Diversity and systematics of microfungi on moraceae, oleaceae, and some forest hosts in northern Thailand, with insights on forest pathogens

Abstract

This thesis explores the diversity, taxonomy, and systematics of microfungi associated with Moraceae, Oleaceae, and other forest hosts in northern Thailand. Using an integrative approach that combines detailed morphological descriptions and illustrations with multigene phylogenetic analyses, a total of 131 fungal strains representing 57 distinct taxa were identified from Moraceae and Oleaceae. Among these, 23 novel taxa including two new genera are described. In addition, 23 strains representing 13 species were isolated from other forest hosts, including three newly introduced. Fungal collections were obtained from 12 Moraceae hosts: Artocarpus heterophyllus, A. lacucha, Artocarpus sp., Ficus auriculata, F. religiosa, F. virens, Ficus sp., Broussonetia kurzii, B. papyrifera, Broussonetia sp., Morus alba, and Streblus asper. From these, ten novel Dothideomycetes species were introduced: Boeremia albae, Chromolaenicola broussonetiae, Cladosporium ficicola, Corynespora chiangraiensis, Melomastia artocarpi, Phellinocrescentia broussonetiae, Pseudosplanchnonema mori, Shearia fici, Thyridariella broussonetiae, and Xiuguozhangia broussonetiae. Within Sordariomycetes, two new genera, Pseudojugulospora and Phragmoconidiella, were established, along with ten novel species: Amphisphaeria ficicola, Beltrania fici, F. chiangmaiense, F. ficicola, F. moricola, Melanostictus artocarpi, Phragmoconidiella fici, Pseudojugulospora fici, Sporidesmium broussonetiae, and Tiania artocarpi. Specimens from Oleaceae were collected from two hosts, Jasminum sp. and J. grandiflorum. From these, one new Sordariomycetes species, Pseudoplagiostoma jasmini, was described. From hosts other than Moraceae and Oleaceae, three new species were introduced: Phyllosticta chiangmaiensis from Musa sp., Colletotrichum musichiangmaiense from Musa sp., and C. dendrobii from Dendrobium sp. associated with pod blight. Additional ten taxa (20 strains) were recorded as new host, habitat, or geographical records for Thailand. A comprehensive global checklist was compiled, documenting over 3,800 fungal species associated with Moraceae and more than 3,990 with Oleaceae. This synthesis reveals significant gaps in current sampling and highlights several underexplored host taxa worldwide. Beyond taxonomic and phylogenetic contributions, this research developed a “Fungalpedia” of forest pathogenic fungi and presented reviews of ten emerging fungal pathogens, emphasizing evolutionary processes such as host-jumping, hybridization, and lifestyle transitions. Collectively, the findings underscore northern Thailand’s significance as a mycological hotspot and demonstrate the importance of integrative taxonomy in uncovering hidden fungal diversity. This work contributes novel taxa, refined phylogenetic frameworks, and critical resources for advancing knowledge of forest fungal communities and supporting sustainable forest health and biodiversity conservation.