Diversity and Trapping Efficiency of Nematophagous Fungi from Oman

A survey of the nematophagous mycobiota biodiversity of 82 soil and leaf-litter samples in the Sultanate of Oman yielded ten species of nematode trapping fungi belonging to three genera. The species are: Arthrobotrys eudermata, A. thaumasia, A. musiformis, A. oligospora, A. oligospora var. oligospora, A. oudemansii, A. multiformis, A. javanica, Drechslerella brochopaga and Gamsylella geophyropaga. This is the first record of these species in Oman. Arthobotrys multiformis represents the second record of this species worldwide. A systematic study showed that A. oudemansii, A. multiformis and A. javanica were morphologically more variable than was so far known. In four days, A. oligospora, A. thaumasia, D. brochopaga and A. eudermata trapped all nematodes added to the Petri dishes (Panagrellus redivivus, 100 specimens per dish). No significant differences were found in the trapping efficiency among the species tested

Prokaryotic Hydrocarbon Degraders

Hydrocarbons have been part of the biosphere for millions of years, and a diverse group of prokaryotes has evolved to use them as a source of carbon and energy. To date, the vast majority of formally defined genera are eubacterial, in 7 of the 24 major phyla currently formally recognized by taxonomists (Tree of Life, http://tolweb.org/Eubacteria. Accessed 1 Sept 2017, 2017); principally in the Actinobacteria, the Bacteroidetes, the Firmicutes, and the Proteobacteria. Some Cyanobacteria have been shown to degrade hydrocarbons on a limited scale, but whether this is of any ecological significance remains to be seen – it is likely that all aerobic organisms show some basal metabolism of hydrocarbons by nonspecific oxygenases, and similar “universal” metabolism may occur in anaerobes. This chapter focuses on the now quite large number of named microbial genera where there is reasonably convincing evidence for hydrocarbon metabolism. We have found more than 320 genera of Eubacteria, and 12 genera of Archaea. Molecular methods are revealing a vastly greater diversity of currently uncultured organisms – Hug et al. (Nat Microbiol 1:16048, 2016) claim 92 named bacterial phyla, many with almost totally unknown physiology – and it seems reasonable to believe that the catalog of genera reported here will be substantially expanded in the future