• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.445-456
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• 2020

Fungal species belonging to the genus Penicillium are indigenous to a wide range of natural environments. Since the first published reports detailing the discovery of Penicillium, new species have been identified in various countries, including Korea. We present here a full characterization of five species of Penicillium that were previously unreported in Korea. Based on the morphologic characteristics and sequences of genes encoding fungal ��-tubulin and calmodulin, we identified five Penicillium species, including P. hetheringtonii, P. sublectaticum, and P. jacksonii, which have been unrecorded in Korea, and confirming P. maximae and P. cremeogriseum, as the endophytic fungi isolated in Gyeongsang province, Korea. In this article, we provide detailed morphological descriptions of these fungal species.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.111-126
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• 2024

Korean bamboo forests encompass 22,067 hectares and are dominated by Phyllostachys species. These forests serve as vital ecosystems, providing nourishment and habitat for diverse flora, fauna, and microorganisms. Among these inhabitants, various fungal species have been documented worldwide, displaying ecological roles as saprobes, parasites, and symbionts within or outside the bamboo host. However, a comprehensive study of bambusicolous fungi within the Korean bamboo ecosystem remains a critical gap in our knowledge. In this study, we conducted an extensive survey of bamboo materials collected from various bamboo forests and subsequently undertook fungal isolation. Primary identification of bambusicolous fungi was achieved through analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. As a result, we identified seven previously unrecorded bambusicolous fungal species (Fusarium bambusarum, Fusicolla violacea, Macroconia gigas, Neopestalotiopsis camelliae-oleiferae, Neopestalotiopsis iberica, Neopestalotiopsis longiappendiculata, and Thyridium punctulatum). Phylogenetic analysis using protein-coding genes appropriate for each taxon and morphological observation were conducted to ensure accurate identification. This study contributes to our understanding of fungal diversity within bamboo forests in Korea.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.319-328
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• 2019

As an effort to explore fungal diversity, fungal survey was undertaken in 2018 in Jangheung, Korea. For the survey, medicinal plant leaves were sampled from Selaginella tamariscina, Serratula coronata ssp. insularis, Scutellaria baicalensis, Scrophularia buergeriana and subjected to fungal isolation. Four unrecorded fungal species, Paraboeremia selaginellae, Colletotrichum camelliae, Alternaria eichhorniae, and Phomopsis capsici were obtained from the survey. This study described their morphological characteristics including colony features formed on media, light microscopic images and molecular characteristics of nucleotide sequences of the ITS and 28S rDNA regions.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.98 no.5
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• pp.539-547
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• 2009

This study was conducted to investigate the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal biodiversity, spore density and root colonization in relation to site ages at expressway cut-slopes in Korea. Stabilization of exposed surface involved soil amendments and spraying seed mixture of turf grasses and/or nitrogen-fixing shrub species. Eighteen sites were selected with varying ages (2 to 16 years). Soil samples collected in October from each site were analyzed for fungal diversity and spore counts. Fine root samples from the plants were assayed for fungal colonization. Of the total 37 plants inspected in the sites, 26 species had endomycorrhizal colonization with an average root colonization rate of 18%, and with a range from 1 to 67%. The average endomycorrhizal colonization rate of initially introduced Festuca arundinacea which became the most dominant grass in later stage showed 22.8%, while that of Lespedeza bicolor which became the most dominant woody species were 21.6%. Naturally-invading Robinia pseudoacacia showed higher colonization rate in the old sites. Although site age did not show significant effects on fungal diversity, the root colonization rates of initially introduced plants decreased with the site aging, while those of invading plants increased with aging of the sites. The soil chemical properties, pH, N, and P contents, were negatively correlated with spore density, root colonization and endomycorrhizal species diversity. A total of forty arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal species in seven genera were identified. Of the 40 species, Acaulospora lacunosa, Glomus aggregatum, Glomus constrictum, Scutellospora erythropa, and Acaulospora spinosa were the five most dominant species in the decreasing order.

• Mycobiology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.235-239
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• 2005

The present study was carried out to explore the Cordyceps species and other entomopathogenic fungal flora around Kathmandu Valley and a few high altitude locations of Nepal. In this paper, we report eight Cordyceps species as new to Nepal: C. gracilis, C. ishikariensis, C. liangshanensis, C. martialis, C. militaris, C. pruinosa, C. sphecocephala and C. tricentri. We also mention a few allied genera such as Beauveria, Hirsutella and Paecilomyces from Nepal. Further collections from different ecological regions of Nepal will show the richness of entomopathogenic fungal floral diversity of Nepal.

