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-Freshwater Dothideomycetes. a Setoseptoria magniarundinacea (culture of KT 1174 = CBS 139702). b Neotrematosphaeria biappendiculata (KT 1124, holotype, in black-blue ink). c Wicklowia phuketensis (MFLU 20-0143). d Aquastroma magniostiolatum (MFLU 22-0121, in Indian Ink). e Ascagilis submersa (MFLU 18-1527, holotype). f Jahnula appendiculata (PE0010). g Aliquandostipite khaoyaiensis (MFLU 21-0125. h Aquimassariosphaeria kunmingensis (HKAS 102148, holotype). i Pseudojahnula potamophila (F111). j Mamillisphaeria dimorphospora (BRIP 22967a). k Byssothecium circinans (G-K 18367). l Caryospora aquatica (MFLU 18-1202). m Neohelicascus elaterascus (MC0430-1). n Clohesyomyces aquaticus (MFLU 11-1112). o Acrocalymma aquatica MFLU 22-0114. p Pseudoxylomyces elegans MFLU 20-0554. Scale bars: a-p = 10 µm
Source publication
Research into freshwater fungi has generated a wealth of information over the past decades with various published articles, i.e., reviews, books, and monographs. With the advancement of
methodologies used in freshwater fungal research, and numerous mycologists working on this ecological group, our knowledge progress and understanding of freshwater...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... to adapt to freshwater environments (Inderbitzin et al. 2001, Shearer et al. 2009, Raja et al. 2012). In the past decade, many novel freshwater species have been established in Dothideomycetes ( Pang et al. 2002, Ferrer et al. 2011, Raja et al. 2011, 2013b, Zhang et al. 2014a, Hyde et al. 2020a, b) and some higher taxa were also proposed (Fig. 5). Natipusillales is the only order in Dothideomycetes with fusiform or clavate ascospores having complex gelatinous sheaths and appendages (Hyde et al. 2013). Minutisphaeraceae (Minutisphaerales) and Wicklowiaceae (Pleosporales) are another two distinct lineages with all species from freshwater habitats ( Dong et al. 2020b). ...
Citations
... Braun) Rabenh. as the type species and currently, more than 220 species are recognised under this generic concept (4,5). Traditionally, Rhizophydium was classified within the order Chytridiales Cohn (4,6). ...
In the present study, seven chytrid species from the genus Rhizophydium, specifically Rhizophydium annulatum, R. coronum, R. condylosum, R. elyense, R. keratinophilum, R. sphaerotheca and R. utriculare were collected from north India and are briefly described. The descriptions are accompanied by photographs illustrating their morphological and taxonomical characteristics. Notably, R. annulatum, R. elyense and R. utriculare represent the first records of these species in the Indian mycobiota.
... The comprehensive collection of freshwater substrates across Asia, particularly in regions like China and Thailand, has significantly advanced the discovery of freshwater fungi, including many species new to science (Luo et al. 2019;Dong et al. 2020;Hyde et al. 2021;Calabon et al. 2022;Calabon et al. 2023;Dong et al. 2023;Hyde et al. 2023;Yang et al. 2023). This ongoing effort also facilitates the recollection of previously known fungal taxa that lacked molecular data (Luo et al. 2019;Calabon et al. 2020Calabon et al. , 2021Dong et al. 2020). ...
... Most species, such as A. bellaspora, A. decorospora, A. naponensis, and A. ovalispora, are known only from their type localities, where their holotypes were originally described ( Figure 3) (Hu et al. 2010b;Ferrer et al. 2011;Raja et al. 2012). This underscores the critical need for ongoing exploration in freshwater ecosystems, particularly in underexplored or unexplored regions, to fully elucidate fungal diversity and distribution (Calabon et al. 2023). ...
... The continued collection of specimens and revision of fungal taxa not only deepens our understanding of fungal systematics but also provides essential insights into ecological interactions and evolutionary processes (Calabon et al. 2023). Furthermore, the incorporation of molecular data, especially for species where such data is lacking, is crucial for resolving phylogenetic relationships and refining classifications. ...
