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Lichens represent one of the most successful examples of symbiosis. They are constituted by the association between a dominant fungus (i.e., the mycobiont), one or more photosynthetic partners (algae or cyanobacteria), and harbor an array of associated microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi. The associated fungal communities in lichens, known as the "lichen mycobiome", are composed of both ascomycetes and basidiomycetes, including filamentous and yeast taxa. Recently, basidiomycete yeasts have received considerable attention as a much-overlooked source of diversity within the lichen mycobiome, with hypothesized roles in lichen symbiosis. This study surveyed the diversity of cultivable basidiomycete yeasts associated with Peltigera lichens across southern Chile. A phylogenetic study based on sequences of 179 yeast isolates allowed the identification of 29 taxa from 13 genera in the classes Agaricostilbomycetes, Cystobasidiomycetes, Microbotryomycetes, and Tremellomycetes, with the latter being the most represented. This research revealed several yeast species, including members of the genera Boekhoutia andGoffeauzyma, in lichens for the first time, thereby expanding our understanding of lichen-associated fungal diversity. In addition, four new cultivable species isolated from Peltigera are formally described. These are Boekhoutia peltigerae sp. nov., Cystobasidium chilense sp. nov., Genolevuria patagonica sp. nov. and Pseudotremella navarinensis sp. nov. These results highlight the role of lichens as reservoirs of uncharacterized basidiomycete yeasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tremella caloplacae (Zahlbr.) Diederich is a species complex including at least nine different species. Here, we formally describe the new species Tremella elegantis , T. nimisiana , T. parietinae , T. pusillae and T. sorediatae. Tremella elegantis induces galls in the hymenium of Rusavskia elegans and forms 2-celled basidia, where cells rarely elongate and sometimes give the appearance of two immature, independent basidia. Tremella nimisiana has small basidiomata (less than 1 mm diam.), narrowly ellipsoid to pyriform 2-celled, occasionally clavate to subcylindrical 3-celled basidia, and grows in the hymenium of Xanthocarpia species. Tremella parietinae is characterized by the exclusive growth in the hymenium of Xanthoria parietina , the broadly fusiform to ellipsoid probasidia, and the subspherical, pyriform or ellipsoid 2(–3)-celled basidia. Tremella pusillae has ellipsoidal probasidia, 2(–3)-celled pyriform or ellipsoidal basidia that sometimes are constricted at the septum, and grows only on Calogaya pusilla. Tremella sorediatae is characterized by inducing galls on the thallus of Rusavskia sorediata and by pyriform to ellipsoid basidia that sometimes are constricted at the septum. Three species are not formally described and are left unnamed as Tremella sp. 13 on Calogaya biatorina , Tremella sp. 14 on Calogaya decipiens and Tremella sp. 15 on Polycauliona sp. Tremella caloplacae in the strict sense is re-circumscribed as a species confined to Variospora species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While most lichenicolous fungi belong to the Ascomycota, c. 5% of them are members of the Basidiomycota. Among these, the poorly known genus Crittendenia in the Pucciniomycotina has recently been described for lichenicolous fungi with minuscule needle-like synnematous basidiomata. Although only two species were hitherto known, the wide observed host-spectrum suggested a larger number of mainly host-specific species. A classical revision using morphological characters alone proved to be virtually impossible, because of the large variability of the material from each host genus, and the scant morphological differences between hypothetically distinct species from different hosts. We studied over sixty specimens and made a large number of measurements of the available morphological characters. We additionally generated 18 ITS and 21 nuLSU rDNA sequences and conducted maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses. We also performed one species delimitation analysis (bPTP-ML). By combining sometimes subtle morphological differences, host choice and phylogenetic results, we were able to accept eighteen morphologically and/or genetically distinct species, all confined to a single host genus or to several closely related host genera. Two further putative species are left unnamed, as richer material is needed and molecular data are missing. Sixteen new species are described: Crittendenia absistentis (on Bacidia absistens), C. bacidinae (on Bacidina apiahica), C. bryostigmatis (on Bryostigma muscigenum), C. byssolomatis (on Byssoloma maderense), C. crassitunicata (on Melanohalea ushuaiensis), C. heterodermiae (on Heterodermia comosa), C. hypotrachynae (on Hypotrachyna), C. kakouettae (on 'Byssoloma' kakouettae), C. lecanorae (on Lecanora), C. lecidellae (on Lecidella elaeochroma), C. lopadii (on Lopadium disciforme), C. parvispora (on Bacidia), C. physciiphila (on Phaeophyscia, Physcia and Physciella), C. physconiae (on Physconia distorta), C. stictae (on Sticta fuliginosa) and C. teloschistis (on Teloschistes). Further, a ML analysis of the Agaricostilbomycetes using ITS and nuLSU sequences