Western Ghats New Species of Aspergillus

Introduction

The western Ghats, which is among the biodiversity hotspots in the world has again justified itself as an ecologically important region. Two new species of black aspergilli fungi one named Aspergillus dhakephalkarii and the other named Aspergillus patriciawiltshireae have been identified by researchers in the MACS-Agharkar Research Institute, Pune. The paper has also documented A. aculeatinus and A. brunneoviolaceus in India, first time. The finding highlights the enormous amount of fungal diversity concealed in the Western Ghats.

Black Aspergilli: Industrial and Ecological Love.    

Black aspergilli belong to the Aspergillus section Nigri and are just famous by the way of industrial and agricultural uses. They are also extremely important in the production of citric acid, fermentation of foods, and the management of crops. Although of global significance, the Western Ghats has hitherto been poorly studied on these fungi.

Research Methods and Taxonomy.

The taxonomic methodology used by the research team was polyphasic, i.e. morphological based research coupled with molecular phylogeny. Sequencing and analysis were conducted on genes like ITS, CaM, BenA and RPB2. The two new species were found to be unique by the phylogenetic trees constructed with maximum likelihood methods. This technique is in agreement with international fungal classification standards.

Characteristics of Aspergillus dhakephalkarii.

This species is a fast growing species that produces snowy to dark brown spores and yellowish sclerotia. Its uniseriate conidiophores normally bends off to two or three arms. The conidia are smooth and elongated, making it distinctly different than the other species, in which the spores are typically smooth and round.

Characteristics of Aspergillus patriciawiltshireae

This species exhibits a low level of spore production, and is characterised by having large amounts of yellowish-orange sclerotia. It grows in columns of over five, and generates echinulate (spiny) conidia. It also produces acid on certain growth media, which is a distinct physiological characteristic.

Evolutionary Placement

Phylogenetic study placed A. dhakephalkarii as a sibling to A. saccharolyticus, A. patriciawiltshireae clustered with A. indologenus, A. japonicus and A. uvarum. The results bring new evidence on the evolutionary connections in the black aspergilli.

Significance and Future Scope.

It is the first Indian study that uses an integrative taxonomy approach to Aspergillus species. The findings point to the Western Ghats as a source of unique biodiversity of fungi that can have a biotechnological, industrial, and agricultural applications. Further scientific potential is still to be discovered through further exploration and conservation of this delicate ecosystem.