{"title":"A review of the current methods used to detect Phytophthora cinnamomi","authors":"Nicholas Wilkins, Harriet Whiley, Kirstin Ross","doi":"10.1016/j.fbr.2025.100441","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fbr.2025.100441","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Worldwide, <em>Phytophthora cinnamomi</em> is one of the most devastating plant pathogens. It infects almost 5000 plant species, causing death and habitat loss. There is a need for improved monitoring and management strategies to prevent the spread of this plant pathogen. The methods used for detection and identification have been established, but there are many variations depending on the species of <em>Phytophthora</em>, resources available, limitations of time and laboratory protocols, including previous knowledge or specialists involved. This review examined papers published from 2011 to 2025 that describe methods used to detect <em>P. cinnamomi</em> from environmental samples. Sixty-one papers were identified and included in this review. Collectively these papers showed that sampling approaches can include either direct sampling of soil, roots, plant tissue, and water, and indirect sampling by environmental baiting. Detection methods then can contain up to three main processes, including baiting, culture-based detection and isolation, and molecular confirmation. The sampling and detection methods identified in this review were used to develop a decision making flowchart that will help future researchers and management to choose the most appropriate methodological approach to identify <em>P. cinnamomi</em> from the environment. The flow chart presents methods based on laboratory time; resources available; and the type of sample collected. This information will increase the reliability of detection and improve the allocation of resources. This ultimately will improve the monitoring of <em>P. cinnamomi</em> to determine the spread of the pathogen, and to evaluate different management and control strategies to minimise its spread and impact on native vegetation, agriculture, forestry and horticulture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12563,"journal":{"name":"Fungal Biology Reviews","volume":"53 ","pages":"Article 100441"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144364952","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"‘Tyger! Tyger! burning bright’ – but fungi are out of sight","authors":"T.S. Suryanarayanan","doi":"10.1016/j.fbr.2025.100440","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fbr.2025.100440","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Governments, nature conservation and civil society organizations worldwide are doing commendable service in protecting species and their habitats. However, they focus more on charismatic species such as tigers, elephants and whales. Microorganisms, especially the fungi, are not given the due attention despite their ecological importance. Because of their unique lifestyle and relatively less investigations on them, serious exploration efforts on fungi are bound to reveal many new species housing novel genes which could aid in managing current global crises including antibiotic resistance, fuel crisis and negative effects of climate change on crops. This is urgent since loss of habitats, invasion by exotic species, pollution, and anthropogenic changes cause extinction of fungal species as well. Apart from emphasizing these points, this article alludes to a rapid and less expensive method of collecting fungi using a crowdsourcing model and the importance of including information about traits to the cultures deposited in the culture collection centers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12563,"journal":{"name":"Fungal Biology Reviews","volume":"53 ","pages":"Article 100440"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144205500","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"DNA, and the future of fungal taxonomy","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.fbr.2025.100432","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fbr.2025.100432","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12563,"journal":{"name":"Fungal Biology Reviews","volume":"52 ","pages":"Article 100432"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144123492","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Sphingolipids in fungi: Biosynthesis and key roles in biological processes","authors":"Thomas Bergia, Sonia Rippa","doi":"10.1016/j.fbr.2025.100430","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fbr.2025.100430","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sphingolipids are complex lipids involved in the global cell physiology. They are significant components of the plasma membrane, contributing to the organization of lipids and anchoring of proteins. In all organisms, the biosynthesis pathway of sphingolipids begins in the endoplasmic reticulum and ends in the Golgi apparatus, where the biosynthesis of more complex sphingolipids occurs. In recent years, the key roles of sphingolipids in fungal biological processes and in the capacity of fungi to adapt to various environments have become of increasing interest. Sphingolipids are also promising as alternative targets to the emergence of multi-drug resistant pathogenic fungal strains. This review presents an outline of the fungal sphingolipid biosynthesis pathway, and an overview of recent advances in their biological roles.