Multilocus molecular phylogenetic-led discovery and formal recognition of four novel root-colonizing Fusarium species from northern Kazakhstan and the phylogenetically divergent Fusarium steppicola lineage

Authors: AKHMETOVA, GALIYA - Eotvos Lorand University; KNAPP, DANIEL - Eotvos Lorand University; OZER, GOKSEL - Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University; O Donnell, Kerry; LARABA, IMANE - Orise Fellow; KIYAS, ALDABERGEN - Kazakh Scientific Research Institute Of Agriculture And Plant Growing; ZABOLOTSKICH, VLADIMIR - Kazakh Scientific Research Institute Of Agriculture And Plant Growing; KOVACS, GABOR - Eotvos Lorand University; MOLNAR, ORSOLYA - Eotvos Lorand University

Submitted to: Mycologia
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/29/2022
Publication Date: 11/28/2022
Citation: Akhmetova, G.K., Knapp, D.G., Ozer, G., O'Donnell, K., Laraba, I., Kiyas, A., Zabolotskich, V., Kovacs, G.M., Molnar, O. 2022. Multilocus molecular phylogenetic-led discovery and formal recognition of four novel root-colonizing Fusarium species from northern Kazakhstan and the phylogenetically divergent Fusarium steppicola lineage. Mycologia. 115(1):16-31. https://doi.org/10.1080/00275514.2022.2119761.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00275514.2022.2119761

Interpretive Summary: The semiarid steppe ecosystem in the Republic of Kazakhstan is excellent for cultivating wheat, barley, oats and other agronomically important crops. Improving the knowledge of fungi associated with these crops has the potential to promote agricultural production, especially given a wide range of fungi colonize post-harvest residues of wheat and wild cereals. No-till agricultural practices are used worldwide because they prevent water and soil erosion. Thus, the primary objective of the present study was to obtain a preliminary estimate of what root associated fungi are associated with wheat, barley, oat, wild cereals, lentil (Lens culinaris) and flax (Linum usitatissimum). Surveys for endophytes were conducted in 2018 and 2019. Fungi were isolated from healthy roots and identified to species using a partial DNA sequence from the informative barcode gene translation elongation factor 1-a (tef1). We discovered that members of the filamentous fungal genus Fusarium were the most dominant group in that it comprised two-thirds of the isolates recovered (i.e., 290/435). Based on genetic analyses of partial tef1 sequence data of the 290 Fusarium isolates, 16 putatively novel isolates were further analyzed using DNA sequence data from portions of three additional genes. Results of these multigene analyses revealed that the 16 isolates represent four species new to science. These were formally described as novel Fusarium species using detailed morphological data. This study will be of interest to a wide range of biologists who are interested in cataloging the diversity of putatively beneficial endophytes of agronomically important crops.

Technical Abstract: In this study, DNA sequence data were used to characterize 290 Fusarium strains isolated during a survey of root-colonizing endophytic fungi of agricultural and nonagricultural plants in northern Kazakhstan. The Fusarium collection was screened for species identity using partial translation elongation factor 1-a (TEF1) gene sequences. Altogether, 16 different Fusarium species were identified, including eight known and four novel species, as well as the discovery of the phylogenetically divergent F. steppicola lineage. Isolates of the four putatively novel fusaria were further analyzed phylogenetically with a multilocus data set comprising partial sequences of TEF1, RNA polymerase II largest (RPB1) and second-largest (RPB2) subunits, and calmodulin (CaM) to assess their genealogical exclusivity. Based on the molecular phylogenetic and comprehensive morphological analyses, four new species are formally described herein: F. campestre, F. kazakhstanicum, F. rhizicola, and F. steppicola.