suggested that Crittendenia cannot be included in any known family, and the new family Crittendeniaceae is therefore described for the genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fungi are eukaryotes that play essential roles in ecosystems. Among fungi, Basidiomycota is one of the major phyla with more than 40,000 described species. We review species diversity of Basidiomycota from five groups with different lifestyles or habitats: saprobic in grass/forest litter, wood-decaying, yeast-like, ectomycorrhizal, and plant parasitic. Case studies of Agaricus, Cantharellus, Ganoderma, Gyroporus, Russula, Tricholoma, and groups of lichenicolous yeast-like fungi, rust fungi, and smut fungi are used to determine trends in discovery of biodiversity. In each case study, the number of new species published during 2009–2020 is analysed to determine the rate of discovery. Publication rates differ between taxa and reflect different states of progress for species discovery in different genera. The results showed that lichenicolous yeast-like taxa had the highest publication rate for new species in the past two decades, and it is likely this trend will continue in the next decade. The species discovery rate of plant parasitic basidiomycetes was low in the past ten years, and remained constant in the past 50 years. We also found that the establishment of comprehensive and robust taxonomic systems based on a joint global initiative by mycologists could promote and standardize the recognition of taxa. We estimated that more than 54,000 species of Basidiomycota will be discovered by 2030, and estimate a total of 1.4–4.2 million species of Basidiomycota globally. These numbers illustrate a huge gap between the described and yet unknown diversity in Basidiomycota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lichenicolous 'heterobasidiomycetes' belong in the Tremellomycetes (Agaricomycotina) and in the Pucciniomycotina. In this paper, we provide an introduction and review of these lichenicolous taxa, focusing on recent studies and novelties of their classification, phylogeny and evolution. Lichen-inhabiting fungi in the Pucciniomycotina are represented by only a small number of species included in the genera Chionosphaera, Cyphobasidium and Lichenozyma. The phylogenetic position of the lichenicolous representatives of Chionosphaera has, however, never been investigated by molecular methods. Phylogenetic analyses using the nuclear SSU, ITS, and LSU ribosomal DNA markers reveal that the lichenicolous members of Chionosphaera form a monophyletic group in the Pucciniomycotina, distinct from Chionosphaera and outside the Chionosphaeraceae. The new genus Crittendenia is described to accommodate these lichen-inhabiting species. Crittendenia is characterized by minute synnemata-like basidiomata, the presence of clamp connections and aseptate tubular basidia from which 4–7 spores discharge passively, often in groups. Crittendenia, Cyphobasidium and Lichenozyma are the only lichenicolous lineages known so far in the Pucciniomycotina, whereas Chionosphaera does not include any lichenicolous taxa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lichen-forming genusParmeliaAcharius occurs worldwide but its centre of distribution is in the northern hemisphere and it is widespread in boreal-temperate Eurasia and North America. Recent molecular work onParmeliahas identified phylogenetic relationships within two major groups of the genus:P. saxatiliss. lat. andP. sulcatas. lat. However, little is known about the diversification and historical biogeography of these groups. Here we have used a dataset of two genetic markers and 64 samples to estimate phylogenetic relationships withinParmelia.The dated phylogeny provides evidence for major diversification during the Neogene and Pleistocene. These diversification events are probably correlated with climatic changes during these periods. Evidence of gene flow within species between populations from North America and Europe has been found in three species:P. sulcataTaylor,P. saxatilis(L.) Acharius andP. barrenoaeDivakar, M.C. Molina & A. Crespo. Cryptic species recently segregated on the basis of molecular differences (P. encryptataA. Crespo, Divakar & M.C. Molina vs.P. sulcataandP. saxatilisvs.P. mayiDivakar, A. Crespo & M.C. Molina) do not share a common ancestor. Moreover, theP. saxatiliscomplex is remarkably diverse. Two morphotypes ofP. saxatiliss. lat. were shown to represent independent monophyletic lineages. Consequently, two species (P. sulymaeGoward, Divakar, & M.C. Molina & A. Crespo andP. imbricariaGoward, Divakar, M.C. Molina & A. Crespo) are newly described here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flower scents are complex blends of volatile compounds often shaped by selection pressures exerted by mutualistic and antagonistic interaction partners, but also by phylogenetic constraints. So far, little is known about the relative effect of selection and phylogenetic signal on scent patterns, and no study to date analyzed the phylogenetic signal in multivariate semiquantitative scent patterns. We analyzed the phylogenetic signal in qualitative and semi-quantitative patterns of flower scents in 47 Sileneae (Caryophyllaceae) species using phylogenetic principal component analysis ( pPCA) and several indices of univariate