This study investigates lignicolous freshwater fungi in Thailand, resulting in the collection of Ascominuta lignicola. Sequence data from the large subunit (LSU) and small subunit (SSU) ribosomal RNA genes revealed that A. lignicola is phylogenetically positioned within the Natipusilla clade (Natipusillaceae, Natipusillales). Morphologically, Ascominuta exhibits similarities to Natipusilla, characterised by small ascomata, few to absent pseudoparaphyses, subglobose asci, and predominantly one-septate ascospores surrounded by a gelatinous sheath if present. In accordance with the principle of priority, species previously classified under Natipusilla (N. bellaspora, N. decorospora, N. limonensis, and N. naponensis) were transferred to Ascominuta. This paper provides detailed descriptions and illustrations of Ascominuta lignicola, along with an updated phylogenetic backbone for the order Natipusillales.
... Non-phialidic fungi in Chaetosphaeriaceae are predominantly characterized by sporidesmium-like asexual morphs (Ellis 1971(Ellis , 1976Wu and Zhuang 2005;Wu and Diao 2022;Yang et al. 2023;Delgado et al. 2024). These taxa are primarily saprobic, occurring on various plant substrates in both terrestrial and aquatic habitats, with some species also found in soil or as fungicolous taxa (Hughes and Kendrick 1968;Perera et al. 2016;Hyde et al. 2018;Réblová et al. 2020Réblová et al. , 2021dWu and Diao 2022;Zhang et al. 2022;Calabon et al. 2023;Yang et al. 2024;Zhang et al. 2024). ...
Anamorphic chaetosphaeriaceous fungi exhibit high morphological variability and are distributed worldwide across terrestrial and aquatic habitats. During an ongoing taxonomic study of microfungi, two intriguing chaetosphaeriaceous hyphomycetes were collected from dead wood and dead bamboo stems in China and Thailand. A polyphasic approach, combining morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of LSU and ITS sequence data, revealed that these fungi represent two new genera within Chaetosphaeriaceae. Pseudolomaantha and Submultiguttulispora are proposed for these new genera, and they exhibit non-phialidic and phialidic asexual morphs, respectively. Pseudolomaantha thailandicagen. et sp. nov. is characterized by a sporidesmium-like asexual morph with macronematous, mononematous conidiophores; monoblastic conidiogenous cells, and pyriform to obclavate, rostrate conidia bearing an apical appendage. Submultiguttulispora multiseptatagen. et sp. nov. is distinguished by macronematous, mononematous conidiophores, mono- to polyphialidic conidiogenous cells, and fusiform or ellipsoidal-fusiform, pale brown to olive green to brown conidia with filiform, hyaline appendages at both ends. Detailed descriptions, illustrations, and notes on the new collections are provided, along with a key to non-phialidic hyphomycetous genera in Chaetosphaeriaceae.
... Wurzbacher et al. 2016). Aquatic fungi span all fungal lineages, including poorly studied zoosporic fungi, for example, Cryptomycota and Chytridiomycota (Picard 2017;Tedersoo et al. 2018), and the well-known aquatic hyphomycetes, an ecological group consisting of predominantly ascomycetes (Shearer et al. 2007) belonging to the fungal classes of Leotiomycetes, Sordariomycetes, Dothideomycetes, Orbiliomycetes and Pezizomycetes (Baschien 2006;Belliveau and Bärlocher 2005;Calabon et al. 2023;Campbell, Shearer, and Marvanová 2006;Campbell, Marvanová, and Gulis 2009). Despite the recognised importance of the aquatic hyphomycetes as the major microbial decomposers of plant litter in streams (Gessner et al. 2007), the taxonomic position of many species remains unknown. ...
Known for its remarkable diversity and ecological importance, the fungal kingdom remains largely unexplored. In fact, the number of unknown and undescribed fungi is predicted to exceed the number of known fungal species by far. Despite efforts to uncover these dark fungal taxa, we still face inherent sampling biases and methodological limitations. Here, we present a framework that combines taxonomic knowledge, molecular biology and data processing to explore the fungal biodiversity of enigmatic aquatic fungal lineages. Our work is based on serial screening of environmental fungal cells to approach unknown fungal taxa. Microscopic documentation is followed by DNA analysis of laser micro-dissected cells, coupled with a ribosomal operon barcod-ing step realised by long-read sequencing, followed by an optional whole genome sequencing step. We tested this approach on a range of aquatic fungal cells mostly belonging to the ecological group of aquatic hyphomycetes derived from environmental samples. From this initial screening, we were able to identify 60 potentially new fungal taxa in the target dataset. By extending this methodology to other fungal lineages associated with different habitats, we expect to increasingly characterise the molecular barcodes of dark fungal taxa in diverse environmental samples. This work offers a promising solution to the challenges posed by unknown and unculturable fungi and holds the potential to be applied to the diverse lineages of undescribed microeukaryotes.
