Abstract Detail

Poster Session

DeMers, Mara B. [1], Healy, Rosanne A. [2], McLaughlin, David J. [1].

Uncovering Cortinarius Diversity in Midcontinental North America.

The genus Cortinarius is the largest group of ectomycorrhizal mushrooms and an important component in forest ecosystems worldwide. Cortinarius species are difficult to identify and a comprehensive key to species in North America is lacking. Sequencing the ITS and LSU nrDNA has given us a reliable means of identification, but sampling is currently limited largely to Western North America and Europe. Also, databased sequences are frequently poorly documented or misidentified creating problems in their use. In this study we are in the process of identifying 66 Cortinarius specimens collected throughout Minnesota by using phylogenetic analyses of LSU sequences to place species within the framework of the genus, and ITS sequences to delimit species. In our analyses we included sequences from GenBank that were generated by labs that are currently working out Cortinarius systematics. We used morphological characters to identify them with North American and European keys. We found that relatively common, distinctive, midcontinental species originally described from North America were absent from sequence databases. Other specimens lacked matches to sequences in databases or revealed problems with identifications in databased sequences.  Sequencing well-documented herbarium collections from under-represented regions such as the Midwest U.S. can help to pinpoint confusion in species concepts and limits and point the way to a better understanding of species distribution.

1 - University Of Minnesota, Department Of Plant Biology, 250 Biological Sciences Center, 1445 Gortner Ave, St. Paul, MN, 55108-1095, USA
2 - Harvard University, Farlow Herbarium, 22 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA

Keywords:
none specified

Presentation Type: Offered Paper - Poster
Session: P3
Location: Lincoln Room/Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center
Date: Monday, June 9th, 2014
Time: 8:00 PM
Number: P3010
Abstract ID:148
Candidate for Awards:None