Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
G022 MCCARTY HALL
GAINESVILLE,FL 32611
Performing Department
Plant Pathology
Non Technical Summary
Fungi are an extremely diverse group of eukaryotes that includes economically and ecologically important plant and animal pathogens, edible mushrooms, toxic mushrooms, and decay organisms. Despite their importance in both natural and anthropogenic ecosystems, fungi are notoriously difficult to identify and remain poorly known. This project will document the fungi of Florida and result in: 1) enhanced accuracy and efficiency of fungal identification in cases of structural wood decay, human and animal fungal infections or toxicity, and emergent plant pathogens, 2) increased incomes due to the development and enhancement of fungi as specialty crops, and 3) accumulate data on fungi in Florida's natural environments, including improved estimates of the state's fungal biodiversity and documentation of species introductions. PD Smith will use morphological, cultural, and molecular methods to enhance fungi detection and identification. This project will directly result in better resources for fungi identificaiton in Florida and the surrounding states, an enhanced infrastructure for studies of fungal biology via improvements of the UF Fungal Herbarium, and increased knowledge about fungi that may serve as important specialty crop products in the Southeastern USA.
Animal Health Component
30%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
40%
Applied
30%
Developmental
30%
Goals / Objectives
Objectives: The long-term goal of my research and extension program is to identify, characterize, and document the fungi of the Southeastern USA (particularly Florida) and to deploy knowledge about fungi and fungal biology to appropriately benefit Florida stakeholders. This work includes direct research on empirical fungal biology topics and problems as well as associated outreach and education programs to enhance awareness about beneficial and pathogenic fungi, cultivation of fungi for food, and about fungal biology in general. This work has several main objectives: 1) Identify and characterize fungi that are pathogenic or harmful to the state's humans, plants, or animals and develop molecular tools for rapid detection and diagnosis. 2) Explore the viability of edible fungi (such as the pecan truffle Tuber lyonii, the oyster mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus, and the shiitake mushroom Lentinula edodes) as specialty crops in the state of Florida. 3) Enhance the diagnostic resources of the University of Florida Fungal Herbarium (FLAS-F) by cataloging, identifying, documenting, and preserving fungal specimens for current and future scientists and residents.
Project Methods
Objective 1: Identify and characterize fungi that are pathogenic or harmful to the state's humans, plants, or animals and develop molecular tools for rapid detection and diagnosis. Rationale and Significance - Florida's humid climate makes the state an ideal place for fungi of all types . There is currently no good estimate of the total number of fungal species in Florida, but the number is likely to exceed 100,000 species . Many of these fungi are native, but others have been introduced through natural spread or human interventions. As the Fungi Specialist for UF, I regularly receive samples of fungi from diseased plants and animals, potentially harmful samples of indoor molds, and fungi that are potentially associated with poisoning of humans or domestic animals. I also receive specimens involved in wood decay in houses or in trees. Research in my lab is focused on identifying these fungi, determining whether or not they are causing disease, toxicity or decay, determining if these are native or not, and then retaining specimens for the UF Herbarium . Depending upon the particulars of the case, I also provide advice for remediation or resolution of the situation. Procedures - Fungal samples with adequate morphological features are first examined using dissecting and light microscopy to obtain information on spores, hyphae, and host interactions. When possible, fungi are morphologically identified using the extensive literature available at the UF Fungal Herbarium. In cases where morphology is inadequate, fungi are cultured on appropriate media (e.g. Mueller et al 2004) and/or DNA barcoding and/or multi-gene DNA sequencing is performed according to published protocols (Smith et al., 2011). DNA sequences are then used for identification by comparison to GenBank using the BLAST algorithm and through phylogenetic analysis (e.g., Smith et al., 2011). This approach has proved useful for identification and documentation of animal-associated fungi in a collaboration with Dr. B. Sheppard at the UF Vet School (Sheppard et al., 2013). In cases where appropriate, I will design species- or lineage-specific PCR primers to accurately identify fungi from DNA samples. This has is effective for identification of samples where the above techniques cannot be readily employed (see Smith & ee, 2008). Objective 2: Explore the viability of edible fungi (such as the pecan truffle Tuber lyonii, the oyster mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus, and the shiitake mushroom Lentinula edodes) as specialty crops in the state of Florida. Rationale and Significance - Edible fungi, such as