Two species of nematode endoparasites, Acrostalagmus bactrosporus Drechsler and Acrostalagmus obovatus Drechsler, which infect by spore adhesion, are transferred into the recently erected genus, Haptocillium Zare and Gams. We report on these species for the first time since their initial description over 60 years ago. Cultivation of both these fungi on corn meal agar revealed the production of alternative spore types not seen in association with the nematode host.

Fungi play a key role in ecosystem nutrient cycles by scavenging, concentrating, translocating and redistributing nitrogen. To quantify and predict fungal nitrogen redistribution, and assess the importance of the integrity of fungal networks in soil for ecosystem function, we need better understanding of the structures and processes involved. Until recently nitrogen translocation has been experimentally intractable owing to the lack of a suitable radioisotope tracer for nitrogen, and the impossibility of observing nitrogen translocation in real time under realistic conditions. We have developed an imaging method for recording the magnitude and direction of amino acid flow through the whole mycelial network as it captures, assimilates and channels its carbon and nitrogen resources, while growing in realistically heterogeneous soil microcosms. Computer analysis and modeling, based on these digitized video records, can reveal patterns in transport that suggest experimentally testable hypotheses. Experimental approaches that we are developing include genomics and stable isotope NMR to investigate where in the system nitrogen compounds are being acquired and stored, and where they are mobilized for transport or broken down. The results are elucidating the interplay between environment, metabolism, and the development and function of transport networks as mycelium forages in soil. The highly adapted and selected foraging networks of fungi may illuminate fundamental principles applicable to other supply networks.

There has been interest in using environmental screening procedures for enhancing the metabolomic production profiles by fungi which are of pharmaceutical interest. This study examined two ecologically distinct species, Epicoccum nigrum and Sarophorum palmicola, in solid substrate fermentation systems over a range of water availability conditions (water activity, aW). Total secondary metabolite profiles were obtained by HPLC + diode array detection after 14 days incubation on cereal-based substrates in relation to four aW treatments. Temporal studies (24 d, E. nigrum and 18 d, S. palmicola) showed that metabolite production profiles varied markedly between the two fungi. For E. nigrum, metabolite production generally increased with reduction in aW, and was optimal in the range 0.99 - 0.97. In contrast to this, for S. palmicola, metabolite production was restricted to the highest aW level used, 0.998, and declined to zero at 0.99 aW. Statistical analysis revealed that time, aW and their interactions were significant in all cases (p<0.001). The potential for using ecophysiological stresses for enhancing natural product discovery is discussed.

In a preliminary study of stable and declining beds of Spartina anglica five sporulating ascomycetes were identified. A comparison between stable and declining Spartina beds demonstrated that there was no overall difference in the fungal species found, and no significant difference between the numbers of isolates from the different beds except that Lulworthia sp. was more prominent in the stable beds. The vertical distribution of species of ascomycetes within Spartina anglica plants, from root to leaf-tip, is related to the status of the fungus as either an obligate or facultative marine fungus. The significance of these findings is discussed.

Grass silage is a key source of forage for over-wintering livestock in Ireland. In the early 1990s Schizophyllum commune emerged as a contaminant of big-bale silage. A fungus rarely observed in Irish woodlands, S. commune is now commonly found on baled silage throughout Ireland and is also recorded on silage in Britain. Characteristics of the fungus on bales are described and potential consequences of its occurrence on silage are discussed.

The genus Biscogniauxia, a member of the family Xylariaceae, has a worldwide distribution with over 50 taxa recognised. Biscogniauxia mediterranea is well known as the causative agent of charcoal canker in cork oak and is a serious problem in Portugal. Other species also cause canker under specific conditions. There is good evidence that these species occur in healthy living trees as endophytes and then become invasive under water stress conditions. The ability of B. nummularia, B. nothofagi and B. uniapiculata to cause cankers in Fagus, Nothofagus and Eucalyptus respectively is reported here.