Boliniaceae sp. AZ0804 was isolated in culture from a surface-sterilized, senescent leaf of the alligator juniper, Juniperus deppeana, in the Chiricahua Mountains of southern Arizona as part of a study examining endophytic fungal communities (U’Ren et al., 2010; U'Ren & Arnold; 2016). We classified this isolate as an unidentified species of Boliniaceae sp. (Pezizomycotina, Sordariomycetes, Bolineales) via ITS-partial LSU rDNA sequencing. Based on ITS rDNA sequence similarity, we determined that fungi with this genotype also occur as endophytic fungi in living leaves. Species of Boliniaceae are typically saprotrophs of wood and bark in temperate and tropical forests (Hundrof & Miller, 2008). Comparative analyses of AZ0804 will provide an important framework for understanding the evolution of ecological modes, substrate use, and plant cell wall degradation in this family.
References:
Huhndorf, S.M., A.N. Miller. 2008. A new species of Camarops and
phylogenetic analysis of related taxa in the Bolinaceae. North
American Fungi 3(7): 231–239.
U’Ren, J. M., F. Lutzoni, J. Miadlikowska & A.E. Arnold. 2010. Community analysis reveals close affinities between endophytic and endolichenic fungi in mosses and lichens. Microbial Ecology 60: 340–353.
U’Ren, J. M., A.E. Arnold. 2016. Diversity, taxonomic
composition, and functional aspects of fungal communities in
living, senescent, and fallen leaves at five sites across North
America. PeerJ. e2768.