Andrew W Wilson

• Ph.D.
• Assistant Curator of Mycology at Denver Botanic Gardens

•A systematic and evolutionary ecology study of the model ectomycorrhizal (ECM) genus Laccaria was performed using herbarium material and field collections from over 30 countries covering its known geographic range. •A four-gene (nrITS, 28S, RPB2, EF1a) nucleotide sequence dataset consisting of 232 Laccaria specimens was analyzed phylogenetically....

Most conservation efforts in seasonally dry tropical forests have overlooked less obvious targets for conservation, such as mycorrhizal fungi, that are critical to plant growth and ecosystem structure. We documented the diversity of ectomycorrhizal (EMF) and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AMF) fungal communities in Quercus oleoides (Fagaceae) in Guanacast...

Background Armillaria is a globally distributed mushroom-forming genus composed primarily of plant pathogens. Species in this genus are prolific producers of rhizomorphs, or vegetative structures, which, when found, are often associated with infection. Because of their importance as plant pathogens, understanding the evolutionary origins of this ge...

The mushroom genus Laccaria is one of the very few ectomycorrhizal lineages whose diversity has been explored from the phylogenetic, population genetic, genomic, and ecological perspectives. The genus serves as a model for understanding the biology of ectomycorrhizal fungi. This chapter provides an in-depth overview of the systematic diversity, eco...

The rust fungi (Pucciniales) are the most speciose natural group of plant pathogens, members of which possess the most complex lifecycles in Fungi. How natural selection works on the Pucciniales has been the subject of several hypotheses in mycology. This study uses molecular age estimation using sequence data from multiple loci, and cophylogeny re...

The nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (nrITS) region has been widely used in fungal diversity studies. Environmental metabarcoding has increased the importance of the fungal DNA barcode in documenting fungal diversity and distribution. The DNA barcode gap is seen as the difference between intra- and inter-specific pairwise distances in...

Suillus is a genus of ectomycorrhizal fungi associated almost exclusively with Pinaceae. Lack of sample collections in East Asia and unresolved basal phylogenetic relationships of the genus are the major obstacles for better understanding the Suillus evolution. A resolved phylogeny of Suillus representing global diversity was achieved by sequencing...

Since 2013 there have been 22 new species of Laccaria described worldwide. Only three of these represent species from the neotropics. In Panama, Laccaria is abundant in monodominant Oreomunnea mexicana (Juglandaceae) forests based on sporocarps and environmental sequencing of roots. This study uses a combination of morphological and phylogenetic ev...

In this study, the taxonomic diversity of the Xylodon raduloides species complex (Hymenochaetales, Basidiomycota) is examined. Specimens were studied using an integrative taxonomic approach that includes molecular phylogenetic and morphological analyses, and environmental niche comparisons. Four different species were found inside the Xylodon radul...

A new species in the genus Russula from mixed coniferous forest of District Shangla, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan is described and illustrated. Phylogenetic data derived from DNA sequences of nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS), along with morphological characterizations, indicate the species is novel. Russula shanglaensis sp. nov....

Two new species in the mushroom genus Amanita are described and illustrated from Northwestern Pakistan. Phylogenetic data derived from nuclear ribosomal ITS and LSU regions along with morphological characterizations indicate these species are novel. Amanita cinis is a member of section Roanokenses, while A. olivovaginata is representative of sectio...

Species of Laccaria (Hydnangiaceae, Basidiomycota) are important in forest ecosystems as ectomycorrhizal fungi. Nine of the 75 described Laccaria species worldwide been reported from Korea. Most of these have European and North American names, and their identities are based solely on morphological features. To evaluate the taxonomy of Korean Laccar...

Rapid economic development and accelerated urbanization in China has resulted in widespread atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition. One consequence of N deposition is the alteration of mycorrhizal symbioses that are critical for plant resource acquisition (nitrogen, N, phosphorus, P, water). In this study, we characterized the diversity, composition,...

Historical biogeography helps us keep track of organisms over time and space. However, microbial ecology and evolutionary studies are fraught with challenges due to their unknown life histories, a poor fossil record, and problematic taxonomy. Mycorrhizal fungi are key players for most terrestrial ecosystems and interact with a vast number of plants...

Notes S1 Laccaria Systematics and Global Laccaria phylogenies with collection ID numbers. Notes S2 Specimen information and GenBank sequence IDs. Notes S3 Agaricomycetideae phylogeny and calibration priors for time to MRCA analysis. Notes S4 Agaricomycetideae and Global Laccaria time to MRCA results. Notes S5 BAMM results. Notes S6 BiSSE resu...

