A New Proposed Symbiotic Plant–Herbivore Relationship between <i>Burkea africana</i> Trees, <i>Cirina forda</i> Caterpillars and Their Associated Fungi <i>Pleurostomophora richardsiae</i> and <i>Aspergillus nomius</i>
<i>Burkea africana</i> is a tree found in savannah and woodland in southern Africa, as well as northwards into tropical African regions as far as Nigeria and Ethiopia. It is used as fuel wood, medicinally to treat various conditions, such as toothache, headache, migraine, pain, inflammat...
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MDPI AG
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Microorganisms |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/7/1864 |
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| author | Lufuno Ethel Nemadodzi Gerhard Prinsloo |
| author_facet | Lufuno Ethel Nemadodzi Gerhard Prinsloo |
| author_sort | Lufuno Ethel Nemadodzi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Burkea africana</i> is a tree found in savannah and woodland in southern Africa, as well as northwards into tropical African regions as far as Nigeria and Ethiopia. It is used as fuel wood, medicinally to treat various conditions, such as toothache, headache, migraine, pain, inflammation, and sexually transmitted diseases, such as gonorrhoea, but also an ornamental tree. The current study investigated the possible symbiotic relationship between <i>B. africana</i> trees and the <i>C. forda</i> caterpillars and the mutual role played in ensuring the survival of <i>B</i>. <i>africana</i> trees/seedlings in harsh natural conditions and low-nutrient soils. Deoxyribonucleic acid isolation and sequencing results revealed that the fungal species <i>Pleurostomophora richardsiae</i> was highly predominant in the leaves of <i>B</i>. <i>africana</i> trees and present in the caterpillars. The second most prominent fungal species in the caterpillars was <i>Aspergillus nomius</i>. The latter is known to be related to a <i>Penicillium</i> sp. which was found to be highly prevalent in the soil where <i>B. africana</i> trees grow and is suggested to play a role in enhancing the effective growth of <i>B</i>. <i>africana</i> trees in their natural habitat. To support this, a phylogenetic analysis was conducted, and a tree was constructed, which shows a high percentage similarity between <i>Aspergillus</i> and <i>Penicillium</i> sp. The findings of the study revealed that <i>B. africana</i> trees not only serve as a source of feed for the <i>C. forda</i> caterpillar but benefit from <i>C. forda</i> caterpillars which, after dropping onto the soil, is proposed to inoculate the soil surrounding the trees with the fungus <i>A. nomius</i> which suggests a symbiotic and/or synergistic relationship between <i>B. africana</i> trees and <i>C. forda</i> caterpillars. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:48:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7d7b9f8646164d559a7091bb92100893 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:48:00Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj.art-7d7b9f8646164d559a7091bb921008932023-11-18T20:37:32ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072023-07-01117186410.3390/microorganisms11071864A New Proposed Symbiotic Plant–Herbivore Relationship between <i>Burkea africana</i> Trees, <i>Cirina forda</i> Caterpillars and Their Associated Fungi <i>Pleurostomophora richardsiae</i> and <i>Aspergillus nomius</i>Lufuno Ethel Nemadodzi0Gerhard Prinsloo1Department of Agriculture and Animal Health, University of South Africa, Private Bag X6, Johannesburg 1710, South AfricaDepartment of Agriculture and Animal Health, University of South Africa, Private Bag X6, Johannesburg 1710, South Africa<i>Burkea africana</i> is a tree found in savannah and woodland in southern Africa, as well as northwards into tropical African regions as far as Nigeria and Ethiopia. It is used as fuel wood, medicinally to treat various conditions, such as toothache, headache, migraine, pain, inflammation, and sexually transmitted diseases, such as gonorrhoea, but also an ornamental tree. The current study investigated the possible symbiotic relationship between <i>B. africana</i> trees and the <i>C. forda</i> caterpillars and the mutual role played in ensuring the survival of <i>B</i>. <i>africana</i> trees/seedlings in harsh natural conditions and low-nutrient soils. Deoxyribonucleic acid isolation and sequencing results revealed that the fungal species <i>Pleurostomophora richardsiae</i> was highly predominant in the leaves of <i>B</i>. <i>africana</i> trees and present in the caterpillars. The second most prominent fungal species in the caterpillars was <i>Aspergillus nomius</i>. The latter is known to be related to a <i>Penicillium</i> sp. which was found to be highly prevalent in the soil where <i>B. africana</i> trees grow and is suggested to play a role in enhancing the effective growth of <i>B</i>. <i>africana</i> trees in their natural habitat. To support this, a phylogenetic analysis was conducted, and a tree was constructed, which shows a high percentage similarity between <i>Aspergillus</i> and <i>Penicillium</i> sp. The findings of the study revealed that <i>B. africana</i> trees not only serve as a source of feed for the <i>C. forda</i> caterpillar but benefit from <i>C. forda</i> caterpillars which, after dropping onto the soil, is proposed to inoculate the soil surrounding the trees with the fungus <i>A. nomius</i> which suggests a symbiotic and/or synergistic relationship between <i>B. africana</i> trees and <i>C. forda</i> caterpillars.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/7/1864endophytes<i>Pleurostomophora richardsiae</i><i>Aspergillus nomius</i>lepidopteramutual benefitplant-herbivore interaction |
| spellingShingle | Lufuno Ethel Nemadodzi Gerhard Prinsloo A New Proposed Symbiotic Plant–Herbivore Relationship between <i>Burkea africana</i> Trees, <i>Cirina forda</i> Caterpillars and Their Associated Fungi <i>Pleurostomophora richardsiae</i> and <i>Aspergillus nomius</i> Microorganisms endophytes <i>Pleurostomophora richardsiae</i> <i>Aspergillus nomius</i> lepidoptera mutual benefit plant-herbivore interaction |
| title | A New Proposed Symbiotic Plant–Herbivore Relationship between <i>Burkea africana</i> Trees, <i>Cirina forda</i> Caterpillars and Their Associated Fungi <i>Pleurostomophora richardsiae</i> and <i>Aspergillus nomius</i> |
| title_full | A New Proposed Symbiotic Plant–Herbivore Relationship between <i>Burkea africana</i> Trees, <i>Cirina forda</i> Caterpillars and Their Associated Fungi <i>Pleurostomophora richardsiae</i> and <i>Aspergillus nomius</i> |
| title_fullStr | A New Proposed Symbiotic Plant–Herbivore Relationship between <i>Burkea africana</i> Trees, <i>Cirina forda</i> Caterpillars and Their Associated Fungi <i>Pleurostomophora richardsiae</i> and <i>Aspergillus nomius</i> |
| title_full_unstemmed | A New Proposed Symbiotic Plant–Herbivore Relationship between <i>Burkea africana</i> Trees, <i>Cirina forda</i> Caterpillars and Their Associated Fungi <i>Pleurostomophora richardsiae</i> and <i>Aspergillus nomius</i> |
| title_short | A New Proposed Symbiotic Plant–Herbivore Relationship between <i>Burkea africana</i> Trees, <i>Cirina forda</i> Caterpillars and Their Associated Fungi <i>Pleurostomophora richardsiae</i> and <i>Aspergillus nomius</i> |
| title_sort | new proposed symbiotic plant herbivore relationship between i burkea africana i trees i cirina forda i caterpillars and their associated fungi i pleurostomophora richardsiae i and i aspergillus nomius i |
| topic | endophytes <i>Pleurostomophora richardsiae</i> <i>Aspergillus nomius</i> lepidoptera mutual benefit plant-herbivore interaction |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/7/1864 |
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