*** Welcome to piglix ***

Pestalotiopsis microspora

Pestalotiopsis microspora
Pestalotiopsis microspora (Speg.) G.C. Zhao & N. Li (517923).jpg
Conidia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Fungi
Phylum: Ascomycota
Class: Sordariomycetes
Subclass: Xylariomycetidae
Order: Xylariales
Family: Amphisphaeriaceae
Genus: Pestalotiopsis
Species: P. microspora
Binomial name
Pestalotiopsis microspora
(Speg.) G.C. Zhao & N. Li
Varieties

P. microspora microspora
P. microspora philippinensis

Synonyms

Pestalotia dichaeta Speg.
Pestalotia micheneri Guba
Pestalotia microspora Speg.
Pestalotiopsis dichaeta (Speg.) Steyaert

Pestalotiopsis microspora
Mycological characteristics
hymenium attachment is not applicable
lacks a stipe
spore print is blackish-brown
ecology is parasitic
edibility: unknown

P. microspora microspora
P. microspora philippinensis

Pestalotia dichaeta Speg.
Pestalotia micheneri Guba
Pestalotia microspora Speg.
Pestalotiopsis dichaeta (Speg.) Steyaert

Pestalotiopsis microspora is a species of endophytic fungus capable of breaking down and digesting polyurethane. Originally identified in fallen foliage of common ivy (Hederae helicis) in Buenos Aires, it also causes leaf spot in Hidcote (Hypericum patulum) shrubs in Japan.

Its polyurethane degradation activity was discovered in the Yasuni National Forest within the Ecuadorian Amazonian rainforest by a group of student researchers led by molecular biochemistry professor Scott Strobel as part of Yale's annual Rainforest Expedition and Laboratory. It's the first fungus species found to be able to subsist on polyurethane in anaerobic conditions. This makes the fungus a potential candidate for bioremediation projects involving large quantities of plastic.


...
Wikipedia

...