... Since 1996, extensive research has led to the description of over 3,870 freshwater fungal species, primarily ascomycetes (Calabon et al. 2022;Goh and Hyde 1996). The discovery of new taxa continues to accelerate, with no signs of slowing down (Calabon et al. 2023). ...
... In freshwater ecosystems, Trichoderma species play a crucial ecological role through their lignocellulolytic activity, which allows them to colonize and degrade lignocellulosic substrates, even in submerged aquatic habitats (Savory 1954;Calabon et al. 2023;Huang et al. 2024). The presence of saprobic Trichoderma in freshwater environments has been well-documented across several regions. ...
Trichoderma protrudens Samuels & P. Chaverri was originally described from the trunk of Theobroma cacao L. in Kerala, India, in 2008. Morphologically, it is defined by trichoderma‑like conidiophores bearing subulate or lageniform phialides, green subglobose to obovoidal conidia, and the presence of chlamydospores in culture. Multilocus phylogenetic analyses based on ITS, rpb2, and tef1-α sequence data confirmed the iden‑ tity of the isolates from the Philippines as T. protrudens, with robust support values (100% ML, 1.00 BPP) clustering them with the holotype CBS 121320. This study represents the first global record of T. protrudens in a freshwater ecosystem, expanding this species’ known ecological range into aquatic environments. These findings emphasize the ecological versatility of T. protrudens and underscore the importance of further investigations into the fungal diversity of freshwater habitats.
... The number of hyphomycetes introduced over the past decade has increased substantially, indicating that their diversity is rather high (Hyde et al. 2020Bhunjun et al. 2022;Manawasinghe et al. 2022;Calabon et al. 2023;Liu et al. 2024b;Tian et al. 2024;Zhang et al. 2024). Hyphomycetes have a ubiquitous distribution in aquatic and terrestrial habitats, occurring on different substrates in tropical and subtropical regions (Seifert et al. 2011;Bao et al. 2021;Diao 2022, 2023;Dong et al. 2023;Senanayake et al. 2023;Yang et al. 2023;Liu et al. 2024a, b). ...
Xiuguozhangia species are dematiaceous hyphomycetes that are characterised by acropleurogenous, dictyoseptate, campanulate or cheiroid, and brown to dark brown conidia that are composed of several layers of cells radiating from a protuberant basal cell, and mostly seen with appendages arising from the apical cells. The genus was introduced based on morphology to accommodate five of the six Piricaudiopsis species that exhibited holoblastic conidial ontogeny. Xiuguozhangia was referred to as Ascomycota genus incertae sedis as it was challenging to resolve its taxonomic placement based solely on the available morphological data (no DNA sequence data was previously available). In this study, we provide DNA sequence data for LSU, ITS, SSU, TEF1, and RPB2 for our isolates, collected from Broussonetia papyrifera (Moraceae) in northern Thailand. Based on morphology, we classify our isolates as Xiuguozhangia. Since they form a sister lineage to Pseudoberkleasmium, we place Xiuguozhangia in Pseudoberkleasmiaceae (Pleosporales). Within Xiuguozhangia, we establish these two isolates as a new taxon, Xiuguozhangia broussonetiae, in view of the presence of new conidiogenous cells developing from subtending cells. Xiuguozhangia broussonetiae differs from the extant species in the genus as it has longer conidiophores that are sometimes branched, comprising numerous septa, and its appendages are mostly untapered (sometimes tapering) towards the tips, a feature not observed in other Xiuguozhangia species. This is the first study to provide DNA sequence data and phylogenetic relationships for Xiuguozhangia. Furthermore, we analysed selected DNA sequence data and provided an updated phylogenetic tree incorporating all families (with representative genera) of Pleosporales.
... In contrast, only around 3900 species are from freshwater environments. It shows the significance of continued exploration and suggests that vast freshwater ascomycetes remain undiscovered [8,9]. Current research on lignicolous freshwater fungi is predominantly focused on those of Asia, particularly in countries such as China and Thailand [1,[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. ...
