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Morphological and Phylogenetic Analyses Reveal Dictyostelids (Cellular Slime Molds) Colonizing the Ascocarp of

Wen-Shu Hu1, Lin-Lin Jiang1, Pu Liu2

  • 1College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 401331, China.

Journal of Fungi (Basel, Switzerland)
|October 25, 2024
PubMed

Insights

This study reports the first discovery of dictyostelid cellular slime molds colonizing a true morel mushroom (Morchella spp.). This finding expands our understanding of slime mold interactions and their distribution in China.

Area of Science:

  • Mycology and Microbial Ecology
  • Fungal-Microbial Interactions

Background:

  • True morels (Morchella spp.) are valuable edible mushrooms facing damage from colonizing fungi and bacteria, causing economic losses.
  • Slime molds, exhibiting unique 'fungi-animal' characteristics, are known to colonize crops and fungi, but dictyostelid cellular slime molds (dictyostelids) have not been previously reported on plants or fungi.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify species colonizing true morels to understand their interaction mechanisms.
  • To investigate the novel colonization of Morchella by dictyostelids.

Main Methods:

  • Macro- and micro-morphological observations of the colonized morel specimen.
  • Molecular phylogenetic analyses for accurate species identification.

Main Results:

  • Discovery of dictyostelids colonizing a wild Morchella ascoma in Chongqing, China, resulting in black, rotten tissue.
  • Identification of the colonizing slime mold as Dictyostelium implicatum and the morel as Morchella sp. Mel-21.
  • This marks the first report of dictyostelids colonizing organisms and the first record of dictyostelids in Chongqing, China.

Conclusions:

  • Dictyostelids can colonize true morels, adding to the known diversity of organisms interacting with Morchella.
  • The study expands knowledge on dictyostelid life history, ecological significance, and geographical distribution in China.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate the specific mechanisms of this novel dictyostelid-morel colonization.
Keywords:
18S rRNADictyosteliumdistributionmulti-genesorocarptrue morel

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