Chapter 2
Fungal Communities of Sclerotia Grains
from Forest Soils
Kazuhiko Narisawa, Anzilni Amasya, Yaya Sasaki Nonoyama, and
Keisuke Obase
Abstract Sclerotia, tentatively identified as the resting bodies of Cenococcum
geophilum, were obtained from cool-temperate forests on Mt. Chokai and
Mt. Iwaki in northern Japan and on Mt. Ontake in central Japan, to survey
sclerotia-associated fungi and attempt to identify which fungi produced the sclerotia.
The sclerotia-associated fungal communities were surveyed using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis combined with construction of a clone
library using the internal transcribed spacer region of ribosomal DNA. Sclerotia
were also cultured, and resulting fungal colonies were identified. Fungi associated
with sclerotia from Mt. Chokai and Mt. Iwaki were predominantly Arthrinium
arundinis and Inonotus sp., respectively. These sclerotia-associated species either
formed the sclerotia, attacked and colonized C. geophilum sclerotia, or occupied
inviable sclerotia originally formed by C. geophilum. Sequencing of the clone library
generated from the Mt. Ontake sclerotia suggested that C. geophilum was present
among the isolated fungi, which were mostly ascomycetes. Although C. geophilum
could not be cultured from the sclerotia, three dark septate endophytes, none of
K. Narisawa (*)
Department of Biological Production Science, College of Agriculture, Ibaraki University,
Amimachi, Ibaraki, Japan
e-mail: kazuhiko.narisawa.kkm@vc.ibaraki.ac.jp
A. Amasya
Graduate School of Urban Environmental Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo,
Japan
Present Address: Mizuho Consulting Indonesia Co. Ltd., Jakarta, Indonesia
Y. S. Nonoyama
Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology,
Tokyo, Japan
Present Address: Graduate School of Urban Environmental Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan
University, Tokyo, Japan
K. Obase
Department of Mushroom Science and Forest Microbiology, Forestry and Forest Products
Research Institute, Tsukuba, Japan
e-mail: obasek@affrc.go.jp
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
M. Watanabe (ed.), Sclerotia Grains in Soils, Progress in Soil Science,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4252-1_2
17
Fungal Communities of Sclerotia Grains
from Forest Soils
Kazuhiko Narisawa, Anzilni Amasya, Yaya Sasaki Nonoyama, and
Keisuke Obase
Abstract Sclerotia, tentatively identified as the resting bodies of Cenococcum
geophilum, were obtained from cool-temperate forests on Mt. Chokai and
Mt. Iwaki in northern Japan and on Mt. Ontake in central Japan, to survey
sclerotia-associated fungi and attempt to identify which fungi produced the sclerotia.
The sclerotia-associated fungal communities were surveyed using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis combined with construction of a clone
library using the internal transcribed spacer region of ribosomal DNA. Sclerotia
were also cultured, and resulting fungal colonies were identified. Fungi associated
with sclerotia from Mt. Chokai and Mt. Iwaki were predominantly Arthrinium
arundinis and Inonotus sp., respectively. These sclerotia-associated species either
formed the sclerotia, attacked and colonized C. geophilum sclerotia, or occupied
inviable sclerotia originally formed by C. geophilum. Sequencing of the clone library
generated from the Mt. Ontake sclerotia suggested that C. geophilum was present
among the isolated fungi, which were mostly ascomycetes. Although C. geophilum
could not be cultured from the sclerotia, three dark septate endophytes, none of
K. Narisawa (*)
Department of Biological Production Science, College of Agriculture, Ibaraki University,
Amimachi, Ibaraki, Japan
e-mail: kazuhiko.narisawa.kkm@vc.ibaraki.ac.jp
A. Amasya
Graduate School of Urban Environmental Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo,
Japan
Present Address: Mizuho Consulting Indonesia Co. Ltd., Jakarta, Indonesia
Y. S. Nonoyama
Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology,
Tokyo, Japan
Present Address: Graduate School of Urban Environmental Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan
University, Tokyo, Japan
K. Obase
Department of Mushroom Science and Forest Microbiology, Forestry and Forest Products
Research Institute, Tsukuba, Japan
e-mail: obasek@affrc.go.jp
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
M. Watanabe (ed.), Sclerotia Grains in Soils, Progress in Soil Science,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4252-1_2
17