| Abstract Detail
Mycological Section Le Renard, Ludovic [1], Berbee, Mary [2], Stockey, Ruth A. [3]. Phylogeny of Microthyriales and comparative anatomy of fossils and extant lineages of thyriothecia. Fossilized fungi on leaf surfaces dating from different Cretaceous age deposits (≈125 to 65 Ma) show diverse combinations of traits that are shared with extant Microthyriales s.l. (Dothideomycetes, Ascomycota). My research goal is to map characters evident in the fossils on a phylogeny of living fungi, producing calibration points for lineage dating analyses. Microthyriales produce thyriothecia, distinctive ascomata associated with the cuticle of terrestrial plants. At present, the relationship of Microthyriales to one another and to other Dothideomycetes is not well understood. To better interpret the systematic affinity of the fossils, it is important to produce a phylogeny resolving the position of Microthyriales relative to early splitting events in Dothideomycetes. We isolated two Microthyrium species in culture, among which some produced distinctive asexual pycnothyria. Sequences of these isolates relate them to previously determined sequences of Microthyrium microscopicum CBS 115976, confirming the systematic significance of characters of this genus. Other epiphyllous Dothideomycetes have been cultured contributing new and nearly complete LSU and SSU rDNA gene sequences for epiphyllous fungi including: Microthyrium species, Lembosina aulographoides (Asterinales, Dothideomycetes) and Seuratia millardetii, an enigmatic species of unknown affinities. Our phylogeny shows epiphyllous species to be paraphyletic and diverging at the base of the Dothideomycetes. Our newly cultured isolates will open the doors to further study of the evolution of epiphyllous fungi, and our new molecular systematic insights will contribute to the interpretation of fossil Microthyriales.
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1 - University of British Columbia, Botany, 3529-6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, BC, V6T1Z4, Canada
2 - University of British Columbia, Department of Botany, 6270 University Blvd, Vancouver, BC, V6T1Z4, CA
3 - Oregon State University, Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, 2082 Cordley Hall, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
Keywords:
Dothideomycetes
Phylogeny
Microthyriales
paleomycology.
Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Sections
Session: 40
Location: Salon 1/The Shaw Conference Centre
Date: Tuesday, July 28th, 2015
Time: 10:30 AM
Number: 40002
Abstract ID:519
Candidate for Awards:MSA Best Oral Presentation Award by a Graduate Student |
