Kalaharituber pfeilii (Henn.) Trappe & Kagan-Zur commonly known as the “Kalahari truffle” is a desert truffle species identified from the Kalahari region of southern Africa. Two other species, Eremiomyces echinulatus (Trappe & Marasas) Trappe & Kagan-Zur and Mattirolomyces austroafricanus (Trappe & Marasas) Trappe & Kovacs are also known to occur in other parts of southern Africa. Truffles are hypogeous fruiting bodies of Ascomycetes, important to humans for their nutritional value and medicinal characteristics. These truffles are known as desert truffles as they prefer to occur under arid or semi-arid conditions characteristic of deserts. Truffle development depends on the presence of a mycorrhizal host, associated microorganisms as well as soil and climatic characteristics. It has been suggested that K. pfeilii has a suspected broad plant host range which includes herbaceous to woody trees and shrubs. However, these relationships have not been verified. Indigenous people of the Kalahari believe that truffles are found under grasses. In the Kalahari, truffle fruiting bodies are often found entangled in Stipagrostis ciliata (Desf.) De Winter var. capensis (Trin. & Rupr.) De Winter roots. S. ciliata, also known as the tall bushman-grass, is the most common grass found in the Kalahari. The objective of this study was to provide conclusive evidence that S. ciliata var. capensis is a host of the Kalahari truffle. Truffle fruiting bodies and grass roots from where the truffles were found were collected from Upington, South Africa. The fruiting bodies were identified by observing their morphological characteristics using the ‘Keys of Truffle genera’. All observed physical properties were similar to those of K. pfeilii and further identification was done using molecular techniques. DNA was extracted from the fruiting bodies, mycelial cultures, rhizosheaths and from the S. ciliata var. capensis grass roots, which were then amplified using the specific K. pfeilii specific primers TPF3 and TPR1 and sequenced. The obtained sequence results confirmed that the collected fruiting bodies were those of the K. pfeilii and the molecular techniques also confirmed that K. pfeilii DNA was present in the S. ciliata var. capensis rhizosheath and root cells. Microscopy showed an ectendomycorrhizal association between K. pfeilii and S. ciliata var. capensis. Mycorrhizal resynthesis experiments were conducted to establish this mycorrhizal association in-vitro. They were unsuccessful because of the structure of the grass and the availability of contaminants. And more...

Les microfossiles non-polliniques, des restes de divers organismes préservés dans les sédiments lacustres ou tourbeux, sont de plus en plus couramment employés en paléoécologie. Parmi ces microrestes, les spores de champignons coprophiles sont privilégiées dans les reconstructions des activités humaines telles que les activités pastorales. L’aptitude de ces spores à refléter la présence ou l’abondance des troupeaux n’est pas encore complètement comprise. Des analogues modernes ont été collectés dans deux zones d’estive, dans les montagnes du Pays Basque et d’Ossau. Des analyses de gradients contraintes par des variables environnementales ont permis d’identifier des assemblages non-polliniques associés à diverses conditions environnementales en contexte humide et terrestre. Un cortège d’ascospores de groupes coprophiles liées aux activités pastorales a pu être isolé. Les référentiels ont également fourni des informations sur la portée spatiale de l’information non-pollinique.Les microfossiles non-polliniques ont été étudiés dans quatre séquences tourbeuses en complément d’autres sources d’informations paléoenvironnementales (pollen, signal incendie). Ils ont fourni les informations sur les dynamiques des quatre sites durant l’Holocène et les périodes historiques. Les résultats des référentiels sont appliqués à l’interprétation des dynamiques pastorales. Les résultats modernes et fossiles montrent que la charge pastorale n’est pas le seul paramètre qui influence les signaux coprophiles ; ces spores pourraient avoir un potentiel d’indicateurs paléoenvironnementaux et pastoraux plus étendu qu’attendu.Les ascospores de groupes coprophiles sont décrites et illustrées ainsi que d’autres microfossiles fongiques, algaux et indéterminés. / Non-pollen palynomorphs, microscopic remains produced by a variety of organisms and preserved in peat and lake sediments, are now more widely used in palaeoenvironmental studies. In particular, spores of coprophilous fungi are considered as an adapted tool to reconstruct past land-use such as pastoral activities. However, their ability to reflect the presence and/or the number of cattle is not fully understood yet. Modern analogs from summer pastures in the Basque Mountains and the Ossau valley have been collected. Numerical analysis of modern non pollen-palynomorphs and environmental variables helped to distinguish several pools of microremains associated to distinct environmental conditions in both terrestrial and wet ecosystems. A group of ascospores of dung-related fungi clearly related to grazing activities was isolated. The modern dataset also provided useful information on the spatial scale represented by non-pollen palynomorphs. Fossil non-pollen palynomorphs from four peat records, combined with other palaeoenvironmental data (pollen, fire frequencies), have been studied. They informed on the evolution of the local conditions of the wetlands during Holocene and historical times. The modern data set is used to aid interpretation of the dynamics of past land-use and pastoral activities. The results from both modern and fossil approaches show that other parameters than the grazing pressure can induce variability in the copropilous signals; the indicative value of dung-related ascospores might be broader than expected. The ascospores of dung-related taxa are described and illustrated, alongside with other fungal, algal and unidentified microremains.

