Yu-Cheng Dai

Bio: Yu-Cheng Dai is an academic researcher from Beijing Forestry University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Biology & Basidiocarp. The author has an hindex of 37, co-authored 180 publications receiving 6412 citations. Previous affiliations of Yu-Cheng Dai include Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The Faces of Fungi database: fungal names linked with morphology, phylogeny and human impacts

Abstract: Taxonomic names are key links between various databases that store information on different organisms. Several global fungal nomenclural and taxonomic databases (notably Index Fungorum, Species Fungorum and MycoBank) can be sourced to find taxonomic details about fungi, while DNA sequence data can be sourced from NCBI, EBI and UNITE databases. Although the sequence data may be linked to a name, the quality of the metadata is variable and generally there is no corresponding link to images, descriptions or herbarium material. There is generally no way to establish the accuracy of the names in these genomic databases, other than whether the submission is from a reputable source. To tackle this problem, a new database (FacesofFungi), accessible at www.facesoffungi.org (FoF) has been established. This fungal database allows deposition of taxonomic data, phenotypic details and other useful data, which will enhance our current taxonomic understanding and ultimately enable mycologists to gain better and updated insights into the current fungal classification system. In addition, the database will also allow access to comprehensive metadata including descriptions of voucher and type specimens. This database is user-friendly, providing links and easy access between taxonomic ranks, with the classification system based primarily on molecular data (from the literature and via updated web-based phylogenetic trees), and to a lesser extent on morphological data when molecular data are unavailable. In FoF species are not only linked to the closest phylogenetic representatives, but also relevant data is provided, wherever available, on various applied aspects, such as ecological, industrial, quarantine and chemical uses. The data include the three main fungal groups (Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Basal fungi) and fungus-like organisms. The FoF webpage is an output funded by the Mushroom Research Foundation which is an NGO with seven directors with mycological expertise. The webpage has 76 curators, and with the help of these specialists, FoF will provide an updated natural classification of the fungi, with illustrated accounts of species linked to molecular data. The present paper introduces the FoF database to the scientific community and briefly reviews some of the problems associated with classification and identification of the main fungal groups. The structure and use of the database is then explained. We would like to invite all mycologists to contribute to these web pages.

Hymenochaetaceae (Basidiomycota) in China

Abstract: An account of the Chinese species of Hymenochaetaceae based on most recent phylogenetic analysis is presented. One hundred and seventy species from 23 genera are recognized; descriptions are provided based on the Chinese collections. Keys to genera and species are given. Phellinopsis gen. nov. is introduced. Coltricia abieticola sp. nov., Coltricia crassa sp. nov., Coltricia macropora sp. nov., Coltricia spina sp. nov., Coltriciella subglobosa sp. nov., Fuscoporia yunnanensis sp. nov. and Inonotus magnisetus sp. nov. are described here as new. Eighteen new combinations, Fulvifomes cesatii, F. chinensis, F. collinus, F. glaucescens, F. inermis, F. johnsonianus, F. kanehirae, F. macgregorii, F. minisporus, F. pullus, F. umbrinellus, Fuscoporia setifera, Inonotus lonicericola, I. tricolor, Phellinopsis conchata, P. occidentalis, Porodaedalea himalayensis and P. yamanoi are proposed. The taxonomy of all species is discussed. Spore dimensions given in this study derive from at least 30 spores of each species, and 10 386 spores were measured from 347 specimens. Two thousand specimens were examined, and they are listed after each species. Colour photos for 140 species are supplied.This report provides a modern treatment of the Hymenochaetaceae of China. To further support the results of morphology, nuclear large subunit (nuc-LSU) sequences from some typical species were selected to reconstruct their phylogeny.

