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Fungicolous Fusarium Species: Ecology, Diversity, Isolation, and Identification

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Abstract

Fusarium species can have different lifestyles, including those of endophytes, parasites, or pathogens of plants, as well as pathogens or mutualists of animals. Fungicolous Fusarium species have been also reported in some studies, however, the information on the Fusarium interactions with other fungi is still unclear and the diversity of fungicolous Fusarium species is poorly known. In this study, we provide a survey of fungicolous Fusarium species and their hosts, and instructions for their isolation and identification. According to the survey, 80 fungicolous Fusarium isolates were reported associated with 36 host species and 32 fungal genera. The fungicolous isolates belong to 24 species grouped in nine species complexes (SC)—Fusarium chlamydosporum SC, Fusarium fujikuroi SC, F. heterosporum SC, F. lateritium SC, F. oxysporum SC, F. incarnatum-equiseti SC, F. sambucinum SC, F. solani SC (=Neocosmospora genus), and F. tricinctum SC. Fusarium associations with other fungi were predominantly necrotrophic. The prevalent fungal hosts for fungicolous Fusarium isolates were members of the sub-kingdom Dikarya, mostly microfungi. Other hosts belong to the sub-kingdom Mucoromyceta of the kingdom Fungi and to the phylum Oomycota (fungal-like organisms) of kingdom Straminipila. With this review, we hope to highlight the fungicolous associations of Fusarium, and to expand the understanding of the ecology and diversity of these fungi.

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Acknowledgements

The Research Deputy of the University of Tabriz and Iranian Mycological Society are kindly acknowledged. Ana Carla da Silva Santos thanks the Fundação de Amparo a Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Pernambuco (FACEPE)—Brazil for postdoctoral fellowship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Plant Protection Department, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tabriz, 5166614766, Tabriz, Iran

    Mohsen Torbati & Mahdi Arzanlou

  2. Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife PE, Brazil

    Ana Carla da Silva Santos

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  1. Mohsen Torbati
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ACSS conceived and designed the idea for the article. MT performed the literature search and data collection. MA supervised and revised the work. All authors wrote, read and approved the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ana Carla da Silva Santos.

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Torbati, M., Arzanlou, M. & da Silva Santos, A.C. Fungicolous Fusarium Species: Ecology, Diversity, Isolation, and Identification. Curr Microbiol 78, 2850–2859 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-021-02584-9

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