In this study, four new species of Russula subg. Brevipedum collected from China are described based on morphological characteristics and molecular evidence. Russula brevispora has a white body whose whole parts often stain brownish-orange or grayish-orange, extremely crowded lamellae with the presence of lamellulae, basidiospores with low warts and an inamyloid suprahilar spot, and clavate or lageniform hymenial cystidia often with a papillary or submoniliform appendage. Russula flavescens is characterized by a white pileus often turning yellowish brown when touched, white lamellae turning brown or light orange, basidiospores with an inamyloid suprahilar spot, and fusiform hymenial cystidia often with an appendage. Russula longicollis is morphologically characterized by a white pileus, turning grayish orange when bruised, white lamellae turning pale yellow when bruised, basidiospores with isolated warts and an amyloid suprahilar spot, and fusiform hymenial cystidia usually with a long appendage. Russula pseudojaponica has a yellowish-brown pileus center, yellowish lamellae unchanging when bruised, basidiospores with low warts and an inamyloid suprahilar spot, clavate hymenial cystidia often with a papillary appendage, and clavate pileocystidia with granulose contents. Phylogenetic analyses showed that R. flavescens, R. brevispora, and R. pseudojaponica are members of the subsect. Pallidosporinae, whereas R. longicollis belongs to subsect. Lactarioideae, and is somewhat related to R. leucocarpa.

A new species of Gymnopus sect. Androsacei, namely, G. pallipes is described and illustrated based on morphological and molecular phylogenetic evidence. It is characterized by marasmioid basidiomata, a dark brown to reddish brown pileus becoming dull white to yellowish grey with age, whitish to pale yellow stipe and presence of rhizomorphs. Phylogenetic analyses support it as a new species within Gymnopus sect. Androsacei. The detailed morphological description, colour photos of basidiomata, and line drawings of microcharacters are presented and delimitation characters from similar species are discussed. A key to the known species of Gymnopus s. str. from China is also provided.

Throughout the global research on Tuber, species identification, diversity analysis, systematic evolution of mycorrhiza synthesis and cultivation, as well as aromatic compounds, remain one of the main focuses of current research. This article synthesizes research findings on Tuber from multiple fields such as taxonomy, population genetics, and mycorrhiza synthesis, discussing the biological characteristics, ecological functions, as well as the challenges and opportunities in current research. Through a comprehensive analysis of Tuber taxonomy, population genetics, and mycorrhiza synthesis, we have gained a deeper understanding of the importance of Tuber in plant root symbiosis, ecological adaptability, and species diversity. Future research will focus more on the protection and sustainable utilization of Tuber, pushing forward the research on Tuber to new heights.

Microbial diversity plays a crucial role within the plant rhizosphere ecosystem, serving as a pivotal indicator of plant health and stability. In order to explore the correlation between the growth of mycorrhizal seedlings and the nutrition and microbial diversity of the ectomycorrhizosphere, the soil of the ectomycorrhizosphere with different growth conditions was used as the research object, and the ITS1 region and 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing technology were used to explore the inter-relationship. The findings indicated that the primary phyla within the rhizosphere soil microbial communities of various mycorrhizal seedlings were comparable, although their relative abundances varied. The relative abundance of Tuberaceae in good-growing mycorrhizal seedlings (CHTG) was 17.87% and 15.58% higher than in medium-growing (CHTM) and bad-growing (CHTB), respectively. Comparing the diversity indexes Chao1, Shannon and Simpson, it was found that CHTG had the lowest richness. Redundancy analysis (RDA)/canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) analysis revealed that Tuber was positively correlated with soil pH and negatively correlated with available nitrogen, organic matter, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, available potassium, and available phosphorus. Rhizosphere core species analysis showed that symbiotic Ascomycota dominated the rhizosphere soil fungi, and the bacterial community was composed mainly of Proteobacteria. There was a positive correlation between most genera of bacteria and fungi. This study proved that in the bionic cultivation of Tuber himalayense-Corylus heterophylla , the growth of mycorrhizal seedlings can be promoted by adjusting the pH to weakly alkaline and enhancing the advantages of Plectosphaerella in the soil flora, without adding other nutrients, which provides a theoretical basis for the establishment of truffle plantations, soil improvement and ecosystem stability.

To elucidate the potential of integrated multi-omics approaches for studying systemic mechanisms of mycorrhizal fungi in mediating plant-microbe interactions, this study employed the Tuber-inoculated Corylus system as a model to demonstrate how high-throughput profiling can investigate how fungal inoculation reshapes the rhizosphere microbial community and correlates with host metabolism. A pot experiment was conducted comparing inoculated (CTG) and non-inoculated (CK) plants, followed by integrated multi-omics analysis involving high-throughput sequencing (16S/ITS), functional prediction (PICRUSt2/FUNGuild), and metabolomics (UPLC-MS/MS). The results demonstrated that inoculation significantly restructured the fungal community, establishing Tuber as a dominant symbiotic guild and effectively suppressing pathogenic fungi. Although bacterial alpha diversity remained stable, the functional profile shifted markedly toward symbiotic support, including antibiotic biosynthesis and environmental adaptation. Concurrently, root metabolic reprogramming occurred, characterized by upregulation of strigolactones and downregulation of gibberellin A5, suggesting a potential “symbiosis-priority” strategy wherein carbon allocation shifted from structural growth to energy storage, and plant defense transitioned from broad-spectrum resistance to targeted regulation. Multi-omics correlation analysis further revealed notable associations between microbial communities and root metabolites, proposing a model in which Tuber acts as a core regulator that collaborates with the host to assemble a complementary micro-ecosystem. In summary, the integrated approach successfully captured multi-level changes, suggesting that Tuber-Corylus symbiosis constitutes a fungus-driven process that transforms the rhizosphere from a competitive state into a mutualistic state, thereby illustrating the role of mycorrhizal fungi as “ecosystem engineers” and providing a methodological framework for green agriculture research.

An interesting taxon of genus Marasmius was collected several times from Beijing, China. It is characterized by its small basidiomata, orange convex pileus, long and radicant stipe, hymeniform pilepellis of Globulares-type smooth cells , small cheilocystidia, and ellipsoid basidiospores measuring about 8.4 × 5.3 μm. Morphological and molecular analyses confirmed it as a new species. It is therefore introduced as M. beijingensis sp. nov. Comprehensive descriptions, illustrations, phylogenetic analysis results and comparison with similar taxa are provided.