NZJB Call for Papers: Special Issue on polyphasic taxonomy and applications of fungi and fungi-like taxa

Background

Fungi are highly versatile organisms with broad applications in medicine, agriculture, biotechnology, food production, and environmental management. Medically, they produce life-saving drugs, including penicillin from Penicillium chrysogenum, the first widely used antibiotic; cyclosporine A, an immunosuppressant for organ transplantation; and lovastatin, which lowers cholesterol to manage cardiovascular disease. In biotechnology, Trichoderma reesei generates cellulases for biofuel production and textile processing, while Aspergillus niger and A. oryzae produce amylases, pectinases, and phytases widely used in food processing, brewing, and animal feed. Agriculturally, mycorrhizal fungi form symbiotic relationships with plant roots, enhancing nutrient uptake and crop yields, while biocontrol agents offer sustainable alternatives to chemical pesticides by parasitizing plant pathogens and insect pests. The food industry depends on fungi for bread baking, beer brewing, wine and soy sauce fermentation, and cheese production.

Accurate strain identification is essential to distinguish beneficial fungi from toxigenic relatives that produce hazardous mycotoxins (e.g., aflatoxins, ochratoxins). Environmental applications include mycoremediation of persistent pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dyes, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, as well as composting and waste management to accelerate organic matter decomposition. Emerging uses include sustainable mycoprotein (Quorn), fungal-based leather alternatives, and bioactive compounds with anticancer, antiviral, and immunomodulatory properties.

Polyphasic taxonomy, integrating phenotypic and genotypic data, is fundamental for precise fungal identification, resolving challenges such as cryptic diversity, convergent morphologies, phenotypic plasticity, and ecological variation. Current advances include phylogenomics, metabolomics for species delineation via secondary metabolite profiles, AI-based automated image recognition, and the “One Fungus – One Name” unified nomenclature. Accurate identification enables targeted disease management, informed quarantine decisions, and food safety.

Scope

This Special Issue of the New Zealand Journal of Botany (NZJB), titled “Polyphasic taxonomy and applications of fungi and fungi-like taxa”, invites submissions on research advancing polyphasic approaches in fungal systematics alongside the broad practical and industrial applications of fungi and fungi-like taxa. The issue aims to showcase developments across diverse fields, including biotechnology, medicine, agriculture, environmental remediation, and food production. We welcome original research articles and reviews across the following areas:

• Studies related to the conservation and sustainable use of fungal resources
• Fungal applications on prominent environmental and economic problems
• Systematic studies on fungi and fungi-like taxa based on a polyphasic approach
• Advanced molecular techniques for the identification of fungi
• Fungal interactions with other microorganisms, plants and animals

Keywords

DNA barcoding; Genomics and metabolomics, Modern molecular methods; Mushroom leather, Plastic-degrading fungi, Secondary metabolites, Systematics

Manuscript Requirements

Taxonomic papers

Plates:

• Habitat plate (required): in situ colour photographs showing the species in its natural setting, with a clear depiction of habitat and vegetation context
• Microscopy plate: photomicrographs clearly illustrating key diagnostic structures such as spores, basidia/asci, paraphyses, and cystidia
• Line-drawing plate: hand-drawn or digital line figures with labelled diagnostic characters

Molecular data: Raw sequencing chromatograms must be provided for all newly generated sequences (.ab1 or .scf format). The sequence alignment matrix and tree files used in phylogenetic analyses must be supplied (.fasta or .nexus format, together with model parameters). All sequences must be deposited in GenBank prior to acceptance, and accession numbers must be included in the manuscript.

Fungal application-based papers

Various applications of fungi and novel techniques for utilizing fungal byproducts are included here.

• Define the practical problems that fungal application solves and explain why fungi are preferable to existing alternatives
• Polyphasic identification of fungi, providing source/isolation details and deposit in a culture collection
• Safety status (GRAS, pathogenicity, and toxin production), cultivation conditions (substrate, temperature, pH, and moisture), scale-up parameters, formulation details, quantitative performance metrics (yield improvement, degradation rates, inhibition zones), cost-benefit analysis, production scalability, and regulatory considerations for commercial use
• Comparison with controls and commercial standards, statistical validation
• Biochemical pathways (enzyme production and metabolite secretion)
• Molecular mechanisms where relevant (gene expression and signalling)
• Mode of interaction with target (pathogen suppression and pollutant degradation)

Submissions that do not meet these standards may be returned to authors prior to peer review. 

Submission Information

Guest Editors

Dr Indunil C. Senanayake (Lead Guest Editor)
Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
Research interests: Fungal systematics, Application of fungi, Fungal interactions
Email: indunilchinthani@gmail.com

Prof. Jesús Pérez-Moreno 
Colegio de Postgraduados, Texcoco de Mora, México
Research interests: Macro fungal diversity, Fungal taxonomy, Phylogeny
Email: jepemo@yahoo.com.mx

Dr Nakarin Suwannarach 
Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Research interests: Applications of fungi, Fungal taxonomy, Fungal diversity
Email: suwan.462@gmail.com

Dr Leela M. Rizal 
CSIRO, Canberra, Australia
Research interests: Entomology, Evolutionary Biology, Fungal Systematics
Email: leela.rizal@csiro.au

Dr Danushka S. Tennakoon 
Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
Research interests: Fungal taxonomy, Fungal diversity, Phylogeny
Email: danushkasandaruwanatm@gmail.com

About the journal

The New Zealand Journal of Botany is an international journal aiming to disseminate peer-reviewed scientific research in all areas of plant science. We welcome submissions relevant to all aspects of botany, mycology, and phycology of New Zealand and the southern hemisphere. Papers concerning general botanical principles and other species of the world likely to be of interest to a wide audience of plant scientists are also encouraged. The journal's subject matter encompasses biosystematics and biogeography, ecology, physiology, biochemistry, genetics, reproductive biology, structure and development, plant biotechnology, plant-animal interactions, forestry, taxonomy, ethnobotany, medicinal plants, palaeobotany, bryology, lichenology, mycology, plant pathology, and phycology.