A new species, Amanita glarea, is described and illustrated from Pakistan. Molecular phylogenetic data derived from internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and nuclear ribosomal large subunit (LSU) regions along with morphological characters make it distinct from other currently known Amanita species. Amanita glarea is characterized by a grayish brown, s...

Recent molecular systematic studies of Cantharellus cibarius sensu lato have revealed previously unknown species in different regions of North America. This study investigates yellow chanterelles in the Midwest using phylogenetic analysis of three DNA regions: nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) and 28S sequences and translation elongatio...

Five species of gymnopoid/marasmioid fungi from Eastern India are described based on morphological and molecular (nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer regions and large subunit DNA) sequence data. Of the taxa described, one represents a new species (Marasmiellus foliiphilus), and two (Gymnopus melanopus and Gymnopus menehune) represent fir...

Given the diversity and ecological importance of Fungi, there is a lack of population genetic research on these organisms. The reason for this can be explained in part by their cryptic nature and difficulty in identifying genets. In addition the difficulty (relative to plants and animals) in developing molecular markers for fungal population geneti...

The rust fungus Phragmidium tuberculatum Jul. Müll. is a common pathogen on Rosa spp., on which all life cycle stages are formed. Symptoms occur in spring and may include distorted stems, yellow spots on the upper leaf surface, and a bright orange spore mass formed on the abaxial leaf surface. In late summer, sori become speckled with black as fasc...

Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary (PKWS) is a major hotspot of biological diversity in Thailand but its fungal diversity has not been thouroughly explored. A two-year macrofungal study of this remote locality has resulted in the recognition of a new species of a star-shaped gasteroid fungus in the genus Astraeus. This fungus has been identified based on...

Craterellus olivaceoluteus sp. nov. and Craterellus cinereofimbriatus sp. nov. are described as new to science. These fungi were collected from Guyana in association with ectomycorrhizal host trees in the genera Dicymbe (Fabaceae subfam. Caesalpinioideae) and Pakaraimaea (Dipterocarpaceae). Cantharellus guyanensis Mont., originally described from F...

Cronartium ribicola J. C. Fisch., causal agent of white pine blister rust (WPBR), is one of the most damaging pathogens of five-needle pines, forming aecial states on the trunk and branches and causing cankering, topkill, and branch dieback. Infection can predispose hosts to attack by other pests such as bark beetles, and can result in host mortali...

Species of Laccaria are described from the eastern Himalayas, in the Xizang Autonomous Region of China, more commonly known as Tibet. Specimens were collected during several expeditions over a 12-year time span. Nuclear ribosomal internally transcribed spacer regions 1 and 2 including and 5.8S (ITS) as well as the 5' end of the large subunit (28S)...

Costa Rican specimens of Calostomataceae, Phallaceae and Protophallaceae (gasteroid basidiomycetes) kept at Herbarium F were examined and identified. Eleven species belonging to seven genera were recognized: Calostoma cinnabarinum, C. lutescens (Calostomataceae), Aseroë rubra, Clathrus columnatus, Laternea pusilla, L. triscapa, Ligiella rodriguezia...

Members of the Cantharellaceae (Cantharellales, Basidiomycota) are common ectomycorrhizal associates of the leguminous genus Dicymbe in the Pakaraima Mountains of Guyana. Currently eight distinct species or morphospecies are recognized in Craterellus Pers. or Cantharellus Adans. ex Fr. from Guyanese Dicymbe-dominated forests. We evaluated the syste...

This study uses phylogenetic analysis of the Sclerodermatineae to reconstruct the evolution of ectomycorrhizal host associations in the group using divergence dating, ancestral range and ancestral state reconstructions. Supermatrix and supertree analysis were used to create the most inclusive phylogeny for the Sclerodermatineae. Divergence dates we...

Background/Question/Methods Leaves of Rhamnus cathartica (European buckthorn) rapidly decompose and, as a result, buckthorn-invaded areas typically have sparse litter layers. The cause of such rapid litter decomposition is unclear but is thought to be the result of microbial metabolic processes. Because fungi are one of the primary decomposers of...

Gasteroid fungi include puffballs, stinkhorns, and other forms that produce their spores inside the fruiting body. Gasteroid taxa comprise about 8.4% of the Agaricomycetes (mushroom-forming fungi) and have evolved numerous times from nongasteroid ancestors, such as gilled mushrooms, polypores, and coral fungi, which produce spores on the surface of...

The ancestors of fungi are believed to be simple aquatic forms with flagellated spores, similar to members of the extant phylum Chytridiomycota (chytrids). Current classifications assume that chytrids form an early-diverging clade within the kingdom Fungi and imply a single loss of the spore flagellum, leading to the diversification of terrestrial...

