Three new species of fungi found only in Oceania have been discovered by Katarzyna Patejuk, PhD, from the Department of Plant Protection at the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences. The discovery is the result of research during an expedition to New Zealand.
During her 6-week stay in the region, Katarzyna Patejuk established cooperation with Mahajabeen Padamsee, PhD, a mycologist and phytopathologist specialising in the taxonomy of rust fungi and organisms associated with invasive plants.
'As part of the joint research, the team revisited the collections of fungi of the genus Chlorencoelia, collected over the last 100 years in the New Zealand Fungarium (PDD) Te Kohinga Hekaheka o Aotearoa at Manaaki Whenua', we read in the release published on the website of the Wrocław university.
It turned out that the strains previously assigned to two widely distributed species in fact belong to three completely new species, occurring only in Oceania: in New Zealand, Tasmania and Australia. These fungi can be found, for example, on local plants, such as New Zealand beech (Nothofagus) and the mānuka myrtle, from which mānuka honey is obtained.
According to the release, this research was possible thanks to the activities of the Leading Research Group BioDivRO, as part of the WZB funding.
The research included the analysis of genetic data, cultivation and creation of phylogenetic trees. Patejuk's task was to describe the new species in detail, which included observations under a microscope, staining, photographic documentation and preparation of taxonomic descriptions.
'The results of this research are crucial for the development of biotechnology, because these fungi can potentially be used, for example, for the production of dyes', we read in the release.
Currently, Patejuk and team are preparing a research project under the Horizon Europe programme, which will focus on invasive plants and their impact on local ecosystems. Cooperation with New Zealand is of particular importance, as this country is a leader in research on invasive organisms and nature conservation.
'Conducting research in New Zealand, especially on endemic plants, is associated with challenges resulting from restrictive laws regarding the collection of plant material. The Maori, as the indigenous custodians of the land, have the right to decide on the use of natural resources. If any products, such as dyes obtained from fungi, were to come from New Zealand, it would be necessary to obtain their consent', Patejuk says.
These are not the first mycological and taxonomic discoveries made by Katarzyna Patejuk. In 2003, she reported the discovery of a new species of fungi in the capital of Lower Silesia. During her PhD research, she found it on the seeds of ash-leafed maples growing on Krakowska and Bytomska streets in Wrocław. The new species was named Colletotrichum acericola and described in cooperation with the Polish Academy of Sciences - W. Szafer Institute of Botany, the Institute of Nature Conservation, and the Bydgoszcz University of Technology. (PAP)
PAP - Science in Poland
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