Enzymatic Bioprospecting of Fungi Isolated from a Tropical Rainforest in Mexico

The humid tropical environment provides an ideal place for developing a high diversity of plants; this is why it is an interesting site for the enzymatic bioprospecting of fungi that are responsible for the recycling of organic matter in an efficient and accelerated way and whose enzymes could have multiple biotechnological applications. For this study, 1250 isolates of macroscopic and microscopic fungal morphotypes were collected from soil, leaf litter, and wood. One hundred and fifty strains (50 from each source) were selected for the enzymatic screening. From the first phase, 51 strains with positive activity for laccase, protease, amylase, xylanase, and lipase enzymes were evaluated, of which 20 were isolated from leaf litter, 18 from the soil, and 13 from wood. The 10 best strains were selected for the enzymatic quantification, considering the potency index and the production of at least two enzymes. High laccase activity was detected for Trametes villosa FE35 and Marasmius sp. CE25 (1179 and 710.66 U/mg, respectively), while Daedalea flavida PE47 showed laccase (521.85 U/mg) and protease activities (80.66 U/mg). Fusarium spp. PH79 and FS400 strains had amylase (14.0 U/mg, 49.23 U/mg) and xylanase activities (40.05 U/mg, 36.03 U/mg) respectively. These results confirm the enzymatic potential of fungi that inhabit little-explored tropical rainforests with applications in industry.

Diversity and seasonality of polypore fungi in the moist deciduous forests of Peechi-Vazhani Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala, India

The objective of present study was to understand the diversity, distribution and seasonality of polypore fungi in the moist deciduous forests of Peechi-Vazhani Wildlife Sanctuary in three different seasons. Results obtained showed that density and frequency of occurrence have been varied significantly during different seasons and the community structure and species composition during monsoon and post monsoon seasons were distinct from pre-monsoon season. Fomitopsis feei with higher abundance values dominated the moist deciduous forests during monsoon season (17.72) and post-monsoon season (13.79). During pre-monsoon season, Daedalea flavida was the dominant species with abundance value of 10.93. The above fungi were predominant during all the seasons due to their high ecological amplitude. Fungal diversity analysis showed that species richness was higher during monsoon season and revealed the influence of seasonal variation on fungal diversity. The high species similarity was observed between monsoon and post monsoon season compared to pre-monsoon and monsoon.