title: Acidomelania panicicola gen. et sp. nov. from switchgrass roots in acidic New Jersey pine barrens.
abstract: A new genus, Acidomelania, is described based on molecular phylogenetic analyses and ecological and morphological characters. Isolated from switchgrass roots in acidic and oligotrophic New Jersey pine barrens in this study, Acidomelania likely has a global distribution because its internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence has high similarity with a number of GenBank sequences resulted from various ecological studies. Apparently these samples all were from roots of plants that lived in acidic, nutrient-poor environments. Phylogenetic analyses based on ITS, LSU and ACT sequence data strongly supported the fact that Acidomelania isolates formed a monophyletic clade in Helotiales, distinct from any known taxa. Phylogenetically Acidomelania is closely related to Loramyces, Mollisia and Phialocephala fortinii, Acephala applanata species complex (PAC), the dark septate endophytes. Acidomelania also can be distinguished from Loramyces and Mollisia by its association with living grass roots. While taxa in PAC also are root endophytes, they have more complex phialid arrangement than Acidomelania. Results from this work will facilitate ecological and evolutionary studies on root-associated fungi.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biology and Pathology, 201 Foran Hall, 59 Dudley Road, and Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, 76 Lipman Drive, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biology and Pathology, 201 Foran Hall, 59 Dudley Road, and Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, 76 Lipman Drive, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biology and Pathology, 201 Foran Hall, 59 Dudley Road, and Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, 76 Lipman Drive, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901 zhang@aesop.rutgers.edu.
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D001203:Ascomycota / Q000145:classification* / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001483:Base Sequence; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D060026:Endophytes; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016533:Mycological Typing Techniques; D009515:New Jersey; D010802:Phylogeny; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000382:microbiology; D006109:Poaceae / Q000382:microbiology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013172:Spores, Fungal
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer
keywords: Leotiomycetes; dark septate endophytes; fungi; grass; phylogeny; root; taxonomy