Communities of Fungi in Black Cherry Stumps and Effects of Herbicide

Abstract

So far, there have been no studies on fungal communities in Prunus serotina (black cherry) wood. Our objectives were to characterize fungal communities from P. serotina wood and to evaluate effects of glyphosate (Glifocyd 360 SL) used on P. serotina stumps on abundance, species richness and diversity of those communities. In August 2016, in the Podanin Forest District, stumps of black cherry trees left after felling were treated with the herbicide. Control stumps were treated with water. Wood discs were cut from the surface of the stumps in May and July–August 2017. Eight treatment combinations (2 herbicide treatments × 2 disc sizes × 2 sample times) were tested. Sub-samples were pooled and ground in an acryogenic mill. Environmental DNA was extracted with a Plant Genomic DNA Purification Kit. The ITS1, 5.8S rDNA region was used to identify fungal species, using primers ITS1FI2 5′-GAACCWGCGGARGGATCA-3′ and 5.8S 5′-CGCTGCGTT CTTCATCG-3′. The amplicons were sequenced using the Illumina system. The results were subjected to bioinformatic analysis. Sequences were compared with reference sequences from the NCBI database using the BLASTn 2.8.0 algorithm. Abundance of fungi was defined as the number of Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs), and diversity as the number of species in a sample. Differences between the number of OTUs and taxa were analyzed using the chi-squared test (χ2). Diversity in microbial communities was compared using diversity indices. A total of 54,644 OTUs were obtained. Culturable fungi produced 49,808 OTUs (91.15%), fungi not known from culture had 2571 OTUs (4.70%), non-fungal organisms had 1333 (2.44%) and organisms with no reference sequence in NCBI, 934 OTUs (1.71%). The total number of taxa ranged from 120 to 319. Fungi in stump wood were significantly more abundant in July–August than in May, in stumps >5 cm diameter than in stumps <5 cm diameter, in glyphosate-treated than in untreated stumps when sampled in May, and in untreated than in glyphosate-treated stumps when sampled in July–August. Species richness was significantly greater in July–August than in May, and in stumps >5 cm diameter than in stumps <5 cm diameter, either treated or untreated, depending on size. Herbicides can therefore affect the abundance and diversity of fungal communities in deciduous tree wood. The greater frequency of Ascomycota in herbicide-treated than in untreated stumps indicates their greater tolerance of glyphosate.

Responses of Fungal Assembly and Co-Occurrence Network of Rhizosphere Soil to Amaranthus palmeri Invasion in Northern China

“…Although most Colletotrichum species were destructive pathogens [50], some members such as Colletotrichum tofieldiae colonized in Arabidopsis roots and transferred phosphorus to the host under phosphate deficiency conditions to promote plant growth [51], and Colletotrichum siamense had growth-promoting effects and suppressed Fusarium oxysporum symptoms in tomato plants [52]. A saprophytic yeast known as Colacogloea was highly competitive, tolerant of harsh environments, and non-pathogenic to humans, animals, or plants [53]. Spizellomyces may have more extensive pathways that help metabolize nutrients that were typically hard to obtain, boosting adaptability to a variety of environments [54].…”

“…Within the Ascomycota, Cephalotrichum is a saprophytic soil fungus [72]; Myrmecridium, a plant endophytes taxon, has been reported to produce extracellular hydrolytic enzymes and cellulase [73]; Podospora are well-known cellulose degraders [74]; Nigrospora has the capacity to improve the withstand stress of host plants and produce antifungal compounds [75]; and Gibellulopsis is linked to carbohydrate content [76]. Within the Basidiomycota, members of Saitozyma are involved in the decomposition of dead plant biomass [77]; Colacogloea is a saprophytic yeast that can persist in difficult conditions [53]. Within the Mortierellomycota, Mortierella is mostly composed of saprophytic species that perform several functions, including the degradation of cellulose and lignin [78].…”

Comparative Efficacy of Chondrosterum purpureum and Chemical Herbicides for Control of Resprouts in Tanoak and Bay Laurel

“…Furthermore, decreased colonization of herbicide-treated stumps relative to the formulation, inoculum, and untreated stumps may be due to a less favorable environment for these fungi. Korzeniewicz et al [ 31 ] found higher levels of colonization by basidiomycete fungi in untreated black cherry stumps larger than 5 cm in diameter than in stumps treated with glyphosate. Our results showed no differences between the treatments for the number of sprout clumps and sprout height among the biological controls, the formulation-only treatments, and the untreated tanoak and bay laurel stumps.…”

Pesticides effect on growth of dark septate endophytes in vitro

“…In contrast, Glyphosate had a profound inhibitory effect on isolate 19, where a higher dose of Glyphosate would result in a higher loss of colony diameter. According to [22] Glyphosate affect the diversity and abundance of fungal communities in deciduous tree wood. Another example, doses and incubation time of Triasulfuron herbicide has no consistent effect on relative abundance of the four microbial groups at the three soil treatments [23].…”