Abstract Detail

Mycological Section

Held, Benjamin W. [1], Salomon, Christine E. [2], Blanchette, Robert A. [1].

Subterranean Fungal Diversity in a Minnesota Iron Mine.

Soudan Underground State Park in Tower, MN is the oldest iron ore mine in Minnesota. The mine was operational from the 1892 to 1962 and became a state park in 1963. The mine consists of 27 levels, reaching to a depth of 714 m with drifts extending laterally up to 1200 m. Large numbers of wooden timbers and other materials that were used in the mining operations were left in the mine and serve as nutrient substrates for a wide range of fungi. Although there are high concentrations of metals (Cu, Co, Hg and others) in the mine environment, fungi have been isolated from wood and other substrates, such as water and soil, revealing a very diverse fungal assemblage. Thus far, 152 taxa have been isolated and identified by sequencing the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) of rDNA. In many cases, prolific fungal growth was observed covering surfaces of timbers which have extensive decay. A substantial number of all taxa (52) did not match (below 97% identity) other known sequences in GenBank and may represent new species and in some cases new genera. Some of the basidiomycota found commonly on different levels of the mine include Armillaria, Oligoporus and Postia species in addition to unknown Dacrymycetales most closely related to Calocera. Armillaria sinapina was found producing an extensive rhizomorph network many meters in length traveling from one timber to another. Ascomycota commonly isolated include Oidiodendron, Scytalidium and Mariannaea. Mortierella was the dominant genus in the Zygomycota. Our investigations in the mine did not detect Psuedogymnoascus destructans, the causal agent of white nose syndrome in bats, but two closely related Psuedogymnoascus species were isolated and identified from several different levels.

1 - University of Minnesota, Plant Pathology, 495 Borlaug Hall, 1991 Upper Buford Circle, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
2 - University of Minnesota, Center for Drug Design, 516 Delaware St. SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA

Keywords:
fungal diversity
heavy metals
subterranean 
extreme.

Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Sections
Session: P
Location: Hall D/The Shaw Conference Centre
Date: Monday, July 27th, 2015
Time: 5:30 PM
Number: PMY024
Abstract ID:1157
Candidate for Awards:None