• Mycobiology
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.67-78
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• 2016

Rice contaminated with fungal species during storage is not only of poor quality and low economic value, but may also have harmful effects on human and animal health. The predominant fungal species isolated from rice grains during storage belong to the genera Aspergillus and Penicillium. Some of these fungal species produce mycotoxins; they are responsible for adverse health effects in humans and animals, particularly Aspergillus flavus, which produces the extremely carcinogenic aflatoxins. Not surprisingly, there have been numerous attempts to devise safety procedure for the control of such harmful fungi and production of mycotoxins, including aflatoxins. This review provides information about fungal and mycotoxin contamination of stored rice grains, and microbe-based (biological) strategies to control grain fungi and mycotoxins. The latter will include information regarding attempts undertaken for mycotoxin (especially aflatoxin) bio-detoxification and microbial interference with the aflatoxin-biosynthetic pathway in the toxin-producing fungi.

• Mycobiology
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.249-256
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• 2011

Microorganisms are significantly affected when the ambient pH of their environment changes. They must therefore be able to sense and respond to these changes in order to survive. Previous investigators have studied various fungal species to define conserved pH-responsive signaling pathways. One of these pathways, known as the Pal/Rim pathway, is activated in response to alkaline pH signals, ultimately targeting the PacC/Rim101 transcription factor. Although the central signaling components are conserved among divergent filamentous and yeast-like fungi, there is some degree of signaling specificity between fungal species. This specificity exists primarily in the downstream transcriptional targets of this pathway, likely allowing differential adaptation to species-specific environmental niches. In this review, the role of the Pal/Rim pathway in fungal pH response is discussed. Also highlighted are functional differences present in this pathway among human fungal pathogens, differences that allow these specialized microorganisms to survive in the various micro-environments of the infected human host.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.259-283
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• 2021

We isolated nine fungal strains from different environmental materials collected from different locations during a survey of fungal diversity in Korea. Using molecular phylogenetic analyses and morphological characteristics, nine previously undescribed strains were identified and assigned to the species Collariella robusta, Fusicolla acetilerea, Hongkongmyces pedis, Hongkongmyces snookiorum, Mariannaea fusiformis, Metarhizium pemphigi, Pallidocercospora crystallina, Scopulariopsis candida, and Volutella citrinella. Diverse environmental samples may thus be a promising source for isolating and investigating novel fungal species, thus sampling efforts should be increased in future studies. This study also reports identification of some rare fungal species belonging to the genera Hongkongmyces and Pallidocercospora from Korea.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.335-347
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• 2023

Sordariomycetes is the second largest class of Ascomycota, distributed throughout various habitat including terrestrial and aquatic environments and also existing as endophytes. We isolated endophytic fungal strains in Korea, identifying them based on their morphological characteristics and molecular analyses, using eight specific DNA regions for accurate genus identification. We identified five previously unrecorded endophytic fungal species in Korea: Chaetomium subaffine, Colletotrichum jiangxiense, Colletotrichum sydowii, Diaporthe vacuae and Neurospora tetraspora. In this study, we describe the morphological characteristics and present our phylogenetic analyses of these five fungal species.

• Mycobiology
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.559-581
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• 2021

The coastal marine ecosystems of Vietnam are one of the global biodiversity hotspots, but the biodiversity of marine fungi is not well known. To fill this major gap of knowledge, we assessed the genetic diversity (ITS sequence) of 75 fungal strains isolated from 11 surface coastal marine and deeper waters in Nha Trang Bay and Van Phong Bay using a culture-dependent approach and 5 OTUs (Operational Taxonomic Units) of fungi in three representative sampling sites using next-generation sequencing. The results from both approaches shared similar fungal taxonomy to the most abundant phylum (Ascomycota), genera (Candida and Aspergillus) and species (Candida blankii) but were different at less common taxa. Culturable fungal strains in this study belong to 3 phyla, 5 subdivisions, 7 classes, 12 orders, 17 families, 22 genera and at least 40 species, of which 29 species have been identified and several species are likely novel. Among identified species, 12 and 28 are new records in global and Vietnamese marine areas, respectively. The analysis of enzyme activity and the checklist of trophic mode and guild assignment provided valuable additional biological information and suggested the ecological function of planktonic fungi in the marine food web. This is the largest dataset of marine fungal biodiversity on morphology, phylogeny and enzyme activity in the tropical coastal ecosystems of Vietnam and Southeast Asia. Biogeographic aspects, ecological factors and human impact may structure mycoplankton communities in such aquatic habitats.