Special Issue "Symbiotic Fungal Communities: Biotechnological Values, Molecular Advances, Challenges, and the Path Ahead"
A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 June 2023) | Viewed by 273
Special Issue Editors
Interests: microbial ecology; symbiotic fungi; fungal ecology; stress resistance; climate change
Interests: fungal diversity; phytopathology; parasitic fungi; lichens; sustainable agriculture
Interests: Basidiomycota taxonomy; Agaricomycetes; ecology; plant /fungi relationship; climatic change
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Symbiotic fungi play a substantial role in both natural and managed ecosystems. Almost all plants form at least one sort of symbiosis with either mycorrhizal or endophytic fungi. All of the well-balanced symbioses in lichens contain important fungal components. Such symbiotic relationships benefit both fungi and their mutualistic partners while having a great impact on ecosystem functioning. The existing research on symbiotic fungi is impressive, and thousands of new species are discovered and studied yearly. Molecular advances and new technologies have helped the scientific community to better understand the role of symbiotic fungi in various ecosystem-wide processes. Many commercial companies have developed fungi-based products to boost plant growth, especially in agricultural lands. However, there are still challenges to overcome, especially regarding the benefits of such fungi and using them to our benefit as biotechnological tools. The majority of the existing literature focuses on mycorrhizal fungi while the research on the benefits of fungal endophytes and lichens is still developing. This gap is even wider when it comes to molecular studies of the mechanisms behind the beneficial role of such fungi. In this Special Issue we invite manuscripts that dive deeper into the molecular aspects of symbiotic fungi and their beneficial roles for their hosts’ health and growth, especially under stressful conditions. Papers that focus on the link between such fungi and other global issues, such as biogeochemical cycles, are of interest. We encourage the submission of papers that not only focus on the biotechnological benefits of a single species, but also consider fungal communities and their possible utilization as tools.
Dr. Niloufar Hagh-Doust
Dr. Yuan-Min Shen
Dr. Jair Putzke
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Diversity is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- symbiotic fungi
- endophytic fungi
- mycorrhizal fungi
- lichens
- biogeochemical cycles
- stress resistance
- growth promotion
