Species Concept and Molecular Phylogeny of West African Resuninate Thelephorales

担子菌属是一种分布广泛的单系真菌类群，属于担子菌科。尽管公共数据库INSD和UNITE已特别丰富了数量可观的类象科ITS rDNA序列，但类象科的物种概念模式和较低水平的系统发育仍未得到解决。与基于果体的序列的低可用性和地理偏差（对温带欧洲和美洲）相比，从未命名样本中产生的类象序列的高比例提出了关于明确解剖和系统发育物种划分的采样努力的问题。为了更好地理解象属植物的形态和系统发育物种概念，我们在此建议对广泛取样的果体进行系统发育和详细解剖。我们将在西非物种丰富的几内亚北部季节性森林和前一阶段未勘探的生态系统中集中取样。我们将针对ITS rDNA基因的物种概念和物种多样性。利用LSU rDNA的D1/D2区域评估Tomentella属中更深节点和进化过程的系统发育关系。将对我们生成的序列（来自热带非洲）与INSD和UNITE（来自温带美洲和欧洲）获得的序列进行系统发育评估。分子系统发育分析和解剖特征将进行最近成功执行。我们的目标是更好地理解地理距离在物种限制中所起的作用，并评估热带物种在复生的大象目进化中的贡献。

Thelephorales represent a cosmopolitan monophyletic fungal group within the Agaricomycetes (Basidiomycota, Fungi). Although public database INSD and UNITE have been particularly enriched with an impressive number of ITS rDNA thelephoroid sequences, patterns of species concept and lower-level phylogenetics within Thelephorales still remain unresolved. The high percentage of thelephoroid sequences generated from unnamed samples in contrast to the low availability of fruit body-based sequences and geographic bias (toward temperate Europe and America) raise up questions regarding sampling effort for a clear anatomical and phylogenetic species delimitation. To better understand morphological and phylogenetic species concept within Thelephorales, we suggest hereby broadly sampled phylogenetic and detailed anatomy of fruit bodies. We will intensively sample in species-rich northern Guinean seasonal forests of West Africa and in ecosystems that were not prospected during the previous phase. We will target the ITS rDNA gene for the species concept and species diversity. Phylogenetic relationship of deeper nodes and evolutionary processes within the genus Tomentella will be assessed using the D1/D2 region of the LSU rDNA. Phylogenetic assessment will be performed on sequences we will generate (from tropical Africa) against those obtained from the INSD and UNITE (from temperate America and Europe). Molecular phylogenetic analyses and anatomical characterization will be performed as successfully executed recently. We aim at a better understanding of the role played by geographic distance in species limits and at assessing the contribution of tropical species in the evolution of resupinate Thelephorales.