Fungi from Different Environments Series on Progress in Mycological Research Fungi from Different Environments Fungi from Different Environments Editors J.K. MISRA S.K. DESHMUKH Science Publishers Enfield (NH) Jersey Plymouth Science Publishers www.scipub.net 234 May Street Post Office Box 699 Enfield, New Hampshire 03748 United States of America General enquiries : [email protected] Editorial enquiries : [email protected] Sales enquiries : [email protected] Published by Science Publishers, Enfield, NH, USA An imprint of Edenbridge Ltd., British Channel Islands Printed in India © 2009 reserved ISBN: 978-1-57808-578-1 © 2009 Copyright reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Fungi from different environments/edited by J.K. Misra, S.K. Deshmukh.--1st ed. p.cm. -- (Progress in mycological research) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-57808-578-1 (hardcover) 1. Fungi--Ecology. 2. Fungi--Ecophysiology. 3. Mycology. I. Misra, J.K. II. Deshmukh, S.K. (Sunil K.) III. Series. QK604.2.E26F85 2009 597.5'17--dc22 2008041307 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, in writing. The exception to this is when a reasonable part of the text is quoted for purpose of book review, abstracting etc. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Contents Preface xi 1. Fungi from Palaeoenvironments: Their Role in 1 Environmental Interpretations S.K.M. Tripathi 2. Fungi in the Air—Aeromycology: An Overview 28 S.T. Tilak 3. Fungi in Saline Water Bodies with Special Attention 56 to the Hypersaline Dead Sea Mycobiota A.S. Buchalo, S.P. Wasser and E. Nevo 4. Filamentous Fungi in the Marine Environment: 81 Chemical Ecology M. Namikoshi and Jin-Zhong Xu 5. The Genus Achlya from Alkaline and Sewage Polluted 119 Aquatic Environment J.K. Misra and Anshul Pant 6. Keratinolytic and Keratinophilic Fungi in Sewage Sludge: 131 Factors Influencing their Occurrence K. Ulfig 7. Fungi in Snow Environments: Psychrophilic Molds— 169 A Group of Pathogens Affecting Plants under Snow N. Matsumoto and T. Hoshino 8. Fungi from High Nitrogen Environments— 189 Ammonia Fungi: Eco-Physiological Aspects A. Suzuki 9. Prospecting for Novel Enzyme Activities and Their 219 Genes in Filamentous Fungi from Extreme Environments H. Nevalainen, J. Te’o and R. Bradner vi 10. The Cuckoo Fungus ‘Termite ball’ Mimicking 242 Termite Eggs: A Novel Insect-fungal Association K. Matsuura and T. Yashiro 11. The Hallucinogenic Mushrooms: Diversity, Traditions, 256 Use and Abuse with Special Reference to the Genus Psilocybe G. Guzmán 12. Environmental Impacts on Fatty Acid Composition 278 of Fungal Membranes C. Gostincar, M. Turk and N. Gunde-Cimerman 13. Microsporum canis—A Pathogen of Cats and Its Control 326 Through Environmental Management: A Review R. Papini 14. Thermophilic Molds in Environmental Management 355 B. Singh and T. Satyanarayana Subject Index 380 Genus & Species Index 388 Color Plate Section 395 List of Contributors Bradner, R. Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia Buchalo, A.S. N.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 2 Tereshchenkivska St., 01601 Kiev, Ukraine Gostincar, C. University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Biology, Vecna pot 111, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia Gunde-Cimerman, N. University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Biology, Vecna pot, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia Guzmán, G. Instituto de Ecologia, Km 2.5 carretera antigua a Coatepec No. 351, Congre- gación El Haya, Apartado postal 63, Xalapa, Veracruz 91070, Mexico Hoshino, T. National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 2-17-2-1 Tsukisamu-higasi, Toyohira-ku, Sapporo 062-8517, Japan Matsumoto, N. National Agricultural Research Institute for Hokkaido Region, 1 Hitsujigaoka, Toyohira-ku, Sapporo 062-8555, Japan Matsuura, K. Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Environmental Science, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8530, Japan Misra, J.K. Mycological Research Unit, Department of Botany, Sri Jai Narain Post- graduate College, Lucknow 226001, India Namikoshi, M. Tohoku Pharmaceutical University, Komatsushima, Aoba-ku, Sendai 981-8558, Japan viii Nevalainen, H. Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia Nevo, E. Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel Pant, A. Mycological Research Unit, Department of Botany, Sri Jai Narain Post- graduate College, Lucknow 226001, India Papini, R. Dipartimento di Patologia Animale, Profilassi e Igiene degli Alimenti, Facoltà di Medicina Veterinaria, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy Satyanarayana, T. Department of Microbiology, University of Delhi, South Campus, Benito Juarez Road, New Delhi 110021, India Singh, B. Department of Microbiology, University of Delhi, South Campus, Benito Juarez Road, New Delhi 110021, India Suzuki, A. Department of Biology, Faculty of Education, Chiba University, 1-33 Yayoi- cho, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8522, Japan Te’o, J. Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia Tilak, S.T. Y.M. College, Erandwane, Bharati Vidyapeeth (Deemed University), Pune 411037, India Tripathi, S.K.M. Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, 53 University Road, Lucknow 226007, India Turk, M. University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Biology, Vecna pot 111, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia Ulfig, K. West Pomeranian University of Technology, Polymer Institute, Dep. Bio- materials & Microbiological Technologies, al. Piastów 17, 70-310 Szczecin, Poland ix Wasser, S.P. Institute of Evolution and Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, Faculty of Science and Science Education, University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel Xu, Jin-Zhong Pharmaceutical Informatics Institute, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, P.R. China Yashiro, T. Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Environmental Science, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8530, Japan Preface Fungi, the second largest group of organisms after insects, have been attracting scientists of various disciplines, besides mycologists, because of their fascinating nature and enormous capability to cope with and survive in many environments. Mycologists, according to one of several estimates, believe that some 1.5 million fungi exist in nature. The majority of these fungi, it is believed, may come from the tropical environment which is still under-explored. A significant shift in the study of fungi (used here in the broad sense that includes not only those that have a monophyletic origin, but also some other fungus-like organisms such as Oomycota) has been taking place during the last few years with the advent of modern tools for study and advances of knowledge by using these tools. Now it is possible to look beyond morphological features and study fungi at the DNA level for a better understanding of their characteristics. Fungi are also now attracting the attention of scientists in various other disciplines such as biomedicine and biotechnology, engaged in the search for useful fungi in diverse environments to serve as sources for therapeutic agents and industrial enzymes. Fungi are known to produce low molecular weight compounds and several cholesterol-lowering ones like the statins. Compounds such as the cytochalasins, peptaibols, grisan and scirpene derivatives are found only in fungi. Not only this, but in recent years, the field of nanotechnology has opened many new areas of research among materials scientists who are attracted to exploring all possibilities of using microorganisms in the biosynthesis of nano-materials, including fungi. Scientists have found that fungi such as Aspergillus fumigatus and Fusarium oxysporum can be used as bionanofactories for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles. All such areas of investigation and shifts in the priorities of fungal research have added many new and useful dimensions and information. In order to bring these advancements together, that are currently scattered in many journals and publications, a series of books is planned. This first volume, in a series of four in Progress in Mycological Research, aims to bring together what we know about the fungi from different environments. The present volume is comprised of 14 chapters written by experts in their xii chosen area of specialization and covers fungi from various environments such as air, water (freshwater and marine), palaeo-environment, and their influence on the environment and their management. The editors are grateful to the contributors for providing the chapters and are also thankful to Dr. (Mrs.) Swati A. Piramal, Vice Chairperson, Dr. Somesh Sharma, Managing Director and Dr. H. Sivaramakrishnan, President, Piramal Life Sciences Limited, Mumbai for their help in various ways. 1 Fungi from Palaeoenvironments: Their Role in Environmental Interpretations S.K.M. Tripathi Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany,