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- Population Genetics of Ectomycorrhizal Fungi
Over the last couple of years, I have worked on population genetics
of ectomycorrhizal fungi, specifically Rhizopogon vinicolor and
R. vesiculosus (Boletales, Basidiomycota). Ectomycorrhizal fungi
live in mutually beneficial symbiosis with many important forest trees.
They assist the trees in nutrient acquisition and water uptake and provide
some protection against pathogens. However, remarkably little is known
about gene flow within and between populations of ectomycorrhizal fungi
that would allow predictions about how they are affected by forest management
practices and forest fragmentation. I have used R. vinicolor
and R. vesiculosus as model taxa to provide basic information
on patterns of gene flow and clonal propagation in two ectomycorrhizal
sister species. R. vinicolor and R. vesiculosus form truffle-like
fruitbodies below ground (figure left). They also form unusually large
and distinctive ectomycorrhizal root clusters; the latter can be sampled
fairly easily in the field making R. vinicolor and R. vesiculosus
nearly ideal model taxa for population genetic analyses of ectomycorrhizal
fungi.
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