No description available.

L’objectif de cette thèse est de développer une nouvelle souche de champignon filamenteux pour la production d’acide lactique. Pour répondre à cet objectif, nous avons tout d’abord d’exploré la biodiversité fongique à la recherche de champignons filamenteux capables de produire de l’acide lactique ou présentant de bonnes prédispositions pour la production d’acides organiques sans neutralisation du pH. Grâce à ce criblage, une souche sauvage d’Aspergillus brasiliensis a été sélectionnée et utilisée pour construire, grâce à l’ingénieure métabolique, les premières souches d’Aspergillus capables de produire de l’acide lactique à pH acide. Ces souches ont ensuite été caractérisées et les conditions de culture en fioles et fermenteurs volumes ont été étudiées. Cette étude des conditions de culture donne des résultats prometteurs et dévoile de nombreuses voies possibles pour continuer à améliorer la production d’acide lactique par ces organismes. / The objective of this thesis is to develop a new filamentous fungal strain for the production of lactic acid. To meet this goal, we first explored the fungal biodiversity in order to find filamentous fungi able to produce lactic acid or having good predispositions for the production of organic acids without pH neutralization. Through this screening, a wild type strain of Aspergillus brasiliensis was selected and used to construct, using the metabolic engineer, new strains capable of producing lactic acid at an acidic pH. These strains were then characterized and culture conditions in flasks and bioreactors were studied. The study of culture conditions shows promising results and reveals many possible ways to further improve the production of lactic acid by these organisms.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / An investigation of the lipid metabolism pathway in the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica was conducted. Yarrowia is an oleaginous ascomycete that is capable of growing on many different substrates, which derives its name from its high efficiency of growth on lipids. Once the exogenous lipids are converted into free fatty acids and internalized by the yeast, the primary mode of degradation is through β-oxidation mediated by the peroxisomal oxidases, or POX genes. These enzymes catalyze the formation of a trans double bond, producing the trans-2-enoyl product. Our study looked at the comparison of the Y. lipolytica prototrophic strain against a knockout of the Pox2 gene on the uptake, incorporation, and degradation of relevant fatty acids. To construct this gene knockout, a novel gene deletion method using a combination of Cre recombinase and the AHAS* gene was synthesized, developed, and tested successfully. This knockout system allows for serial deletion of genes with the use of only one resistance marker, with excision of the marker after selection.

No description available.

This thesis is focused on environmental preferences of wood-decaying fungi and their relationships with forest structure and development. Relationships of fungi to properties of wood and forest stands were studied on the basis of field observations in Central-European mountain spruce forests. Plot-based approach was used to reveal a general pattern in the diversity of fungi within a single forest stand and between different stands. The analysis of stand structure provided a background for plot-based approach. Substrate-based approach was used to study single species preferences and their communities. In addition, the influence of wood properties (including fungi and their rots) on the regeneration of spruce on logs was studied.