid ascospores and in the stalked sporodochia as conidiomata. Sprucidea species are found in rainforest areas in South America and Southeast Asia.
Pestalotiopsis pauciseta is an endophytic fungi isolated from the leaves of several medicinal plants in tropical climates. Pestalotiopsis pauciseta is known for its role in medical mycology, having the ability to produce a chemical compound called paclitaxel (taxol). Taxol is the first billion-dollar anticancer drug, notably the fungal-taxol produced by Pestalotiopsis pauciseta was determined to be comparable to standard taxol.
Amerosporiopsis phaeographidis is a species of lichenicolous fungus in the subphylum Pezizomycotina. It grows as black spots on the lichen Phaeographis brasiliensis, from which it gets its name. It has only been found in one place in the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park in Florida in the United States. Molecular phylogenetics testing might reveal that this is actually a new genus, but it is morphologically similar to the one other species in Amerosporiopsis, except that it has wider conidia, has no conidiophores, and lives in a different habitat.