Towards the global phylogeny of the ectomycorrhizal genus Cortinarius (Basidiomycetes, Agaricales)

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Species of Cortinarius play a key role as fungal mycorrhizal symbionts in forest ecosystems all over the world. Morphological and molecular studies in this taxonomically highly difficult genus of gilled mushrooms with more than 2000 described species have focused on northern hemispheric taxa, particularly from Europe and North America. Preliminary molecular studies, however, indicate that the southern hemispheric and Asian species are crucial for a valid reconstruction of the phylogenetic relationships in Cortinarius. The proposed research project therefore involves an innovative combination of original morphological and molecular analyses including a representative sampling of Central American, southern hemispheric and Asian Cortinarius species. The morphological analyses will comprise comparative macromorphological, anatomical, and ultrastructural examinations. The molecular analyses will include sequencing of rDNA (nuclear large subunit, ITS, and also IGS of selected species) and, in order to resolve higher subgeneric groups, also protein-coding DNA (ATP6 and RPB2 genes), and phylogenetic analyses using a broad spectrum of advanced techniques. Morphological, ecological, and chemical data (pigment chemistry) will be the base for the interpretation of our phylogenetic hypotheses. Results of this project will be the fundament of a new, phylogenetically oriented classification system for the genus Cortinarius and contribute to a better understanding of the phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary processes in this fungal group, including variation in speciation rates among different geographical regions and hypotheses about basal taxa, vicarious species, ecological subspecies and distributional patterns in a worldwide context.