and multivariate phylogenetic signal. As previous results showed that Sileneae species are visited by diurnal and nocturnal pollinators and flower scents also vary along the day, we compared the phylogenetic signal between night and day. Multivariate pPCA analyses identified compounds that correlate with the phylogeny at both night and day; however, multivariate Bloomberg′s K detected phylogenetic signal in the dataset of night scents, but not of day scents. In multivariate qualitative datasets, phylogenetic signal was neither found for day nor for night scents. In univariate analyses, phylogenetic signal was detected for some compounds both for day and night scents. Overall, we found that the phylogenetic signal is stronger in night compared to day scents, which might be owed to the different guilds of pollinators at day and night. At day, the phylogenetic resemblance of Sileneae scents might be masked by or disappear due to divergent selective pressures exerted by a diverse guild of pollinators on the different species. In contrast, we hypothesize that the nocturnal moth pollinators exert similar selective pressures; thus, the phylogenetic similarity of scent profiles might be conserved. Future studies of scent phylogenetic signal must consider not only the usage of qualitative measures but also semiquantitative analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The place of publication and typification of the generic name Naematelia is discussed, and N. encephala is confirmed as the correct name of the type of the genus name. That name was a replacement name for the earlier N. encephaliformis, which is lectotypified by a Willdenow plate; as selection of an epitype cannot be justified at present, a sequenced specimen from Sweden is selected as a reference specimen to represent the molecular application of the name in our sense. As the name N. encephala is a sanctioned name, it must be retained over N. encephaliformis. The species is fungicolous, widespread, growing mainly on Stereum sanguinolentum on conifers, but also reported on deciduous trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fungal mycoparasitism-fungi parasitizing other fungi-is a common lifestyle in some basal lineages of the basidiomycetes, particularly within the Tremellales. Relatively nonaggressive mycoparasitic fungi of this group are in general highly host specific, suggesting cospeciation as a plausible speciation mode in these associations. Species delimitation in the Tremellales is often challenging because morphological characters are scant. Host specificity is therefore a great aid to discriminate between species but appropriate species delimitation methods that account for actual diversity are needed to identify both specialist and generalist taxa and avoid inflating or underestimating diversity. We use the Biatoropsis- Usnea system to study factors inducing parasite diversification. We employ morphological, ecological, and molecular data-methods including genealogical concordance phylogenetic species recognition (GCPSR) and the general mixed Yule-coalescent (GMYC) model-to assess the diversity of fungi currently assigned to Biatoropsis usnearum. The degree of cospeciation in this association is assessed with two cophylogeny analysis tools (ParaFit and Jane 4.0). Biatoropsis constitutes a species complex formed by at least seven different independent lineages and host switching is a prominent force driving speciation, particularly in host specialists. Combining ITS and nLSU is recommended as barcode system in tremellalean fungi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the number of cryptic species known has increased considerably, showing that species diversity has in many cases been underestimated in the past. Parmelia sulcata is a widely distributed species and one of the most common taxa in temperate Europe. The first intra-specific molecular studies on P. sulcata showed an unexpectedly high genetic variability. In the present work, we study the biodiversity of this taxon including specimens from four continents and using three molecular markers (nuITS, nuIGS rDNA, and partial β-tubulin gene). Two monophyletic groups of P. sulcata were encountered; one of these is epitypified as P. sulcata s. str and the other one is segregated as the new cryptic species P. encryptata sp. nov. Issues surrounding the lectotypification of Parmelia sulcata have also been elucidated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phylogenetic placement of the monotypic dematiaceous hyphomycete genus Xanthoriicola was investigated. Sequences of the nLSU region were obtained from 11 specimens of X. physciae, which formed a single clade supported both by parsimony (91 %), and maximum likelihood (100 %) bootstraps, and Bayesian Posterior Probabilities (1.0). The closest relatives in the parsimony analysis were species of Piedraria, while in the Bayesian analysis they were those of Friedmanniomyces. These three genera, along with species of Elasticomyces, Recurvomyces, Teratosphaeria, and sequences from unnamed rockinhabiting fungi (RIF), were all members of the same major clade within Capnodiales with strong support in both analyses, and for which the family name Teratosphaeriaceae can be used pending further studies on additional taxa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]