{{Short description|Species of fungus in the family Podosporaceae}} {{Species box | taxon = Triangularia setosa | authority = (G.Winter) X.Wei Wang & Houbraken (2019) | synonyms_ref = <ref name="Species Fungorum synonymy"/> | synonyms = *''Sordaria setosa'' {{small|G.Winter (1873)}} *''Philocorpa setosa'' {{small|Sacc. (1882)}} *''Pleurage setosa'' {{small|Kuntze (1898)}} *''Podospora setosa'' {{small|(G.Winter) Niessl (1883)}} *''Cladochaete setosa'' {{small|(G.Winter) Sacc. (1912)}} }}
'''''Triangularia setosa''''' is a member of the Ascomycota, and of the genus ''Triangularia''. This genus is notable for its widespread appearance on the excrement of herbivores, and is therefore seen as a coprophilous fungus.<ref name="melo2015" /> The fungus itself is characteristically dark in colour and produces sac-like perithecium with a covering of hair.<ref name="mirza1969" /> Its dispersion involves the ingestion, passage, and projectile ejection of spores. It has preference for colonizing the dung of lagomorphs, such as hares and rabbits.<ref name="richardson1972" />
==History and taxonomy== ''Triangularia setosa'' was first described in Germany in the year 1873 under its basionym ''Sordaria setosa'' by G. Winter.<ref name="francesco2008" /> In 1883, the fungus was given the name ''Podospora setosa'' by mycologist Niessl.<ref name="indexfungorum" /> Since 1883, ''P. setosa'' has had synonymy within multiple genera including ''Pleurage'' (1898), ''Philocopra'' (1907), and ''Cladocheate'' (1912).<ref name="francesco2008" /><ref name="mycobank" /><ref name="nbnatlas" /> These genera can share similar morphology of ascus and spores, as well as habitat. Most recently, the species was transferred to the genus ''Triangularia'' by X.W. Wang and Houbraken in 2019.<ref name="wang2019" /> The genus ''Triangularia'' is distinguished by its triangular, or wedge-like, appearance of spores.<ref name="wang2019" />
==Growth and morphology== ''Triangularia setosa'' grows optimally at 25 °C and in conditions where light is present.<ref name="wang2019" /><ref name="callaghan1962" /> Its rate of growth and production of fruiting bodies can be manipulated by the presence or absence of light.<ref name="callaghan1962" /> In the absence of light, growth is stunted and production of perithecium does not occur. The only exception to this is in conditions where high amounts of water are present, in where perithecium may develop.<ref name="callaghan1962" /> In light conditions, perithecium will develop and the fungus will grow maximally. ''Triangularia setosa'' develops best in light on the shorter end of the visible spectrum.<ref name="callaghan1962" /> Longer wavelengths have shown to be less effective at promoting growth, with the maximum wavelength for growth production being 510 nm.<ref name="giese2013" />
''Triangularia setosa'' is multicellular and has been observed in its sexual state only.<ref name="wang2019" /> As a member of the Ascomycota, development of ascus occurs within a sac-like structure. This sac, the perithecia, has a wide base, thin neck, and is covered in hairs.<ref name="mirza1969" /> ''Triangularia setosa'' has the majority of these hairs are at the base of its fruiting body.<ref name="mirza1969" /><ref name="cain1948" /> The hairs are off-white in colour and are approximately 600μm long and 3μm wide.<ref name="callaghan1962" /> This fungus has an apical ring, which may vary in visibility as it has been described as both conspicuous and non-conspicuous in the literature.<ref name="mirza1969" /><ref name="wang2019" />
Inside the perithecia are asci, each containing eight ascospores.<ref name="francesco2008" /> A perithecia of ''P. setosa'' has been estimated to house 512 spores.<ref name="wang2019" /> The spores themselves are 19μm in length with a single apex on which exists a germ pore.<ref name="mirza1969" /> Inside the ascus, spores are arranged densely and without organization.<ref name="francesco2008" /> When mature, they are brown in colour, ellipsoidal in shape, and are coated in a clear hyaline covering.<ref name="wang2019" /> The spores possess a primary appendage at the distal end, and a secondary appendage at the apex.<ref name="cain1948" /><ref name="mirza1969" /> The secondary appendage, a feature which is commonly seen in coprophilous fungi, is thought to help with attachment to plant material.<ref name="jones2006" /> Under heavy-water conditions, swelling of the hyaline sheathe and activation of the secondary appendage allows for optimal attachment to surfaces.<ref name="jones2006" />
