Elia Ambrosio

Macrofungi as ecosystem resources: Conservation versus exploitation

Fungi are organisms of significant importance not only for the crucial roles they undertake in nature but also for many human activities that are strictly dependent on them. Indeed, fungi possess fundamental positions in ecosystems functioning including nutrient cycles and wood decomposition. As concerns human-related activities, edible and non-edible mushrooms are also involved and/or exploited in forestry, pharmaceutical industry and food production; hence, nowadays they represent a major economic source worldwide. In order to maintain and improve their strategic importance, several conservation strategies, such as habitat preservation, are needed. This article reports several contributions inherent to the relationships between wood-decaying fungi, edible and non-edible mushrooms and their potential exploitation as non-timber forest products and genetic resources.

Ecology and diversity of Cortinarius species (Agaricales, Basidiomycota) associated with Quercus ilex L. in the Mediterranean area of Liguria (North-western Italy)

Cortinarius is one of the most widespread macrofungal genera. Although Mediterranean basin is considered a biodiversity hotspot, very few studies have addressed the presence and importance of Cortinarius species in such area. Surveys were carried out in Liguria (NW Italy) in different habitats characterized by the presence of Quercus ilex. Altogether 67 taxa were observed: 49 of them are new records for Liguria while 23 represent new records for Italy. In addition, we report the distinguishing characters and ecological traits of the species which are also rare in Europe.

The Usefulness of Cadaveric Fungi as an Investigation Tool.

To the Editor: In forensic pathology, it is common practice to date the postmortem interval (PMI) only as an approximation. Interval estimation is based on cadaveric phenomena, which are very dynamic and at the same difficult to quantify and reproduce experimentally, that is, cooling, hypostasis, rigor mortis, and postmortem changes. The important role that the chronology after death plays in order to assess the time of death and the continuous lack of objective evidence for this assessment prompted the interest of numerous scholars to study this subject in depth. Nevertheless, one of the possible contributions to establish the PMI might be provided by mycology. Regarding this topic, the article written by Menezes et al, “Cadaveric Fungi: Not Yet an Established Forensic Tool,” deals with the role of forensic mycology that cannot be used as an aid in determining the PMI and making an analysis about the use of microfungi to establish the time of death. The argument suggesting that forensic mycology is not useful as an investigation tool could be premature. The usefulness of fungi as a tool for postmortem investigation is demonstrated by a case report in 1982 published by van de Voorde and van Dijck. These scientists showed the correct approach, with rigorous scientific methods, establishing a time interval during which the death had occurred. They performed the isolation of microfungi, after letting them grow. Subsequently, they compared the stage of development of microfungi (under similar conditions of the crime scene) with the sample, properly frozen, taken during the crime scene inspections from the corpse. Thiswas the first application of forensic mycology to a murder investigation, and thanks to the mold, they established the time in which the death occurred. Conversely, Hitosugi et al have assessed, inaccurately, the PMI based on