New species of Chalara occupying coniferous needles

Abstract

Chalara is a genus of anamorphic fungi with typical phialidic conidiogenous cells. Species of Chalara live mostly as litter saprotrophs, many of them on coniferous litter. In this study, the morphology and DNA sequences (ITS rDNA, 28S rDNA and EF-1α) of strains of various species of Chalara isolated from coniferous litter needles were compared with those of strains from public collections. The majority of the isolates belonged to the C. longipes. Other strains represent C. piceae-abietis, C. microspora, Infundichalara microchona and four hitherto undescribed species. These are introduced here as C. holubovae sp. nov., C. hyalocuspica sp. nov., C. pseudoaffinis sp. nov. and C. recta sp. nov. Chalara recta is most closely related to C. longipes, which was found to be paraphyletic. However, no correlation of molecular data with the morphology was found. Chalara holubovae is specific among the Chalara species in that it has a synanamorph with fusiform conidia. Together with C. hyalocuspica, C. holubovae likely belong to the anamorphic Hyaloscyphaceae. Chalara piceae-abietis is epitypified. Epitypicifation of C. longipes and C. microspora cannot be done due to absence of a convenient specimen. Chalara austriaca may be re-discovered also after a targeted sampling in the locality of the type specimen. The majority of studied species are saprotrophic and colonise litter needles. An endophytic phase in living needles or other parts of a tree was confirmed for the species C. longipes and C. hyalocuspica. C. holubovae has been recorded only as an endophyte.

Time to re‐think fungal ecology? Fungal ecological niches are often prejudged

“…The transition from saprotrophy to endophytism, or vice‐versa, is also described in fungi colonizing the aerial parts of plants (Fig. b), with a striking convergence in ascomycetous taxa that are both litter decayers and endophytes (Selosse et al ., ; Koukol, ). Recurrent transitions from saprotrophy to endophytism may explain the dominance of facultative endophytes in roots, which also behave as soil saprotrophs, e.g.…”

“…Mycena in orchids (Selosse et al ., ) or Ericaceae (Grelet et al ., ), or they can be common endophytes, such as Xylariales (Davis et al ., ) or Chalara spp. (Koukol, ). Recently, after inoculating 201 saprotrophic species on coniferous seedlings, Smith et al .…”

Fungal succession in the needle litter of a montane Picea abies forest investigated through strain isolation and molecular fingerprinting

“…Previous studies in the area that focused on soil microfungi indicated a greater diversity of fungi compared to other mountain or lowland sites (Nov akov a and Bla zkov a, 2000). Recently, endophytic fungi from the needles of windfallen trees were surveyed, and several new species were described among the isolated strains (Koukol and Kol a rov a, 2010;Koukol, 2011;Koukol et al, 2012). From a historical point of view, the forests in the study area originated through natural regeneration after several disturbances at the end of the 19th century and, except for minor interventions at the beginning of their growth, there has been no forest management (Svoboda, 2007).…”

Fungi inhabiting knotwood ofPinus sylvestrisinfected byPorodaedalea pini

“…Infundichalara microchona (anamorph: Chalara microchona W. Gams) is known from decayed and healthy‐looking bark and wood of P . sylvestris, coniferous needles and a basidioma of the Polyporales (Gams & Holubová‐Jechová, ; Koukol, ; Réblová, Gams, & Štěpánek, ). However, it is also known from decayed grass (Koukol, ), and Tyub et al.…”