Diaspores and degradative abilities of select dematiaceous hyphomycetes ...

• Main Author: Day, Melissa
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: University of Alberta Library 2010
• Subjects: Degradation; Dematiaceous hyphomycetes; Diaspores; Arctic; Saxifraga oppositifolia
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.7939/r38q1z; https://ualberta.scholaris.ca/handle/123456789/62834

Dematiaceous hyphomycetes are a taxonomically diverse artificial assemblage of conidial fungi that have dark pigments known as melanins in their walls. Select dematiaceous hyphomycetes from the Coniochaetales, Pleosporales, and Helotiales obtained from arctic and alpine bryophytes and vascular plant roots were chosen for further study. Eight isolates, all from roots of Saxifraga oppositifolia, represented a new species of Monodictys, M. arctica. This species, characterised by large, darkly pigmented, multicelled, often branching conidia, was most closely related to members of the Leptosphaeria, making M. arctica potentially the first non-pycnidial anamorph associated with that genus. In alpine glacial forefields, the primary colonisers are bryophytes, which form an organic grout between the rocks. These mosses trap organic particles. Three pleosporalean fungi were isolated from this grout and examined to see if they could degrade moss. All three removed the outer, cellulose rich layer of the cells, but not ...