Oral Technical Session: Basidiomycete Molecular Systematics and Evolution

186-O

Implications of improved taxonomic resolution in polypores—More species, more specialists, longer red lists?
O. MIETTINEN (1), T. Niemelä (2), S. Stenroos (2), J. Vlasák (3), D. S. Hibbett (1)
(1) Clark University, Worcester, MA, U.S.A.; (2) University of Helsinki, Botanical Museum, Helsinki, Finland; (3) Biology Centre of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Institute of Plant Molecular Biology, Ceske Budêjovice, Czech Republic

Polypores or bracket fungi make up a conspicuous and relatively well-known group of macrofungi. Many species in this group are ecologically specialized and commonly used in nature conservation inventories in Europe. Understanding of the species diversity in this group has moved forward during the last ten years due to DNA-aided taxonomy. New sequence data are accumulating not only from taxonomic research but also from ecological and forest pathological studies. For the most part new data have demonstreated the presence of more species than were previously recorded based only on morphology (i.e., cryptic species). Using examples from three species rich polypore genera (Antrodiella, Physisporinus and Skeletocutis) that we have studied extensively in Europe and North America, we show how taxonomically accurate interpretation may shape results of ecological and community studies. With increased taxonomic resolution we see a higher number of specialist species and species with a restricted range. This has direct implications for red list assessments and may also provide insight into niche-breadth in species of polypores.