The presence of endophytic fungi in the roots, rhizomes, and leaves of Posidonia oceanica was evaluated in different localities of the Sicilian coast. Samples of roots, rhizomes, and leaves were submitted to isolation techniques, and the obtained fungal colonies were identified by morphological and molecular (rRNA sequencing) analysis. Fungal endophytes occurred mainly in roots and occasionally in rhizomes and leaves. Lulwoana sp. was the most frequent of the isolated taxa, suggesting a strong interaction with the host. In addition, eight other fungal taxa were isolated. In particular, fungi of the genus Ochroconis and family Xylariaceae were identified as endophytes in healthy plants at all sampling stations, whereas Penicillium glabrum was isolated at only one sampling station. Thus, several organs, especially roots of Posidonia oceanica, harbor endophytic fungi, potentially involved in supporting the living host as ascertained for terrestrial plants.

Soil contamination with microplastics may adversely affect soil properties and functions and consequently crop productivity. In this study, we wanted to verify whether the adverse effects of microplastics in the soil on maize plants (Zea mays L.) are due to a reduction in nitrogen (N) availability and a reduced capacity to establish symbiotic relationships with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. To do this, we performed a pot experiment in which a clayey soil was exposed to two environmentally relevant concentrations of polypropylene (PP; one of the most used plastic materials) microfibers (0.4% and 0.8% w/w) with or without the addition of N fertilizer and with or without inoculation with AM fungi. The experiment began after the soil had been incubated at 23 °C for 5 months. Soil contamination with PP considerably reduced maize root and shoot biomass, leaf area, N uptake, and N content in tissue. The adverse effects increased with the concentration of PP in the soil. Adding N to the soil did not alleviate the detrimental effects of PP on plant growth, which suggests that other factors besides N availability played a major role. Similarly, although the presence of PP did not inhibit root colonization by AM fungi (no differences were observed for this trait between the uncontaminated and PP-contaminated soils), the addition of the fungal inoculum to the soil failed to mitigate the negative impact of PP on maize growth. Quite the opposite: mycorrhization further reduced maize root biomass accumulation. Undoubtedly, much research remains to be done to shed light on the mechanisms involved in determining plant behavior in microplastic-contaminated soils, which are most likely complex. This research is a priority given the magnitude of this contamination and its potential implications for human and environmental health.

Approximately 30 years after the publication of the first Sicilian checklist of macrofungi, a new updated version is presented here. The census of macromycetes was carried out through periodic observations in different agricultural and forest ecosystems, in urban areas, in public and private gardens, and in botanical gardens. The 1919 infraspecific taxa included in 508 genera belonging to 152 families were collected in the Sicilian territory. Ectomycorrhizal fungi are the most represented ecological category, followed by saprotrophs on wood, saprotrophs on litter, and terricolous saprotrophs. The interest in this rich group of organisms is evidenced by the nutritional and therapeutic value of a high percentage of species. The actions linked to the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and The Network for the Study of Mycological Diversity will further increase the number of macrofungi for Sicily in the future.

Seeds of Abies nebrodensis were subjected to laboratory tests aimed to detect fungal contaminants and to obtain xenobiotic-free seedlings, by the use of different surface sterilising agents. Moreover, hot water at 60 °C was used to suppress any fungal microorganisms colonizing the inner tissues. Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus flavus and Stemphylium vesicarium were the most frequent fungal contaminants. Non-contaminated seeds showed germination values ranging from 0 to 36.4% depending on the applied sterilization protocol. Further analyses will be carried out to establish the influence of these fungi on the seed germination process and their relationship with seedlings of A. nebrodensis.

Owing to their nutritional, culinary, and nutraceutical, mushrooms are worldwide consumed and appreciated. Moreover, many of these mushrooms are also known as medicinal mushrooms since they possess several pharmacological properties attributable to a huge number of bioactive compounds derived from their sporophores. Several studies are available in the literature about in vitro and in vivo mechanisms of actions of such bioactive compounds. Most of these surveys are focused on macrofungi belonging to the genera Pleurotus, Ganoderma, or specific taxa such as Agaricus bisporus, Agaricus blazei, Boletus eduliInonotus obliquus, Hericium erinaceus, Lentinula edodes, and Grifola frondose. On the other hand, there is a lack of information on the under investigated ecological group of freshwater fungi. These fungi play a very important role in freshwater environments and some of them, belonging to Basidiomycota, are also edible and largely consumed. In this review we collected information about the medicinal properties of freshwater macro- and micromycetes. Among them, macrofungi, such as Amanita vaginata, Armillaria mellea, Armillaria tabescens, Astraeus hygrometricus, Auricularia auricula-judae, Bjerkandera adusta, Bovista nigrescens, Calocybe gambosa, Candolleomyces candolleanus, Collybia dryophila, Coprinus comatus, Cyclocybe cylindracea, Hypsizygus ulmarius, Inonotus hispidus, Lactarius controversus, Lentinus tigrinus, and Schizophyllum commune, observed in riparian habitat, and microfungi, such as Penicillium aculeatum, P. chrysogenum, and Fusarium incarnatum, isolated from aquatic plants, have been reported to have antimicrobial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antidiabetic, immunomoludatory, hypoglycaemic, and other pharmaceutical activities. Such fungal species are noteworthy since they represent an important quote of biodiversity to preserve their fundamental ecological role and a possible solution for different health problems for humans and animal farms.