Agaric diversity in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Hughes, Karen

"The PIs conducted inventory work with fungi for the ATBI. The boreal species Xeromphalina parvibulbosa (by morphology and by sequencing), previously known from Canada and Alaska, was found in the park at low elevation, rather than at high elevations where it might be more expected. There is also a biogeographical connection between the fungi of the Smokies and Central America. Researchers made special attention to collecting genera Amanita, Hygrophorus, Lactarius, Lepiota, Russula, and Tricholoma. They found an unusually high level of heterozygocity in some genera of mushrooms, such as Hygrophorus, but not in others, such as Lactarius. Comparing DNA sequences (rhibosomal ITS area) of collected specimens with those submitted from elsewhere to GenBank, many groups had no matches. Two rare species had exact matches with environmental (non-fruiting body) samples in GenBank, implying that some species thought of as rare may be relatively common but seldom fruit. Drought inhibited sampling in 2007 and 2008, but researchers continue to sequence ribosomal DNA for database of fungal genetic diversity and had recorded 1,987 fungal species in Smokies. Bar code sequence data has been deposited in GenBank for collections made before 2009. In all cases, Great Smoky Mountains National Park was used in the GenBank location descriptor to allow retrieval of data from GenBank. Several studies are in progress with ATBI participants that will increase that number by recognizing cryptic species in Agaricus, Megacollybia, Hygrocybe and Mycena. Funding from the National Science Foundation helped sponsor a ""mycoblitz"" in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in conjunction with the Mycological Society of America meetings in Asheville, North Carolina. The mycoblitz comprised two groups, together totaling 70 professional mycologists, students and lay mycologists from various mushroom clubs. Several species were new to science including a previously undescribed species of Tomentella (Urmas Koljag, Estonia). A number of taxonomists from throughout the US and the world assisted this project. Collection data for over 12,000 records of 3,230 species is posted at //tenn.bio.utk.edu/fungus/fungus.html. DNA data is posted at www.bio.utk.edu/mycology/ATBI/ATBIhome.htm"

Agaric diversity in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

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