Epigeous and Hypogeous Pezizales of Western North America

真假羊肚菌和相关的杯状真菌，通常在地上形成产孢结构，以及在地下形成孢子的松露，是归入Pezizales纲的子囊菌。它们只是在进化上与担子菌纲蘑菇目的真正蘑菇有遥远的亲缘关系。真正的羊肚菌和松露是最受欢迎的、最昂贵的可食用野生“蘑菇”之一。俄勒冈州立大学的南希·韦伯博士和她的同事们正在研究这组真菌在整个美国西部的形态变异和地理分布模式，这是该组真菌多样性很高的地区。对新收集的标本的研究将补充对博物馆保存的标本的研究，以确定物种范围并描述用于鉴定的可靠的形态特征。目前，北美还没有对这一重要真菌群进行全面的分类治疗。除了它们作为美食的重要性外，Pezizales目的成员在森林生态系统中也发挥着关键作用。有些是松鼠、鹿和其他动物的重要食物。有些是林木的菌根共生体。在没有合适的菌根真菌的情况下，树木吸收土壤养分的效率很低，很少能存活一年左右。一些Pezizale是腐生菌，回收森林垃圾。有些真菌是在火灾或其他干扰后最先萌发孢子的真菌。对西部森林生态动态的了解在一定程度上取决于对这些林木菌根伙伴的准确识别，而这一基础分类研究将促进这一点。

True and false morels and allied cup-fungi, which generally form spore-producing structures aboveground, and truffles, which sporulate belowground, are Ascomycete fungi placed in the class Pezizales. They are only distantly related evolutionarily to true mushrooms of the order Agaricales, class Basidiomycetes. True morels and truffles are among the most avidly sought, and expensive, edible wild "mushrooms." Dr. Nancy Weber and her colleagues at Oregon State University are studying the patterns of morphological variation and geographical distribution in this group of fungi throughout the western United States, an area of high diversity in the group. Studies of freshly collected specimens will complement studies of museum-preserved samples, in order to determine species circumscriptions and describe reliable morphological features for identification. At present there is no comprehensive taxonomic treatment of this important group of fungi for North America. In addition to their importance as gourmet foods, members of the order Pezizales play key roles in forest ecosystems. Some are important as food for squirrels, deer, and other animals. Some are mycorrhizal symbionts of forest trees. In the absence of appropriate mycorrhizal fungi, trees take up soil nutrients inefficiently and rarely survive for more than a year or so. Some Pezizales are saprobes, recycling forest debris. And some are among the first fungi to sporulate following a fire or other disturbance. Understanding of the ecological dynamics of western forests depends in part on accurate identification of these mycorrhizal partners of forest trees, to be facilitated by this basic taxonomic study.