The fruiting solid picture of the white-covered chanterelle fungus in the Parrot Ridge area of Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park (2017) Zeng Niankai. Photo by
Cover News Reporter Hao Ying
Recently, my country has discovered a new species called "white-covered chanterelle fungus" in Hainan and Zhejiang. This discovery has been published in the international journal "Front Frontiers of Microbiology".
It is reported that chanterelles in Baigui were discovered in Hainan Parrot Ridge and Tianmu Mountain in Zhejiang in 2017 and 2020. After using a combination of morphological anatomy and molecular phylogenetic research methods, they were identified as a new species.
The long "discovery" process
The discovery of new species is hard to come by, and often by chance, white-covered chanterelles are no exception.
In May 2017, Zeng Niankai led a scientific research team to conduct a large fungus background survey in the Parrot Ridge area of Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park. When he was resting at Parrot Ridge, he noticed several white mushrooms that could not be judged. "I didn't realize it was chanterelles , because chanterelles are yellow with a color similar to chicken oil, which is called this name, and this white one is very rare." Zeng Niankai immediately took a photo, which also became the original image data of the White-Covered Chanterelle.
Microstructure diagram of chanterelle white-covered chanterelle bacteria Zhang Yuzhuo After drawing
brought the specimen back to the laboratory, Zhang Yuzhuo, a master's student in the research team, conducted microstructure and molecular research on the specimen under the guidance of Professor Zeng. They found that except for the color, other characteristics of this fungus are consistent with the genus of chanterelle bacteria. After molecular phylogenetic research and literature comparison and verification, it was confirmed that this was a new species. Its cap is milky white, with a smooth surface and a wavy edge. Researchers named it "White Capped Chanterelles" according to its characteristics.
On June 27, 2022, the relevant research was officially published in Frontiers in Microbiology, the international journal microbiology, confirming the establishment of a new species. The published also includes chanterelle Viagra, chanterelle Pine and chanterelle Grey Yellow, a total of 4 new species.
The study was made by Zhang Yuzhuo, a master's student at Hainan Medical College, as the first author of the thesis, Professor Zeng Niankai of the School of Pharmacy of Hainan Medical College, as the corresponding author of the thesis, , Zhejiang University, Lin Wenfei, Professor Bart Buyck of Sorbonne University in Paris, France, Professor Su Mingsheng of Gannan Medical College, Professor Chen Zuohong and Zhang Ping of Hunan Normal University, and Engineer Jiang Shuai from Parrot Ridge Branch of Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, and An Dongyu, a master's student at Hainan Medical College, participated in the research.
has a symbiotic relationship with the plant of the Hussaceae
Regarding the question of the public's curiosity, "Can chanterelles be eaten?" Zeng Niankai said that from a large number of studies in the past, all fungi of the genus chanterelles can be eaten. Based on this, it is speculated that white-covered chanterelles should also be non-toxic and edible.
Despite this, Zeng Niankai believes that it is best not to pick white chanterelles for consumption, especially wild fungi. "In our research, we found that it forms a symbiotic relationship with the plants of the Hussels. Without the plants of the Hussels, chanterelles in the White-Covered Cypress cannot grow and survive. The growth of the plants of the Hussels will not grow well without the help of mushrooms such as chanterelles in the White-Covered Cypress." Based on this symbiotic relationship, picking chanterelles may cause damage to other plants and even ecological balance. Fungi play an important role in the ecosystem. Animals, plants, and fungi depend on each other, are interdependent and connected, maintaining subtle relationships. Zeng Niankai said, "We have not thoroughly studied this relationship yet, and more unknown reasons need to be explored."
Image source "Mushroom Resources and Sustainable Utilization" public account
"Mushroom Professor"
. For Zeng Niankai, discovering new species is no longer a new thing. He has been engaged in large-scale fungal resources and utilization for 21 years. He has led the research team of Hainan Medical College to discover and officially publish 2 new fungal genera, 75 new fungal species, 19 new combination species, 1 new record genus in China, and 2 new record genus in China.
Among the four new species published this time, chanterelle white caisson and chanterelle Viagra were both found in Hainan. "The model specimens of the new species of chanterelles, a Parrot Ridge, were collected in Parrot Ridge," Zeng Niankai explained. The so-called pattern specimens refer to specimens that best represent the characteristics of this species. "The white-covered chanterelle we found in Parrot Ridge Ridge has many individuals and looks very good, so it was selected as a model specimen. Hainan Parrot Ridge Ridge is also its model origin." In 2020, Mr. Lin Wenfei discovered the distribution of white-covered chanterelle in Tianmu Mountain, Zhejiang Province, which made researchers more perfect in their understanding of this species, and the paper was published after studying multiple specimens.
Zeng Niankai's team has been conducting background surveys of large fungi in Hainan for a long time, and its field investigations have been spread throughout Hainan Province. It was difficult to sample fungi, and Zeng Niankai led his students to the rainforest to collect specimens. "Fungi itself has a particularly strong vitality and is closely related to the evolution of life. However, we did not see it in the past. It has always been a force hiding behind it. We must study it and understand it in order to better protect it." In his opinion, the research on large fungi is not yet in-depth, and it is particularly important to do a good job in basic classification investigation. "Hainan's biodiversity is indeed rich. If we can make the fungus here in our lifetime, it will be enough. We can really do something for the country and the entire Hainan Province."
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