Yuanjiang River (Red River) is one of the six major water systems in Yunnan Province, which originates from western Yunnan Province. This river system features numerous tributaries, complex terrain, and abundant natural resources. During the investigation on the diversity of lignicolous freshwater fungi in the Yuanjiang River, nine species were collected and identified, five belonging to Dothideomycetes and four to Sordariomycetes. Based on morphology and multigene phylogenetic analyses, four species, namely, Aquadictyospora aquatica, Dictyosporium fluminicola, Myrmecridium submersum, and Neomyrmecridium fusiforme, are described as new species. Dictyocheirospora aquadulcis is reported as a new national record, and Myrmecridium hydei is reported as a new habitat record. Dictyocheirospora rotunda, Halobyssothecium aquifusiforme, and Pseudohalonectria lutea were known earlier from freshwater habitats, but we described them in detail in this paper. This study contributes significantly to the understanding of the diversity of lignicolous freshwater fungi in southwestern China.
... Freshwater fungi exhibit significant ecological diversity, thriving on various substrates, including submerged wood, freshwater foam, herbaceous materials, insects, leaves, sediments, other organic matter, and living plants (Hu et al. 2013;Shen et al. 2022;Luo et al. 2019;Calabon et al. 2023;Yang et al. 2023). These freshwater fungi belong to Dothideomycetes, Eurotiomycetes, Laboulbeniomycetes, Leotiomycetes, Orbiliomycetes, Pezizomycetes, and Sordariomycetes (Hu et al. 2013;Li et al. 2017;Calabon et al. 2022;Hyde et al. 2023). ...
... Fungi in aquatic environments are recognized for their role in decomposing allochthonous organic matter, transforming it into nutrients accessible to other trophic levels in the freshwater food web, such as zooplankton and bacteria (Krauss et al., 2011;Bärlocher, 2016;Grossart et al., 2019). Despite their important role, less than 10% of the estimated 1.5 million fungal species on Earth have been characterized, with just 3,000-4,000 known true aquatic fungi (Ittner et al., 2018;Lepere et al., 2019;Calabon et al., 2023). The low number of identified aquatic fungal species is partly due to the challenges in culturing them and the limitations of traditional in situ morphological characterization methods (Bärlocher, 2016). ...
... (Calabon et al., 2020). However, the limited entries in these databases, compared to the broader known diversity of aquatic fungal species (Calabon et al., 2023), likely led to an underestimation of aquatic fungi in our dataset. Despite this, we identified 138 OTUs across 58 genera potentially containing aquatic fungal species at low abundance (3% of the total abundance). ...
Introduction
Fungi are essential to the aquatic food web, nutrient cycling, energy flow, and ecosystem regulation. Fungal community structures in water can be influenced by adjacent terrestrial environments, which drive and control some ecosystem services they provide. However, the roles of freshwater fungal communities remain underexplored compared to bacterial communities in this context.
Methods
We assessed the impact of anthropological and environmental factors on freshwater mycobiota in an agriculturally dominated water basin in eastern Ontario, Canada. We undertook bi-weekly surface water sampling from 2016 to 2021 and conducted fungal internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) metabarcoding on the samples, complemented by ancillary data, including water physicochemical properties, upstream land use, hydrology, and weather conditions.
Results
Our study yielded 6,571 OTUs from 503 water samples, spanning 15 fungal phyla, dominated by Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Chytridiomycota. Agricultural land use was associated with decreased mycobiota alpha diversity and distinct fungal communities were observed at agricultural drainage ditch and mixed-land use sites compared to a forested site that had minimal anthropogenic activities in catchment. Notably, river discharge emerged as a predominant influencer of both community diversity and composition, likely amplified by precipitation-induced erosion and drainage from adjacent terrestrial environments.
Discussion
Water physicochemical properties, including stream fungicide levels, explained a small proportion of the variation in mycobiota communities, underscoring the significance of unmeasured factors, alongside stochastic community assembly processes. Nevertheless, stream mycobiota demonstrated functional resilience for critical ecological processes under different environmental conditions. Altogether, these results highlight the complex interplay of factors influencing the freshwater mycobiota, which is essential for elevated understanding of the ecosystem services these fungi provide.
... Various fungal species can decolorize various colors [12,13]. Numerous fungal genera have been utilized in their living or deactivated state [14]. White-rot fungi, specifically Phanerochaete chrysosporium have been extensively documented for their effectiveness in removing color from textile wastewater [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]. ...
