New Fungi Genus Found Living on Grasses

Scientists have discovered a new genus of fungi that grows on grasses in different parts of the world. The new genus, named Metacampanella, includes several species that were previously classified as Campanella or Tetrapyrgos. Some of these fungi are endophytes, meaning they live inside plant tissues without causing harm. The researchers used DNA sequences and morphological features to identify and describe the new genus and its members.

Metacampanella is ecologically important because it may play a role in the health and diversity of grassland ecosystems. Grasses are among the most widespread and dominant plants on Earth, and they host a variety of fungal symbionts that can affect their growth, nutrition, defense and evolution. However, little is known about the diversity and distribution of these fungi, especially the small mushrooms that fruit on grasses and sedges.

The study, led by Drs. Karen W. Hughes and Ronald H. Petersen from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA, was published in the journal Mycology. The researchers examined a mushroom species, Campanella subdendrophora (also known as Tetrapyrgos subdendrophora), which fruits on grasses in the US Pacific Northwest. They found that this species did not belong to either Campanella or Tetrapyrgos, but to a new genus that they named Metacampanella.

They also identified other taxa that belonged to this group, including some from Costa Rica and New Zealand. They named and described them where feasible, such as Metacampanella dendrophora and Metacampanella costaricensis. They also detected an unknown taxon from the central US prairie grassland, which was isolated from prairie dog dung. This suggests that some Metacampanella species are endophytes of grasses that are eaten by rodents.

Another endophyte of dune grass (Elymus mollis) was also identified as belonging to Metacampanella (Metacampanella sinecystidia). The researchers noted that several Metacampanella species appear to be associated with grasses, and that future environmental studies may reveal more members of this new genus.

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