Papers by Sharon A Cantrell
Mycologia, May 1, 2007
Periconia variicolor was isolated from water of an evaporation pond used for salt production on t... more Periconia variicolor was isolated from water of an evaporation pond used for salt production on the southwestern coast of Puerto Rico. On the basis of cultural and morphological characteristics and ITS sequence it is describe as a new species of Periconia.
Hurricanes generate disturbances in forests that alter physicochemical characteristics of the hab... more Hurricanes generate disturbances in forests that alter physicochemical characteristics of the habitat by opening the canopy and depositing fresh wood and leaves. Our objectives were to evaluate the effects of simulated hurricane driven changes to nutrient fluxes from litter to soil immediately following canopy disturbance. This study used three complete replicated blocks with two canopy treatments, control and trim+debris. Measurements were made in three 5 x 5 m subplots within 20 x 20 m plots nested in the 30 x 30 m treatment areas. Anion and cation resin membranes were inserted into the fermentation layer at the litter-soil interface and retrieved after one week. The measurement intervals were 2-4 weeks before canopy trimming, 0-1, 1-2, 2-3 and 4-5 weeks after trimming. Nutrient mineralization differed significantly between control and trim+detritus. Total N and P fluxes occurred at 4-5 weeks after canopy trimming. Litter decomposition depends primarily on the interaction among cl...
The Journal of Agriculture of the University of Puerto Rico, 1969
Alternaria isolates were collected from onion foliage at different stages of the plant life cycle... more Alternaria isolates were collected from onion foliage at different stages of the plant life cycle. Incidence of Alternaria species in cultivars 'Mercedes' and 'Excallbur' was determined during two consecutive growing seasons in fields located In southern Puerto Rico. Leaves showing purple to brown sunken elliptical lesions with chlorotic halos were taken at random. Five leaf sections (0.5 cm) from each sample were superficially disinfested, transferred to culture media and incubated, and isolations were documented. Disease incidence ranged from 25 to 52% in 60- to 100-day-old plants. An increase in Alternaria incidence was observed in response to high relative humidity in the fields. A total of 280 isolates were obtained, and 35 were selected for morphological, pathogenic and molecular characterization. A complex of five different Alternaria species is associated with onion leaf blight on the island. Alternaria destruens, A. tenuissima, A. palandui, A. allii and a gr...
Alkanes reach the environment by anthropogenic activities and natural processes. The accumulation... more Alkanes reach the environment by anthropogenic activities and natural processes. The accumulation of alkanes compromises the environmental health and sustainability. Microbial degradation of alkanes contributes remediation. However, most studies have been conducted on highly impacted sites and in temperate ecosystems. Our objective is to isolate alkane-degrading bacteria under various pollution levels and natural ecosystems in Puerto Rico. Samples were collected from soil at a highly contaminated site (Caño Martín Peña) and in a natural ecosystem (El Yunque Rain Forest). Native microbiota was cultivated, as consortium, on rich media for further studies. Alkane-degrading bacteria were isolated from the original samples by aerobic cultivation on mineral media supplemented with specific alkane as sole carbon source. Bacterial prospects were subjected to 16S rDNA sequencing and alkane degradation preference test. Seven aliphatic alkane degradation prospects had been isolated from Caño M...
Mycologia, 2011
Fungi are found in all aerobic ecosystems, colonizing a diversity of substrates and performing a ... more Fungi are found in all aerobic ecosystems, colonizing a diversity of substrates and performing a wide diversity of functions, some of which are not well understood. Many spices of fungi are cosmopolitan and generalists or habitats. Unusual fungal niches are habitats where extreme conditions would be expected to prevent the development of a mycobiota. In this review we describe five unusual fungal habitats in which fungi occupy poorly understood niches: Antarctic dry valleys, high Arctic glaciers, salt flats and salterns, hypersaline microbial mats and plant trichomes. Yeasts, black yeast-like fungi, melanized filamentous species as well as representatives of Aspergillus and Penicillium seem to be dominant among the mycobiota adapted to cold and saline niches. Plant trichomes appear to be a taxa. The advent of new sequencing technologies is helping to elucidate the microbial diversity in many ecosystems, but more studies are needed to document the functional role of fungi in the microbial communities thriving in these unusual environments.