==Physiology== The cycle of successional colonization of ''P. setosa'' involves the ingestion and excretion of the fungus by herbivorous animals.<ref name="bell1983" /> Spore projection from animal excrement allows for transferring of the fungus between animals.<ref name="bell1983" />
The process of spore dispersal requires the build-up of osmotic pressure inside the perithecia.<ref name="fritz2013" /> At the threshold of pressure, ejection of spores occur through the apical pore. This pore is surrounded by an elastic ring which changes shape as the spore passes.<ref name="fritz2013" /> The recoil of the apical ring back to its original shape following distortion amplifies the velocity at which spores exit the ascus.<ref name="fritz2013" /> In the case of ''P. setosa'', spores released in larger quantities (>100) may be ejected up to a distance of 35 cm.<ref name="callaghan1962" /> Notably, spore release may become rhythmic if given a day-night cycle.<ref name="callaghan1962" />
==Habitat and ecology== The favoured carbon source for ''P. setosa'' is the excrement of herbivorous animals, due to the broken-down plant material and abundance of Nitrogen. Though it is primarily found in the dung of herbivores, there are records of the fungus in the feces of omnivores.<ref name="bell1983" /> The dominance of bacteria makes this an unlikely occurrence, and as such it has yet to be recorded on the excrement of any carnivorous animals.<ref name="bell1983" /> ''Triangularia setosa'' may also be found on non-digested material, such as vegetable seeds, soil, and decaying plant material.<ref name="cain1948" />
''Triangularia setosa'' has been documented within many different countries including Canada, Germany, Spain, Brazil, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Ireland.<ref name="cain1948" /><ref name="wang2019" /><ref name="mirza1969" /><ref name="Lundqvist1960" /><ref name="nbnatlas" /> These records indicate its presence in the excrement of rabbits, geese, farm animals, horses, and possums.<ref name="mirza1969" /><ref name="wang2019" /><ref name="Lundqvist1960" /><ref name="piontelli1981" /><ref name="bell1983" /> The fungus itself favours the colonization of lagomorphs over ruminants, but surprisingly can be found on material passed by both types of digestion.<ref name="richardson1972" /> This shows an ability to withstand digestion from several hours up to several days, as lagomorphs routinely ingest their own fecal matter.<ref name="richardson1972" /> The smaller percentage of colonization in ruminants and horses may be due to competition with other types of cophriphilous fungi, who are not able to withstand the longer digestion times of lagomorphs.<ref name="richardson1972" />
==References== {{Reflist | 30em | refs =
<ref name= bell1983>{{cite book |last1=Bell |first1=Ann |title=Dung fungi: an illustrated guide to coprophilous fungi in New Zealand |date=1983 |publisher=Victoria University Press |isbn=0-86473-001-2 |pages=14–15, 60}}</ref>
<ref name = cain1948>{{cite journal |last1=Cain |first1=R.F. |last2=Groves |first2=J.W. |title=Notes on seed-borne fungi: VI. Sordaria |journal=Canadian Journal of Research |date=1948 |volume=26 |issue=5 |pages=488–489 |doi=10.1139/cjr48c-032|pmid=18892116}}</ref>
<ref name = callaghan1962>{{cite journal |last1=Callaghan |first1=A. A. |title=Observations on perithecium production and spore discharge in Pleurage setosa |journal=Transactions of the British Mycological Society |date=1 June 1962 |volume=45 |issue=2 |pages=249–254 |doi=10.1016/S0007-1536(62)80058-8 |issn=0007-1536}}</ref>
<ref name= giese2013>{{cite book |last1=Giese |first1=A. C. |title=Photophysiology: current topics. Volume III |date=2013 |publisher=Elsevier |isbn=978-1-4832-6228-4 |pages=82–83}}</ref>
