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Forecasting the number of species of asexually reproducing fungi (Ascomycota and Basidiomycota)

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Abstract

Asexually reproducing fungi play a significant role in essential processes in managed and wild ecosystems such as nutrients cycling and multitrophic interactions. A large number of such taxa are among the most notorious plant and animal pathogens. In addition, they have a key role in food production, biotechnology and medicine. Taxa without or rare sexual reproduction are distinguished based on their sporulating structures and conidiomata in traditional morphology-based taxonomy. The number, variation and diversity of asexually reproducing taxa are insufficiently known, even though fungi capable of asexual reproduction may provide an untapped, rich biological resource for future exploitation. Currently, ca. 30,000 asexual species belonging to ca. 3800 genera have been reported (including 1388 coelomycetous and 2265 hyphomycetous genera). Recent reports (2017–2020) reiterate that the number of asexually producing fungi is higher than the number of frequently sexually-reproducing fungi. With the advent of molecular tools and the abandonment of the dual nomenclature system for pleomorphic fungi, priority criteria were established and revisited in the latest outline of fungi and fungus-like taxa. However, species numbers and taxonomic boundaries of pleomorphic taxa and their synanamorphs or synasexual morphs have yet to be addressed. The number of species of speciose genera (e.g. Alternaria, Aspergillus, Cercospora, Fusarium, Phoma and Pseudocercospora), cryptic species, species of pleomorphic genera, less studied life modes (such as lichenicolous taxa, taxa from extreme environments) and species from biodiversity-rich areas still need evaluation to achieve more reliable estimates of their diversity. This paper discusses the current knowledge on the matter, with diversity estimates, and potential obstacles in several chapters on (1) speciose genera; (2) pleomorphic genera; (3) cryptic species; (4) well-studied but insufficiently resolved taxa, e.g. leaf inhabiting species, marine fungi, (5) less studied life modes, e.g. lichenicolous, rock-inhabiting fungi, insect-associated and yeast-forming taxa and (6) species from biodiversity-rich areas.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. NSFC 31950410558, NSFC 31760013), Department of Science and Technology of Yunnan Province (No. 2018FB050), the State Key Laboratory of Functions and Applications of Medicinal Plants, Guizhou Medical University (No. FAMP201906K); Science and Technology Department of Guizhou Province (QKHRCPT[2017]5101) and High-Level Talent Recruitment Plan of Yunnan Provinces ("Young Talents" Program and "High-End Foreign Experts" Program). Nalin N. Wijayawardene gratefully acknowledges Peter Johnston, the New Zealand Fungarium, Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research, Siril D. Wijesundara, Belle D. Shenoy for their valuable comments and suggestions and acknowledges Institute for Research and Development in Health and Social Care for an Honorary Research Associate position during the tenure of which this paper was finalised. Don-Qin Dai and Nalin N. Wijayawardene thank Sudheera Gunasekara (National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA), Sri Lanka) for preparing the map. Rafael F. Castañeda-Ruiz and Josiane S. Monteiro express gratitude to Dr. De-Wei Li (The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Valley Laboratory, USA) for review the manuscript. Laura Selbmann and Claudia Coleine thank the Italian National Program for Antarctic Researches (PNRA) for funding Antarctic Projects and Campaigns for collecting rock specimens from which fungi are isolated. Josiane S. Monteiro thanks Miriely Cristina dos Santos Ferreira (PIBIC-MPEG) and Beatriz Valente Miglio (POSBOT-MPEG-UFRA) who assist for. The Antarctic Italian National Museum (MNA) is kindly acknowledged for funding the Fungal Culture Collection MNA-FCC where all the Antarctic fungi isolated are preserved. Alan J.L. Phillips and Diana Santos Pereira acknowledge the support from UIDB/04046/2020 and UIDP/04046/2020 Centre grants from FCT, Portugal (to BioISI). Marco Thines is supported by the LOEWE excellence initiative of the government of Hessen in the framework of the Cluster for Integrative Fungal Research (IPF) and the Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (TBG). Adam Flakus thanks National Science Centre (NCN) in Poland (DEC-2013/11/D/NZ8/03274) for financial support.

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Correspondence to Dong-Qin Dai or Li-Zhou Tang.

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Wijayawardene, N.N., Phillips, A.J.L., Pereira, D.S. et al. Forecasting the number of species of asexually reproducing fungi (Ascomycota and Basidiomycota). Fungal Diversity 114, 463–490 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13225-022-00500-5

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