Mycologia, 2007
Periconia variicolor was isolated from water of an evaporation pond used for salt production on t... more Periconia variicolor was isolated from water of an evaporation pond used for salt production on the southwestern coast of Puerto Rico. On the basis of cultural and morphological characteristics and ITS sequence it is describe as a new species of Periconia.
Mycological Research, 1997
Two new tropical species of Lachnum with red or reddish hymenia are described. Lachnum euterpes o... more Two new tropical species of Lachnum with red or reddish hymenia are described. Lachnum euterpes occurs on fronds of the palm Prestoea (l Euterpe) and L. victoriani is described from coriaceous leaves of dicotyledonous trees. A full description of each new species is given along with a brief discussion of the morphological differences distinguishing it from other species with which it could be confused. New combinations in Lachnum are made for the tropical fern-inhabiting species Dasyscyphus ulei and D. chermisinus. Members of Lachnum Retz., in the Hyaloscyphaceae, are some of the most abundant and distinct fungi in tropical regions where they colonize a wide variety of hosts and substrata. Within the genus there are only a few species that produce apothecia with red discs. One such species commonly found on ferns, and particularly on fronds of Gleichenia, was described from Brazil as Peziza ulei by Georg Winter in 1885 and named after its discoverer, Ernst Heinrich Ule (Dennis, 1954). The authors believe it fits into the current concept of Lachnum and a new combination in that genus is provided here.
Forensic Science International, 2001
Frequency figures of the fibre population on textile cinema seats were measured in Sydney, Austra... more Frequency figures of the fibre population on textile cinema seats were measured in Sydney, Australia, in winter. Sixteen seats were analysed from a very popular cinema complex, with 3025 fibres classified according to colour, generic class and fluorescence properties (100 grey-black cotton fibres only). The recovered fibres were mostly natural fibres (84%) with cotton the most common generic type (70%). On the contrary, man made fibres were relatively rare (15%) with rayon constituting the majority of these (51%). The most common colour/generic class combinations were grey-black cotton (33%) and blue cotton (30%) accounting for 63% of the total population. All other frequencies were below 5%, most below 1% using only the two properties of colour and generic class. Fluorescence properties were found to be very discriminating as far as grey-black cotton fibres were concerned. These features are considered and discussed and in particular, to emphasise the significance of fibres as evidence of contact.
Mycological Progress, 2020
Based on morphological and phylogenetic investigations, four new species, Clitocella termitophila... more Based on morphological and phylogenetic investigations, four new species, Clitocella termitophila, Clitopilus velutinus, Rhodocybe dominicana, and Rhodocybe pseudoalutacea, one new variety, Rhodocybe luteocinnamomea var. fulva, and first reports of Clitopilus prunulus, Rhodocybe mellea, and Rhodocybe roseiavellanea are described and illustrated from the island of Hispaniola. Three protein coding genes, RPB2, TEF1, and ATP6, were used to compare taxa and make phylogenetic inferences about novel species and varieties. Where necessary, because of non-availability of these protein coding gene data for every taxon, ITS sequences were used to confirm uniqueness or species similarity for C. velutinus and R. mellea, respectively. This contribution is a result of and based on numerous expeditions in the Dominican Republic by two different groups over a 20-year period that were designed to gather data on macrofungal biodiversity of this region. The new agaric taxa documented here contribute to the limited but growing knowledge on biodiversity of the Entolomataceae (Agaricales) for the Dominican Republic and the island of Hispaniola.
Uploads
Papers by Sharon A Cantrell