The Sclerodermatineae (Boletales, Basidiomycota) is an ectomycorrhizal lineage with members that are known to associate with a diverse range of plant hosts. This study attempts to reconstruct ancestral host relationships within the Sclerodermatineae in order to identify patterns of host associations. To do this, we created a comprehensive phylogeny...

Hydnangium echinulatum, described originally from a single specimen collected in Malaysia, has been recollected, and based on morphological and molecular characters is recognized as representing a new gasteroid genus of boletes with affinities to the Boletineae, herein named Durianella. Diagnostic features include an epigeous, ovoid, pyramidal-wart...

Gasteroid Agaricomycetes have enclosed hymenophores and have lost ballistospory (forcible discharge). The loss of ballistospory is thought to be irreversible, and therefore lineages that have evolved a gasteroid morphology are unable to revert to hymenomycetous forms. In other words, gasteromycetization constrains morphological evolution. We are in...

GenBank, the public repository for nucleotide and protein sequences, is a critical resource for molecular biology, evolutionary biology, and ecology. While some attention has been drawn to sequence errors ([1][1]), common annotation errors also reduce the value of this database. In fact, for

A phylogeny of the fungal phylum Basidiomycota is presented based on a survey of 160 taxa and five nuclear genes. Two genes, rpb2, and tef1, are presented in detail. The rpb2 gene is more variable than tef1 and recovers well-supported clades at shallow and deep taxonomic levels. The tef1 gene recovers some deep and ordinal-level relationships but w...

Calostoma cinnabarinum Corda belongs to the suborder Sclerodermatineae (Boletales), which includes many well-known ectomycorrhizal basidiomycetes, but the genus Calostoina has been described as saprotrophic. This study combines isotopic, molecular, and morphological techniques to determine the mode of nutrition of C. cinnabarinuln. delta C-13 and d...

Diplocystis wrightii is an enigmatic gasteroid basidiomycete from the Caribbean. It has taxonomic affiliations with Lycoperdaceae, Broomeiaceae, and Sclerodermataceae. This study sampled ITS and 28S ribosomal genes from three D. wrightii specimens to determine the phylogenetic placement and the closest relatives of this species. Results of database...

Diplocystis wrightii is an enigmatic gasteroid basidiomycete from the Caribbean. It has taxonomic affiliations with Lycoperdaceae, Broomeiaceae, and Sclerodermataceae. This study sampled ITS and 28S ribosomal genes from three D. wrightii specimens to determine the phylogenetic placement and the closest relatives of this species. Results of database...

The ancestors of fungi are believed to be simple aquatic forms with flagellated spores, similar to members of the extant phylum Chytridiomycota (chytrids). Current classifications assume that chytrids form an early-diverging clade within the kingdom Fungi and imply a single loss of the spore flagellum, leading to the diversification of terrestrial...

The genus Calostoma is an enigmatic group of Basidiomycete fungi. It is a member of the Sclerodermatineae, a suborder of the Boletales, which includes gasteroid genera with a wide array of morphologies. A recent study of the Sclerodermatineae used 28S rDNA sequences and identified a relationship between genera such as Calostoma, the earthstar like...

Three distinct lineages of gymnopoid and marasmioid fungi are recognized in parsimony and Bayesian analyses of nLSU rDNA sequences. One lineage contains the genera Lentinula, Rhodocollybia, Tetrapyrgos, a resurrected and redefined Mycetinis, and two unresolved clades designated /marasmiellus and /gymnopus. /marasmiellus includes the type species of...

Three distinct lineages of gymnopoid and marasmioid fungi are recognized in parsimony and Bayesian analyses of nLSU rDNA sequences. One lineage contains the genera Lentinula, Rhodocollybia, Tetrapyrgos, a resurrected and redefined Mycetinis, and two unresolved clades designated /marasmiellus and /gymnopus. /marasmiellus includes the type species of...

Twenty-four species of Gymnopus are described from the Indonesian islands of Java and Bali. Of these, nine represent new taxa (G. austrosemihirtipes, G. bicolor, G. diminutus var. clavatus, G. indoctoides, G. melanopus, G. spissus, G. trogioides, G. virescens, G. vitellinipes), ten require new combinations in Gymnopus of names originally described...

A phylogeny of the Basidiomycota is presented drawing upon nucleotide and amino acid sequences of nuclear ribosomal RNA loci (18S and 25S) and protein-coding genes that include RPB1 and RPB2 (which encode the largest and second largest subunits of RNA polymerase II, respectively), elongation factor 1-alpha, and mitochondrial ATP6. Taxon sampling, g...