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12563,"journal":{"name":"Fungal Biology Reviews","volume":"52 ","pages":"Article 100430"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143844093","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The versatility of Schizophyllum commune in nature and application","authors":"Fleur E.L. Kleijburg, Han A.B. Wösten","doi":"10.1016/j.fbr.2025.100431","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fbr.2025.100431","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Schizophyllum commune</em> is a mushroom forming basidiomycete. It is considered a versatile fungus because of its global distribution, its high genotypic and phenotypic variability, and its growth under high pressure, high cosmic radiation, as well as aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The versatility of <em>S. commune</em> is also evident from the fact that it normally grows as a saprophyte on a wide variety of plant waste including wood but that it also can be a pathogen of plants and animals and may be an endophyte as well. Apart from its biology, <em>S. commune</em> is also versatile because it is a model system for mushroom formation, mycelium materials, and cell wall architecture and composition, while it also produces molecules of interest for medical and industrial applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12563,"journal":{"name":"Fungal Biology Reviews","volume":"53 ","pages":"Article 100431"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143823530","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"“Living together” with Epichloë – Exploring the significance of non-plant partners in the fungal symbiotic network","authors":"Karolina Górzyńska","doi":"10.1016/j.fbr.2025.100429","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fbr.2025.100429","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The relationships between grasses and <em>Epichloë</em> fungi are complex and multifaceted. Moreover, additional symbiotic partners are involved in these interactions and can influence grass-fungi associations. In this article, the symbiotic partners of <em>Epichloë</em> are reviewed, with the mycoparasitic fungus <em>Clonostachys epichloë</em> analyzed as a novel, previously unconsidered element of the symbiotic network.</div><div><em>Clonostachys epichloë</em> fungus was first recognized as a mycoparasite of <em>Epichloë.</em> Further studies revealed that, in addition to its mycoparasitic activity, it also has entomopathogenic activity toward <em>Botanophila</em> flies involved in the sexual cycle of the <em>Epichloë</em> and can colonize the surface of grass seeds infected with the <em>Epichloë</em> endophyte, further modulating the grass-<em>Epichloë</em> interaction.</div><div>The holistic approach to analyzing interaction networks is crucial because the natural mycoparasite <em>C. epichloë</em> may be used to limit choke disease in grasses caused by <em>Epichloë</em> fungi. By examining the effects of <em>C. epichloë</em> on all elements of the interaction, as well as its impact on the relationships among these elements, we can effectively assess its usefulness as biocontrol agent of <em>Epichloë.</em></div></div>","PeriodicalId":12563,"journal":{"name":"Fungal Biology Reviews","volume":"52 ","pages":"Article 100429"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143747210","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Facundo A. Decunta , Pedro E. Gundel , Daniel A. Bastías
{"title":"An appraisal of the protection conferred by foliar Epichloë endophytes against root herbivores in plants: A meta-analysis","authors":"Facundo A. Decunta , Pedro E. Gundel , Daniel A. Bastías","doi":"10.1016/j.fbr.2025.100428","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fbr.2025.100428","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The role of foliar endophytes in modulating plant interactions with herbivores has been less investigated in belowground than aboveground environments. We studied how foliar <em>Epichloë</em> endophytes influence plant performance in the presence of root herbivores. We hypothesize that the endophyte-mediated increase in host performance in the context of root herbivory is due to the stimulation of plant growth in response to the herbivore attack (i.e., tolerance) and the presence of antiherbivore alkaloids in belowground tissues (i.e., resistance). We conducted a quantitative analysis of published results in relation to plant-<em>Epichloë</em>-root herbivore interactions and quantified the overall effects of endophytes on both biomass of plants in the presence/absence of root herbivores and performance of root herbivores. To gain further insights into plant-herbivore resistance, we assessed the in planta distribution of <em>Epichloë</em>-derived alkaloids and the responses of these compounds to the root herbivory. Endophytes increased plant growth in both presence/absence of root herbivores. <em>Epichloë</em> also reduced the herbivore performance, although the effect was dependent on the plant-endophyte association and herbivore type. <em>Epichloë</em>-derived alkaloids were generally less concentrated in belowground compared to aboveground plant tissues. However, the belowground:aboveground ratio for loline alkaloid concentrations was higher in plants in presence than absence of root herbivores, suggesting a local induction of resistance. Our results suggest that foliar <em>Epichloë</em> endophytes enhance plant tolerance to root herbivory by promoting plant growth and reducing root herbivore performance. The observed resistance may be partially explained by the action of <em>Epichloë</em>-derived alkaloids that are present in belowground tissues.