Masters Degrees (Genetics)
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Browsing Masters Degrees (Genetics) by Author "Gryzenhout, M."
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Item Open Access Description of novel species of psychedelic mushrooms from Southern Africa(University of the Free State, 2022) Maloka, Onalerona Orefilempho; Gryzenhout, M.; Ghosh, S.The chemical compound psilocybin, responsible for causing hallucinations, is found in mushroom species of genera such as Gymnopilus, Panaeolus, Pluteus, and Psilocybe. Psilocybin also has a number of psychiatric and medical applications. Psilocybin-producing mushrooms have a wide distribution in South Africa and other parts of the world, but the biodiversity of these fungi is poorly known in South Africa. This study focused on the species identification of two sets of collections of Psilocybe, one from Lesotho and the other from Pretoria, based on morphology and different DNA sequence phylogenetic markers. A multi-locus phylogeny was constructed using the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS), RNA Polymerase II (RPB 1), and Translational Elongation Factor 1α (TEF-1α) gene regions. More than one marker was used to confirm identifications, and by combining the sequences, to also obtain better statistical support for groupings. By using the additional genes besides ITS, the usefulness of these additional markers to identify Psilocybe species was also investigated. Results showed that the two collections of samples were unique and different from each other based on all of the genes, except for the RPB 1 region that was found wanting. Although the TEF-1α was found sufficiently variable to also distinguish species similar to the ITS region, a relatively small number of species have been sequenced up to date. The distinct grouping of the two collections was confirmed by a number of macro- and micromorphological characteristics, and described as Psilocybe malotiensis prov. nom. and Psilocybe orontawuli prov. nom. respectively. Results from this study represent an important breakthrough where Southern African samples can now be sequenced and compared with specimens from elsewhere and should illustrate the presence of numerous novel species occurring in this region.Item Open Access Identification of mushrooms from pine plantations within the Tsitsikamma region, South Africa(University of the Free State, 2022) Herselman, Maryke; Gryzenhout, M.Mushrooms have been exploited for ages by mankind for their astoundingly wide application as a sustainable dietary supplement that also carries economical, ecological value and medicinal qualities. Although some mushrooms are considered edible and flavoursome others are deadly. Mushrooms also play ecologically vital roles in nature as decomposers, pathogens and symbionts of plants, animals and humans. Mushrooms have in recent times been heavily explored for new-age biotechnological and medical innovations, but without knowledge of species present in a country, regulation is difficult. In South Africa, knowledge about the biodiversity of macro fungi seems to be lacking. To expand this biodiversity knowledge, this study focused on the coastal Tsitsikamma region in the Eastern Cape province, which represents the largest native forest area of South Africa. However, these forests are interspersed with commercial tree plantations, agriculture and urban development. Specifically, this study focused on mushrooms occurring in plantation areas, to initiate a knowledge base of macro fungi associated with these alien plants, before future studies can determine which are more likely native mushrooms, and if mushrooms from these alien plants can also be found in native vegetation. Therefore, the first aim of the study was to collect and document mushroom diversity and morphology from plantations, and to highlight distinguishable and identifiable characteristics. Morphological studies were aided in the second aim of using rDNA nuclear Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) DNA sequence comparisons to confirm specimen identities. A total of 13 species were collected and identified from various plantations in the region. These included species of Amanita, Russula and Lactarius, as well as Panaeolus, Chlorophyllum, Clitopilus, Imleria and Gymnopilus. One specimen identified to be a Chlorophyllum species could not be identified to species level, and may possibly represent a novel species. The study yielded three first reports for South Africa, namely L. quieticolor, P. antillarum and A. morissi, with the latter species having vulnerable red list status and is only known from North America. It was also found that the South African described R. capensis could possibly be conspecific to R. caerulea, which occurs widely in the Northern Hemisphere. A large number of species found were also ectomycorrhizal, having a symbiotic relationship with plant roots, which were pines in this study. The use of DNA sequence comparisons in this study revealed novel associations and reports, in some cases different from the better known morphologically identified species previously known from the region. This study thus shows that careful surveys should be done in future, using both morphological and DNA sequence based identification.Item Open Access Skin microbiome diversity of batrachochytrium dendrobatidis-challenged phofung river frogs (amietia hymenopus) in the Drakensberg mountain range(University of the Free State, 2022) Kloppers, George Antonie Ehlers; Gryzenhout, M.; Gryzenhout, C.; Cason, E.; Ghosh, S.Infectious diseases are pressuring amphibian populations globally, especially threatened frog species occurring in restricted areas. Chytridiomycosis, which is caused by the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), is arguably the most devastating panzootic disease confronting wildlife today and was determined to be a major driving force of the current amphibian extinction crisis. A healthy amphibian host has a symbiotic relationship with its cutaneous microbial community that benefits the host in many ways including the protection against malicious microbes. The current trend in amphibian skin microbiome studies concentrate predominantly on its bacterial component, while other components of the microbiome such as filamentous fungi and eukaryotes have been neglected. In this study Amietia hymenopus, a Bd-challenged frog population of southern Africa, was sampled from remote locations of the frog?s natural distribution on the Drakensberg mountain range. The cutaneous microbiome diversity was analysed using next generation sequencing and bioinformatics tools, investigating both the bacterial and fungal components of the frogs? skin microbial community. Results indicated high diversity dissimilarities in both alpha and beta diversity when comparing individual specimens, and sampling areas, respectively. This study touched on an important topic regarding the microbial biodiversity found on frogs, and sheds light on the complex interaction between host and microbial communities in amphibian populations. Knowledge on this intricate relationship between host and their microscopic cutaneous symbionts could help inform amphibian conservation efforts against infectious disease.