<ref name= indexfungorum>{{cite web |title=Index Fungorum - Names Record |url=http://www.indexfungorum.org/Names/NamesRecord.asp?RecordID=100959 |website=www.indexfungorum.org |access-date=October 10, 2019}}</ref>
<ref name="Lundqvist1960">{{cite journal |last1=Lundqvist |first1=Nils |title=Coprophilous ascomycetes from northern Spain |journal=Svensk Botanisk Tidskrift |date=1960 |volume=54 |page=525 |url=http://www.ascofrance.com/uploads/forum_file/1960-v54-p523-0001.pdf |access-date=October 11, 2019}}</ref>
<ref name = mirza1969>{{cite journal |last1=Mirza |first1=J.H. |last2=Cain |first2=R.F. |title=Revision of the genus ''Podospora'' |journal=Canadian Journal of Botany |date=1969 |volume=47 |issue=12 |pages=2002, 2014, 2028, 2040–2041 |doi=10.1139/b69-293 }}</ref>
<ref name = mycobank>{{cite web |title=Podospora setosa |url=http://www.mycobank.org/name/Podospora%20setosa |website=mycobank.org |access-date=October 9, 2019}}</ref>
<ref name= nbnatlas>{{cite web |title=Podospora setosa (G. Winter) Niessl |url=https://species.nbnatlas.org/species/NBNSYS0000020153#records |website=nbn.atlas.org |access-date=October 9, 2019}}</ref>
<ref name = wang2019>{{cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=X. W. |last2=Bai |first2=F. Y. |last3=Bensch |first3=K. |last4=Meijer |first4=M. |last5=Sun |first5=B. D. |last6=Han |first6=Y. F. |last7=Crous |first7=P. W. |last8=Samson |first8=R. A. |last9=Yang |first9=F. Y. |last10=Houbraken |first10=J. |title=Phylogenetic re-evaluation of Thielavia with the introduction of a new family Podosporaceae |journal=Studies in Mycology |date=1 June 2019 |volume=93 |pages=243–245 |doi=10.1016/j.simyco.2019.08.002 |pmid=31824584 |pmc=6816082 |issn=0166-0616|doi-access=free}}</ref>
<ref name="melo2015">{{cite journal |last1=Melo |first1=R. F. R. |last2=Miller |first2=A. N. |last3=Maia |first3=L.C. |title=The genus ''Podospora'' (Lasiosphaeriaceae, Sordariales) in Brazil |journal=Mycosphere |date=2015 |volume=6 |issue=2 |pages=201–202 |doi=10.5943/mycosphere/6/2/10 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.15560/12.6.2009 |access-date=27 October 2019|doi-access=free }}</ref>
<ref name="jones2006">{{cite journal |last1=Jones |first1=Gareth E.B. |title=Form and function of fungal spore appendages |journal=Mycoscience |date=August 2006 |volume=47 |issue=4 |pages=167–169|doi=10.1007/S10267-006-0295-7 |s2cid=86218769 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
<ref name="fritz2013">{{cite journal |last1=Fritz |first1=Jeorg A. |last2=Seminara |first2=Agnese |last3=Roper |first3=Marcus |last4=Pringle |first4=Ann |last5=Brenner |first5=Michael P. |title=A natural O-ring optimizes the dispersal of fungal spores |journal=Journal of the Royal Society Interface |date=6 August 2013 |volume=10 |issue=85 |article-number=20130187 |doi=10.1098/rsif.2013.0187|pmid=23782534 |pmc=3971719 }}</ref>
<ref name="richardson1972">{{cite journal |last1=Richardson |first1=M.J. |title=Coprophilous ascomycetes on different dung types |journal=Transactions of the British Mycological Society |date=January 1972 |volume=58 |issue=1 |pages=37–40 |doi=10.1016/S0007-1536(72)80069-X}}</ref>
<ref name="piontelli1981">{{cite journal |last1=Piontelli |first1=E. |last2=Santa-maria |first2=M. Alicia Toro |last3=Caretta |first3=G. |title=Coprophilous fungi of the horse |journal=Mycopathologia |date=May 1981 |volume=74 |issue=2 |pages=89–90 |doi=10.1007/BF01259464|pmid=7242651 |s2cid=2554460 }}</ref>
<ref name="francesco2008">{{cite journal |last1=Doveri |first1=Francesco |title=A bibliography of ''Podospora'' and ''Schizothecium'', a key to the species, and a description of ''Podospora dasypogon'' newly recorded from Italy |journal=Pagine de Micologia |date=April 2008 |volume=19 |issue=32 |page=99|url=http://ascofrance.com/uploads/forum_file/PdM-29a-0001.pdf}}</ref>
<ref name="Species Fungorum synonymy">{{cite web |title=GSD Species Synonymy: ''Triangularia setosa'' (G. Winter) X. Wei Wang & Houbraken |url=http://www.speciesfungorum.org/GSD/GSDspecies.asp?RecordID=829894 |publisher=Species Fungorum |access-date=13 February 2021}}</ref>
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Category:Lasiosphaeriaceae Category:Fungus species Category:Fungi described in 1873