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12563,"journal":{"name":"Fungal Biology Reviews","volume":"52 ","pages":"Article 100428"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143697913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Deciphering the oxidative stress response in Candida albicans","authors":"Víctor Arribas , Concha Gil , Gloria Molero","doi":"10.1016/j.fbr.2025.100427","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fbr.2025.100427","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Candida</em> species are the leading cause of invasive fungal infections, with <em>Candida albicans</em> being the most common one. Consequently, the World Health Organization has included <em>C. albicans</em> in its fungal priority pathogens list. Following infection, phagocytes (mostly macrophages) initiate a respiratory burst, producing oxidant compounds, such as hydrogen peroxide. In response, <em>C. albicans</em> activates a robust oxidative stress response to catalyze the oxidant molecules produced by the immune system and counteract their oxidative effects within the cell. The oxidative stress response of <em>C. albicans</em> implies proteomic changes, both in abundance and in post-translational modifications, that are not fully described yet. Proteins with immediate antioxidant properties, the MAPK signaling pathways, and transcription factors are involved in the response. In this review, we discuss the role of these factors and the interactions among them in <em>C. albicans.</em> Many of these mechanisms act as virulence traits that favor the invasive candidiasis and can be used as potential targets for antifungal drugs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12563,"journal":{"name":"Fungal Biology Reviews","volume":"52 ","pages":"Article 100427"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143526923","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Feng M. Cai , Mounes Bakhshi , Irina S. Druzhinina
{"title":"Which fungus it might be? Calling for a collaborative DNA barcoding exercise for mycologists","authors":"Feng M. Cai , Mounes Bakhshi , Irina S. Druzhinina","doi":"10.1016/j.fbr.2025.100416","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fbr.2025.100416","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This collaborative initiative calls upon mycologists, microbiologists, and biodiversity experts to participate in the community exercise and molecularly identify a collection of 45 common fungi using a comprehensive set of primary and secondary DNA barcoding sequences. Focusing on taxonomically enriched genera of <em>Ascomycota</em> such as <em>Aspergillus</em>, <em>Penicillium</em>, <em>Fusarium</em> sensu lato, <em>Alternaria</em>, <em>Trichoderma</em>, and a few others, this initiative aims to review the agreement among the mycologists, uncovering molecular identification approaches, and standardizing training methodologies for future experts. Participants are invited to contribute taxonomic assessments, with co-authorship opportunities for those analyzing at least 15 or more of the 45 phylotypes provided. The initiative seeks a minimum of one hundred identifications per strain, fostering a collaborative community effort and testing for the need to the establishment of a web platform or an automated pipeline for the verification of fungal DNA barcoding results by the expert community. Utilizing 45 nonredundant phylotypes of fungi isolated from plastic waste samples, the exercise reviews the current state of DNA barcoding technology in mycology and sets groundwork for future applications and trainings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12563,"journal":{"name":"Fungal Biology Reviews","volume":"52 ","pages":"Article 100416"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143519969","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Giulia Canali , Pilar Hurtado , Paolo Giordani , Christopher Ellis
{"title":"Lichen hydration, moisture dynamics and climate change: A synthesis of established methods and potential new directions","authors":"Giulia Canali , Pilar Hurtado , Paolo Giordani , Christopher Ellis","doi":"10.1016/j.fbr.2025.100417","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fbr.2025.100417","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The use of a functional trait approach has generally shown success in understanding how lichens are distributed, explaining their occurrence and abundance. Indeed, this success highlights the importance of understanding trait variability within and among lichen species, and at a community scale, especially where traits are related to hydration dynamics and subsequent photosynthetic activity. This review summarises what we know about lichen traits affecting hydration. We show that some lichen attributes – still the focus of attention today – were being described nearly a century ago and have since undergone refinement and redevelopment. Yet there remains a need for clear standardisation of trait measurements, and to help organise this progress we offer a distinction between core traits – whose effects are well categorised, and which have strong predictive control over measures of individual fitness and species or community response – and ancillary traits – that are worthy of investigation, but that currently have a less certain or a less clearly generalisable or transferable role in functional trait studies. Furthermore, we argue for recognition that lichens are not only poikilohydric (well cited) but also poikilothermic (less well cited), and that traits affecting hydration are closely coupled to traits (such as thallus colour) affecting their thermal properties. Thallus colour is easily quantified as a core trait and can be applied to crustose lichens so that – along with hydrophobicity – the transferability of functional traits is better achieved across lichen growth-forms, extending beyond macrolichens. Key future challenges include the scaling of lichen trait responses realised at microhabitat scales, to understand emergent effects at landscape and ecosystem scales, and we outline how new technologies are rapidly developing, to bridge this gap. Although not exhaustive, the review offers a precis of targeted background literature, helpful to lichenologists approaching trait-based ecology, or ecosystem ecologists approaching lichens.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12563,"journal":{"name":"Fungal Biology Reviews","volume":"52 ","pages":"Article 100417"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143437376","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}