Species clarification of the prize medicinal Ganoderma mushroom “Lingzhi”

Abstract: “Lingzhi” is a mushroom that has been renowned in China for more than 2,000 years because of its claimed medicinal properties plus its symbolic fortune. “Lingzhi” has high economic value mostly as a dietary supplement in the modern market especially in East Asia, and its medicinal functions have become a hot study topic. For over a century, the highly prized medicinal fungus, known as “Lingzhi” in East Asia, has been assigned to Ganoderma lucidum, a species originally described from Europe. Molecular studies in recent years have revealed that the commercially cultivated ‘G. lucidum’ (“Lingzhi”) in East Asia is a different species from the true G. lucidum. The present study aims to clarify the species identity of “Lingzhi” based on morphological studies and analysis of rDNA nuc-ITS sequences, and additional gene fragments of mt-SSU, RPB1, RPB2, and TEF1-α of “Lingzhi” were provided. All Ganoderma species that mostly resemble “Lingzhi” in phylogeny and /or morphology were included for analysis. We propose a new species G. lingzhi for “Lingzhi”, which has an East Asia distribution. The most striking characteristics which differentiate G. lingzhi from G. lucidum are the presence of melanoid bands in the context, a yellow pore surface and thick dissepiments (80–120 μm) at maturity. G. curtisii is most closely related to G. lingzhi in phylogeny and is from North America. Ganoderma flexipes, G. multipileum, G. sichuanense, G. tropicum and ‘G. tsugae’, are also closely related with G. lingzhi and are reported from China. These species are compared and discussed. ‘Ganoderma tsuage’ reported from China is determined as conspecific with G. lucidum, hence the distribution of G. lucidum extends from Europe to northeastern China.

Arbuscular mycorrhiza: the mother of plant root endosymbioses.

Abstract: Arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM), a symbiosis between plants and members of an ancient phylum of fungi, the Glomeromycota, improves the supply of water and nutrients, such as phosphate and nitrogen, to the host plant. In return, up to 20% of plant-fixed carbon is transferred to the fungus. Nutrient transport occurs through symbiotic structures inside plant root cells known as arbuscules. AM development is accompanied by an exchange of signalling molecules between the symbionts. A novel class of plant hormones known as strigolactones are exuded by the plant roots. On the one hand, strigolactones stimulate fungal metabolism and branching. On the other hand, they also trigger seed germination of parasitic plants. Fungi release signalling molecules, in the form of 'Myc factors' that trigger symbiotic root responses. Plant genes required for AM development have been characterized. During evolution, the genetic programme for AM has been recruited for other plant root symbioses: functional adaptation of a plant receptor kinase that is essential for AM symbiosis paved the way for nitrogen-fixing bacteria to form intracellular symbioses with plant cells.

The revised classification of eukaryotes

Abstract: This revision of the classification of eukaryotes, which updates that of Adl et al. [J. Eukaryot. Microbiol. 52 (2005) 399], retains an emphasis on the protists and incorporates changes since 2005 that have resolved nodes and branches in phylogenetic trees. Whereas the previous revision was successful in re-introducing name stability to the classification, this revision provides a classification for lineages that were then still unresolved. The supergroups have withstood phylogenetic hypothesis testing with some modifications, but despite some progress, problematic nodes at the base of the eukaryotic tree still remain to be statistically resolved. Looking forward, subsequent transformations to our understanding of the diversity of life will be from the discovery of novel lineages in previously under-sampled areas and from environmental genomic information.

The Fungi: 1, 2, 3 … 5.1 million species?

Abstract: Premise of the study Fungi are major decomposers in certain ecosystems and essential associates of many organisms. They provide enzymes and drugs and serve as experimental organisms. In 1991, a landmark paper estimated that there are 1.5 million fungi on the Earth. Because only 70000 fungi had been described at that time, the estimate has been the impetus to search for previously unknown fungi. Fungal habitats include soil, water, and organisms that may harbor large numbers of understudied fungi, estimated to outnumber plants by at least 6 to 1. More recent estimates based on high-throughput sequencing methods suggest that as many as 5.1 million fungal species exist. Methods Technological advances make it possible to apply molecular methods to develop a stable classification and to discover and identify fungal taxa. Key results Molecular methods have dramatically increased our knowledge of Fungi in less than 20 years, revealing a monophyletic kingdom and increased diversity among early-diverging lineages. Mycologists are making significant advances in species discovery, but many fungi remain to be discovered. Conclusions Fungi are essential to the survival of many groups of organisms with which they form associations. They also attract attention as predators of invertebrate animals, pathogens of potatoes and rice and humans and bats, killers of frogs and crayfish, producers of secondary metabolites to lower cholesterol, and subjects of prize-winning research. Molecular tools in use and under development can be used to discover the world's unknown fungi in less than 1000 years predicted at current new species acquisition rates.