The use of fungicides in crop protection still effectively eliminates fungal pathogens of plants. However, fungicides may dissipate to various elements of the environment and cause irreversible changes. Considering this problem, the aim of the presented study was to evaluate changes in soil biological activity in response to contamination with azoxystrobin. The study was carried out in the labo...

This report represents the first study of keratinophilic fungi present in soils of Jamaica. Out of the 40 soil samples examined from different habitats, 30 (75%) were positive for the presence of keratinophilic fungi, yielding 36 isolates of keratinophilic fungi. Microsporum gypseum complex (represented by 16 isolates of M. gypseum, and four of M. fulvum) was most frequent, being present in 50%...

The effects of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal fungi on nitrogen concentration of berseem clover were examined in contaminated soil with cadmium. Examined factors included: levels of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inoculation (Glomus mosseae) (With and without inoculation), and different levels of soil contamination by cadmium (0, 5, 10, 20, 40 and 80 mg.kg-1). The results showed that the effects of cadmi...

the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on nitrogen concentration of berseem clover were examined in contaminated soil with cadmium. examined factors included: levels of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inoculation ( glomus mosseae ) (with and without inoculation), and different levels of soil contamination by cadmium (0, 5, 10, 20, 40 and 80 mg.kg-1). the results showed that the effects of cad...

Cultivation of Genetically Modified (GM) plants has increased significantly over the last decades. GM traits may negatively affect beneficial soil fungi, such as Arbuscular Mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, potentially leading to alterations in soil functioning. Here, we test two Bt-Maize varieties for their effects on soil AM fungal communities, targeting both DNA and RNA as an inclusive way of detectin...

Fungi regulate key nutrient cycling processes in many forest ecosystems, but their diversity and distribution within and across ecosystems are poorly understood. Here, we examine the spatial distribution of fungi across a boreal and tropical ecosystem, focusing on ectomycorrhizal fungi. We analyzed fungal community composition across litter (organic horizons) and underlying soil horizons (0-20 ...

An increasing number of empirical studies are challenging the central fundamentals on which the classical soil food web model is built. This model assumes that bacteria consume labile substrates twice as fast as fungi, and that mycorrhizal fungi do not decompose organic matter. Here, we build on emerging evidence that points to significant consumption of labile C by fungi, and to the ability of...

Soybean cyst nematode (SCN), Heterodera glycines, remains a major yield-limiting pathogen of soybean. Natural suppression of SCN exists and becomes increasingly attractive; however, ecological mechanisms leading to the suppressive state are rarely studied. A glasshouse experiment was performed to determine the effects of soil disturbance and biocides on nematode community and extracellular enzy...

A method was developed for rapid screening and isolation of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)-producing soil fungi through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification. Genes coding for delta6 fatty acid desaturase and delta5 fatty acid desaturase were used as molecular markers for screening these EPA-producing fungi from soil. Three out of 65 soil fungi gave positive results through PCR amplificati...

The amount of carbon plants allocate to mycorrhizal symbionts exceeds that emitted by human activity annually. Senescent ectomycorrhizal roots represent a large input of carbon into soils, but their fate remains unknown. Here, we present the surprising result that, despite much higher nitrogen concentrations, roots colonized by ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi lost only one-third as much carbon as no...