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Abstract Detail



Mycological Section

Savchenko, K.G. [1], Carris, L.M. [1].

Molecular phylogenetic analysis indicates additional diversity within Anthracoidea parasites of sedges.

Anthracoidea is a genus of smut fungi (Ustilaginomycetes) with more than 100 species distributed in the northern hemisphere and highland regions of the southern hemisphere. Morphologically Anthracoidea species are characterized by the production of single teliospores in conspicuous black sori, initially covered by a whitish membrane, in the ovaries of plant hosts belonging to the Cyperaceae, especially in Carex. Species of Anthracoidea exhibit a high degree of host specificity. Delimitation of species relies greatly on the host plant and its position in a particular Carex section, and species are differentiated based on available morphological criteria only within host plant sections. Recent studies showed that the LSU rDNA sequence analysis could be useful for the delimitation of Anthracoidea species. The present study is a further attempt to clarify the taxonomy and phylogeny of these parasites on several Carex hosts by analyzing both morphological and molecular data. Specimens of Anthracoidea on Carex vaginata and C. rhizina collected in Russia, and on C. richardsonii from the United States, were examined and analyzed. DNA extracted from teliospores was used to amplify the LSU locus used in phylogenetic analysis. The results of Bayesian analysis based on newly generated sequences and the sequences of other species of Anthracoidea available in Genbank demonstrated that there are distinct phylogenetic lineages for the species of Anthracoidea on each host. Thus, two sampled Anthracoidea specimens on C. vaginata (Sect. Paniceae) were sister to the complex of A. buxbaumii, A. hostianae, A. lasiocarpae, and A. paniceae, all parasitizing hosts from different sections of Carex but sharing similar ecology. Two specimens on C. rhizina (Sect. Digitatae), that were previously described as A. irregularis, were sister to A. globularis, that occurs on the hosts from section Acrocystis. A specimen of Anthracoidea on North American C. richardsonii (Sect. Digitatae) was sister to A. baldensis and A. rupestris. The fact that the colonization of species within section Digitatae has occurred several times confirms previous studies indicating that host jumps from one section of Carex to another were probably common factors with a major role in the radiation of these fungi. Further investigations with more specimens sampled will elucidate the joint evolution of the genus Anthracoidea and its hosts.


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1 - Washington State University, Plant Pathology, 100 Dairy Rd, Department of Plant Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA

Keywords:
Smut fungi
Carex
pathogens
Phylogeny
LSU
new species.

Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Sections
Session: P
Location: Hall D/The Shaw Conference Centre
Date: Monday, July 27th, 2015
Time: 5:30 PM
Number: PMY033
Abstract ID:1281
Candidate for Awards:None


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