| Abstract Detail
Mycology Feliciano, Elizabeth [1], Healy, Rosanne [1], Smith, Matthew [1]. Phylogeny and taxonomy of Genea from North America. Genea is a genus of hypogeous ectomycorrhizal truffle fungi that are found across the Northern Hemisphere, but most species are described from Europe and North America. The European Genea species have recently been studied using a combination of morphological and phylogenetic data so that the identities of most described European taxa are now well resolved. However, most North American species of Genea were named by Helen Gilkey in the early 20th century and the diversity and systematics of the North American taxa have not been studied with modern techniques. The main aim of our research is to revisit the diversity and systematics of the North American Genea to determine the number of species, describe their morphologies and distributions, and determine the relationships between North American taxa and those from other world regions. We obtained specimens from across North America as herbaria loans and also collected fresh specimens. We use available sequences from GenBank and newly generated sequences from the ITS and 28S rDNA as well as Tef1 and rpb1. Here we present our preliminary phylogenetic analysis of North American Genea. Initial findings suggest that North American Genea species are mostly distinct from the described European taxa, with the exception of Genea hispidula, which is shared between the two continents. Our data indicate that some taxa are widely distributed in North America. For example, Genea thaxteri is found across the Eastern United States and is distributed south to Mexico, whereas Genea arenaria is found across the Western United States and in Mexico. We also found evidence of cryptic species among black-colored specimens that were initially identified as Genea harknessii, suggesting that careful morphological study will be needed to refine the species concepts of North American species. Log in to add this item to your schedule
1 - University of Florida, Department of Plant Pathology, 2550 Hull Road, PO Box 110680, Gainesville, FL, 32611-0680, United States
Keywords: Genea hypogeous North America phylogeny Taxonomy truffle fungi Mycology.
Presentation Type: Poster Session: MYP1, Mycology Posters I Location: / Date: Monday, July 19th, 2021 Time: 5:00 PM(EDT) Number: MYP1011 Abstract ID:848 Candidate for Awards:MSA Best Poster Presentation Award by a Graduate Student |