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An elusive ectomycorrhizal fungus reveals itself: a new species of Geopora (Pyronemataceae) associated with Pinus edulis

Flores-Rentería, Lluvia and Lau, Matthew K. and Lamit, Louis J. and Gehring, Catherine A (2014) An elusive ectomycorrhizal fungus reveals itself: a new species of Geopora (Pyronemataceae) associated with Pinus edulis. Mycologia, 106 (3). pp. 553-563. ISSN 1557-2536

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Publisher’s or external URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3852/13-263

Abstract

Species of the genus Geopora are important ectomycorrhizal associates that can dominate the communities of some plant taxa, such as pinyon pine (Pinus edulis), a widespread tree of the western United States. Several members of the genus Geopora are known only from ectomycorrhizal root tips and thus have not been described formally. The sporocarps of some Geopora species occur infrequently because they depend on wet years for sporulation. In addition, Geopora sporocarps can be small and may be hypogeous at some developmental stage, limiting the opportunities for describing their morphology. Using molecular and morphological data, we have described a new species of fungus, Geopora pinyonensis, which produced ascocarps after unusually high precipitation at a northern Arizona site in summer 2012. Based on analysis of the ITS and nuLSU regions of the rDNA, G pinyonensis is a new species of Geopora. It has small sporocarps and ascospores relative to other members of the genus; however, these morphological features overlap with other species. Using rDNA data from sporocarps and ectomycorrhizal root tips, we show that the sporocarps correspond to an abundant species of ectomycorrhizal fungus associated with pinyon pines that is increasing in abundance in drought-affected landscapes and may promote drought tolerance.

Item Type: Article
Publisher’s Statement: Copyright 2014 by The Mycological Society of America
ID number or DOI: 10.3852/13-263
Keywords: earth pore; ectomycorrhiza; hypogeous fungi; Pyronemataceae; Sunset Crater
Subjects: Q Science > QH Natural history > QH301 Biology
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status: Faculty/Staff
Department/Unit: College of Engineering, Forestry, and Natural Science > Biological Sciences
Research Centers > Merriam-Powell Center for Environmental Research
Date Deposited: 16 Oct 2015 18:24
URI: http://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/1031

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