Mycophagy by small mammals in the coniferous forests of North America: nutritional value of sporocarps of Rhizopogon vinicolor , a common hypogeous fungus

1999 ◽  
Vol 169 (3) ◽  
pp. 172-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. W. Claridge ◽  
J. M. Trappe ◽  
S. J. Cork ◽  
D. L. Claridge
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Nutritional Value ◽  
Coniferous Forests ◽  
Hypogeous Fungus

scholarly journals Inter- and Intra-Continental Genetic Variation in the Generalist Conifer Wood Saprobic Fungus Phlebiopsis gigantea

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 751
Author(s):  
Francesco Dovana ◽  
Paolo Gonthier ◽  
Matteo Garbelotto
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Genetic Differentiation ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
North American ◽  
Fungal Species ◽  
Coniferous Forests ◽  
Native Forest ◽  
Western North America ◽  
Phlebiopsis Gigantea ◽  
Conifer Wood

Phlebiopsis gigantea (Fr.) Jülich is a well-known generalist conifer wood saprobe and a biocontrol fungus used in several world countries to prevent stump infection by tree pathogenic Heterobasidion fungal species. Previous studies have reported the presence of regional and continental genetic differentiation in host-specific fungi, but the presence of such differentiation for generalist wood saprobes such as P. gigantea has not been often studied or demonstrated. Additionally, little information exists on the distribution of this fungus in western North America. The main purposes of this study were: (I) to assess the presence of P. gigantea in California, (II) to explore the genetic variability of P. gigantea at the intra and inter-continental levels and (III) to analyze the phylogeographic relationships between American and European populations. Seven loci (nrITS, ML5–ML6, ATP6, RPB1, RPB2, GPD and TEF1-α) from 26 isolates of P. gigantea from coniferous forests in diverse geographic distribution and from different hosts were analyzed in this study together with 45 GenBank sequences. One hundred seventy-four new sequences were generated using either universal or specific primers designed in this study. The mitochondrial ML5–ML6 DNA and ATP6 regions were highly conserved and did not show differences between any of the isolates. Conversely, DNA sequences from the ITS, RPB1, RPB2, GPD and TEF1-α loci were variable among samples. Maximum likelihood analysis of GPD and TEF1-α strongly supported the presences of two different subgroups within the species but without congruence or geographic partition, suggesting the presence of retained ancestral polymorphisms. RPB1 and RPB2 sequences separated European isolates from American ones, while the GPD locus separated western North American samples from eastern North American ones. This study reports the presence of P. gigantea in California for the first time using DNA-based confirmation and identifies two older genetically distinct subspecific groups, as well as three genetically differentiated lineages within the species: one from Europe, one from eastern North America and one from California, with the latter presumably including individuals from the rest of western North America. The genetic differentiation identified here among P. gigantea individuals from coniferous forests from different world regions indicates that European isolates of this fungus should not be used in North America (or vice versa), and, likewise, commercially available eastern North American P. gigantea isolates should not be used in western North America forests. The reported lack of host specificity of P. gigantea was documented by the field survey and further reinforces the need to only use local isolates of this biocontrol fungus, given that genetically distinct exotic genotypes of a broad generalist microbe may easily spread and permanently alter the microbial biodiversity of native forest ecosystems.

scholarly journals Callus Culture of Arceuthobium americanum Nutt. ex Englem. and Explant Response to Varying Auxin and Cytokinin Concentrations

2012 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lyssa L. Martin ◽  
Cynthia Ross Friedman ◽  
Ronald G. Smith
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Callus Culture ◽  
Shoot Organogenesis ◽  
Coniferous Forests ◽  
Western North America ◽  
Laboratory Studies ◽  
Dwarf Mistletoe ◽  
Arceuthobium Americanum ◽  
Infected Area

The lodgepole pine dwarf mistletoe Arceuthobium americanum is a severe pest in coniferous forests of western North America.  To facilitate laboratory studies of this obligate parasite, a modified White’s medium was used for in vitro culture; the concentrations of IAA and Kn were varied to determine optimal IAA/Kn ratios.  It was found that explant health was related to the concentration of IAA (p = 0.008), but not Kn (p = 0.937), and that explants were healthiest at an IAA/Kn ratio of 0.1.  Radicular apices were generated at IAA/Kn ratios of 1.0 or greater, but no shoot organogenesis was observed.  These data suggest that A. americanum is more sensitive to auxins than cytokinins.  Parasites of plants are known to secrete high levels of cytokinins, which stimulate the host to shuttle nutrients to the infected area, and so we suspect that A. americanum has reduced cytokinin sensitivity.   Key words: Callus culture, Arceuthobium americanum, Explant, Response, Cytokinin, Insensitivity   D.O.I. 10.3329/ptcb.v21i1.9557   Plant Tissue Cult. & Biotech. 21(1): 1-10, 2011 (June)

Trends in North American small mammals found in common barn-owl (Tyto alba) dietary studies

1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (12) ◽  
pp. 3093-3102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald R. Clark Jr. ◽  
Christine M. Bunck
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
North American ◽  
Barn Owl ◽  
Annual Precipitation ◽  
Mean Annual Precipitation ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Geographic Regions ◽  
Rats And Mice

Data on mammals were compiled from published studies of common barn-owl (Tyto alba) pellets. Mammalian composition of pellet samples was analyzed within geographic regions in regard to year, mean annual precipitation, latitude, and number of individual mammals in the sample. Percentages of individuals in pellets that were shrews increased whereas the percentages of rodents decreased with greater mean annual precipitation, especially in northern and western areas of North America. From the 1920s through 1980s, in northern and eastern areas the percentage of species that was shrews decreased, and in northern and central areas the percentage of individuals that was murid rats and mice increased. Human alterations of habitats during these seven decades are postulated to have caused changes in available small mammals, leading to changes in the barn-owl diet.

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