Talk:Podospora appendiculata

Hi there!

Good job on your outline, this article appears well written and thought-out. The headings are relevant to the topic and the references back up what is being said. I did notice that history and taxonomy had been removed, however, I think this would be a great opportunity to talk about the past genera the fungus has been a part of. At the very least, talking about when it was discovered, and its use in antifungals today, which could set the stage for the section on this later on in the article. Don’t forget to write a lead summarizing this :)

I think you’ve done a really good job gathering sources for this fungus. I too have a fungus of the genera Podospora and can sympathize with how difficult it is to find papers on your species specifically. Many of the sources cited here are similar to the ones I have for my paper, however I did have one extra to add. The paper “Notes on seed borne fungi VI. Sordaria” By R.F. Cain and J.W. Groves. It only mentions Pleurage appendiculata very briefly, but it talks about how the species was distinguished. This may be of use in creating a section on history of the species.

I also found a mention of your fungus in the book “Fungal Ecology” by Neville J. Dix and John Webster, which has a small section on some theories as to why the fungus is only found on the dung of certain herbivores. The book doesn’t give a specific reason, but this may be something to add to your habitat section with regards to selectivity of substrate.

Lastly, I thought your subheading on usage for antifungals is detailed and a good addition to the article. I did find another source from the “Dictionary of Antibiotics and Related Substances: with CD-ROM, Second Edition” by Barrie W. Bycroft and David J. Payne which has the chemical name as well as structure of the antifungals, if that is any use to you. The substances also seem to have been referenced so possibly those references may be of use.

Overall, I think so far you have a good guide for the article, a neutral tone, and utilize solid journal and book references. Moving forward, fleshing out the habitat as well as adding in a lead and history section would make your article seem more complete. I also wonder if you could talk about dispersal and lifecycle of this fungus. I know other coprophilous fungi use projectile dispersal, I think figuring out what yours does would be important. Lastly, just be careful to either explain more complex terms, or provide a link, just so readers can follow what you’ve written a little better. I hope the resources I found will be of use in doing this. Best of luck!

Hopewallen (talk) 03:39, 1 November 2019 (UTC)

Comments
You've got a good amount of information. One thing you didn't mention relates to the role of this fungus in successional colonization of dung. I think Ann Bell has a nice diagram that depicts this, but I'm not sure if P. appendiculata is listed in it. Nils Lundquist (1972) might have discussed this (LUNDQVIST N. 1972. — Nordic Sordariaceae s. lat. Symbolae Botanicae Upsalienses, 20: 1-374 -- I think this is in the Earth Sciences Library). There may be more info on the ecology of this species by Webster, Don Wicklow or Francesco Doveri. Medmyco (talk) 21:42, 12 November 2019 (UTC)