truffles and gourmet mushrooms, have grown increasingly popular in recent years and have developed into significant specialty crops (Sanchez et al. 2004). This effect has been amplified by a growing interest in locally produced foods and specialty products (Halweii 2002). In some cases, it has also been possible to grow mushrooms using agricultural waste or recycled products, thus enhancing agricultural activity at a relatively low cost to growers (Sanchez et al. 2004). Similarly, truffles in the genus Tuber are high-value specialty crops that sell for prices of $10 per ounce or greater (Smith et al., 2012). These truffles are either harvested in natural habitats or in orchard situations; in both cases the truffle harvest can be accomplished without negatively impacting other organisms. Edible fungi production is most viable in rural areas and these are precisely the regions of Florida where extra income from additional crops is a welcome stimulant to local economies. Procedures - In Florida, three particular fungi show promise as specialty crops. Two mushroom species, the oyster mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus, and the shiitake mushroom Lentinula edodes, are commercially viable products where there is already significant information on commercial production, pest control, and marketing (Sanchez et al. 2010;http://taylor.ifas.ufl.edu/docs/Shitake_Marketing.pdf). For these species, the main focus is on answering questions for growers regarding fungal biology and providing information via workshops. I am cooperating with Dr. Aparna Gazula (UF-IFAS, Alachua Co. Extension), Dr. Clay Olson (UF-IFAS, Taylor Co. Extension) and Carolyn Saft (UF-IFAS, Suwannee Co. Extension) to conduct workshops ("Growing Mushrooms for Food and Profit"). I am also studying the pecan truffle, Tuber lyonii, to determine if this species can be readily developed as a high value specialty crop. Tuber lyonii, is a native truffle species that is related to the high-valued European truffles. This species is locally harvested from commercial pecan orchards but can also be found in natural habitats with oaks. As a beneficial mycorrhizal symbiont, this crop helps with tree nutrition and growth. Currently, activities regarding this fungus are focused on: 1) identifying the distribution of the truffle via surveys, 2) conducting experiments in pecan nurseries to determine whether the truffle can be effectively inoculated onto seedlings and then transplanted to new orchards, and 3) communicating with harvesters and restaurant owners to study and promote the growing industry surrounding these truffles. 3) Enhance the diagnostic resources of the UF Fungal Herbarium (FLAS) by cataloging, identifying, documenting, and preserving fungal specimens for current and future scientists and residents. Rationale and Significance - The UF Mycological Herbarium is one of the collections of the Florida Museum of Natural History but is managed by the Dept. of Plant Pathology. The mission of the fungal herbarium is to preserve fungi, catalog specimens for ongoing research, and facilitate studies on fungal biology and biodiversity . Studies based on fungal specimens help us to understand the evolution of fungi (how fungi are related to each other and to other organisms) and also fungal ecology (what fungi do in the environment and how they interact with other organisms). The fungal herbarium is a valuable resource that holds critical voucher collections of economic importance including: 1) plant pathogenic fungi, 2) fungi that are deadly poisonous to humans and pets when consumed, 3) fungi that are useful for commercial applications (e.g. industrial processing, bioremediation), 4) fungi that cause serious wood decay in structures, landscape trees, and agricultural crops (e.g. tree crops such as pecans), and 5) fungi that are toxic to animals (e.g. fungi that attack forage grasses). The herbarium currently holds more than 58,000 fungal specimens that consist of macrofungal fruiting bodies (mushrooms, shelf fungi, etc.), plants infected by fungi, and isolates of microfungi on dried agar plates. The UF fungal herbarium is also currently participating in a multi-institution, NSF-funded project to digitize and database as many US macrofungi collections as possible. To search the database of US macrofungi, including FLAS collections, see http://mycoportal.org/portal/collections/index.php. Procedures - I am continually adding to the FLAS collections and enhancing the utility of the collection through digitization and re-organization. The NSF digitization has already resulted in 2,500 online collections with an additional 18,000 records to become available 2013-2014. This searchable database of macrofungi facilitates rapid identification of new collections and direct comparisons between new and vouchered material. This will also save time and energy by providing potential users with online data. The process for proper processing of specimens includes data collection , photography, labeling, preservation, and storage . Where appropriate, DNA is extracted and sequenced for ongoing efforts to identify macrofungi that are toxic or are involved in wood decay in landscape plants or buildings. For example, I am currently accessioning diverse specimens from the genus Amanita, the genus often implicated in human fatalities (Harper et al., 2011).