Fungi interact directly with trees as biotrophs (obtaining nutrients from living cells/tissues) either parasites or mutualistic mycorrhizas, and as necrotrophs (obtaining nutrition from cells/tissues that they kill). Mycorrhizas are crucial to the health of the vast majority of plants in nature, supplying them with water and mineral nutrients, and protecting against root pathogens. Fungi affect...

To assess the impacts of Cu and Zn on fungi, we tested the growth of 18 taxonomically different saprotrophic (basidiomycete, ascomycete and zygomycete) fungi and their production of extracellular oxidative enzymes on Cu(0, 100, 200, 400 mg kg–1) or Zn(0, 100, 200, 400 mg kg–1) containing ABTS (2,2 ́-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) agar plates. Coniothyrium sp. was the most toler...

Soil serves as a reservoir for Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus, fungi that produce carcinogenic aflatoxins in agricultural commodities. Populations in soil are genetically diverse and individual genotypes show a clustered distribution pattern within fields. Surveys over large geographic regions suggest that climate and crop composition influence species density and aflatoxin-producing pot...

Mycorrhizae are nearly ubiquitous symbioses formed between plants and fungi. Plants provide fungi with carbon captured through photosynthesis, while fungi provide plants with soil resources. Historically, research has focused on the effects of mycorrhizae on nutrient uptake and the fitness of individual plants. More recently, there has been a growing appreciation for the importance of mycorrhiz...

Soil fungal communities involved in the biodegradation of polyester polyurethane (PU) were investigated. PU coupons were buried in two sandy loam soils with different levels of organic carbon: one was acidic (pH 5.5), and the other was more neutral (pH 6.7). After 5 months of burial, the fungal communities on the surface of the PU were compared with the native soil communities using culture-bas...

The complex interactions between trees and soil microbes in forests as well as their inherent seasonal and spatial variations are poorly understood. In this study, we analyzed the effects of major European tree species (Fagus sylvatica L. and Picea abies (L.) Karst) on soil bacterial and fungal communities. Mineral soil samples were collected from different depths (0-10, 10-20 cm) and at differ...

Ericoid mycorrhizal fungi (ERM) may specialize in capturing nutrients from their host's litter as a strategy for regulating nutrient cycles in terrestrial ecosystems. In spite of their potential significance, we know little about the structure of ERM fungal communities and the genetic basis of their saprotrophic traits (e.g., genes encoding extracellular enzymes). Rhododendron maximum is a mode...

Majority of the fungi producing diseases in man and animals exist freely in nature as soil saprophytes or plant pathogens and gain entrance into the body through abrasion, implantation or inhalation. Adametz isolated fungi for the first time from the soil in the year 1886, since then there has been very few reports. Manipal and surrounding places being coastal areas, experience heavy rainfall w...

The soil nourishing the crops that provide our food and fiber is a complex environment where microbes live in numbers estimated to reach 2 billion per ounce of soil. Millions upon millions of individual bacteria and fungi Uve on root surfaces and the soil particles that surround them. Bacteria are the smallest and the most abundant. The fungi, usually larger than bacteria, are found throughout ...

The complexities of the relationships between plant and soil microbial communities remain unresolved. We determined the associations between plant aboveground and belowground (root) distributions and the communities of soil fungi and bacteria found across a diverse tropical forest plot. Soil microbial community composition was correlated with the taxonomic and phylogenetic structure of the abov...