Fungicolous Fusarium Species: Ecology, Diversity, Isolation, and Identification

Abstract

Fusarium species can have different lifestyles, including those of endophytes, parasites, or pathogens of plants, as well as pathogens or mutualists of animals. Fungicolous Fusarium species have been also reported in some studies, however, the information on the Fusarium interactions with other fungi is still unclear and the diversity of fungicolous Fusarium species is poorly known. In this study, we provide a survey of fungicolous Fusarium species and their hosts, and instructions for their isolation and identification. According to the survey, 80 fungicolous Fusarium isolates were reported associated with 36 host species and 32 fungal genera. The fungicolous isolates belong to 24 species grouped in nine species complexes (SC)-Fusarium chlamydosporum SC, Fusarium fujikuroi SC, F. heterosporum SC, F. lateritium SC, F. oxysporum SC, F. incarnatum-equiseti SC, F. sambucinum SC, F. solani SC (=Neocosmospora genus), and F. tricinctum SC. Fusarium associations with other fungi were predominantly necrotrophic. The prevalent fungal hosts for fungicolous Fusarium isolates were members of the sub-kingdom Dikarya, mostly microfungi. Other hosts belong to the sub-kingdom Mucoromyceta of the kingdom Fungi and to the phylum Oomycota (fungal-like organisms) of kingdom Straminipila. With this review, we hope to highlight the fungicolous associations of Fusarium, and to expand the understanding of the ecology and diversity of these fungi.