Phylogenetic placement of Paratrichaptum and reconsideration of Gloeophyllales

Pattern formation features might explain homoplasy: fertile surfaces in higher fungi as an example

Fungi show a high degree of morphological convergence. Regarded for a long time as an obstacle for phylogenetic studies, homoplasy has also been proposed as a source of information about underlying morphogenetic patterning mechanisms. The "local-activation and long-range inhibition principle" (LALIP), underlying the famous reaction-diffusion model proposed by Alan Turing in 1952, appears to be one of the universal phenomena that can explain the ontogenetic origin of seriate patterns in living organisms. Reproductive structures of fungi in the class Agaricomycetes show a highly periodic structure resulting in, for example, poroid, odontoid, lamellate or labyrinthic hymenophores. In this paper, we claim that self-organized patterns might underlie the basic ontogenetic processes of these structures. Simulations based on LALIP-driven models and covering a wide range of parameters show an absolute mutual correspondence with the morphospace explored by extant agaricomycetes. This could not only explain geometric particularities but could also account for the limited possibilities displayed by hymenial configurations, thus making homoplasy a direct consequence of the limited morphospace resulting from the proposed patterning dynamics.

Multigene phylogeny and taxonomic revision of Atheliales s.l.: Reinstatement of three families and one new family, Lobuliciaceae fam. nov

Atheliales (Agaricomycetes, Basidiomycota) is an order mostly composed of corticioid fungi, containing roughly 100 described species in 20 genera. Members exhibit remarkable ecological diversity, including saprotrophs, ectomycorrhizal symbionts, facultative parasites of plants or lichens, and symbionts of termites. Ectomycorrhizal members are well known because they often form a major part of boreal and temperate fungal communities. However, Atheliales is generally understudied, and molecular data are scarce. Furthermore, the order is riddled with many taxonomic problems; some genera are non-monophyletic and several species have been shown to be more closely related to other orders. We investigated the phylogenetic position of genera that are currently listed in Atheliales sensu lato by employing an Agaricomycetes-wide dataset with emphasis on Atheliales including the type species of genera therein. A phylogenetic analysis based on 5.8S, LSU, rpb2, and tef1 (excluding third codon) retrieved Atheliales in subclass Agaricomycetidae, as sister to Lepidostromatales. In addition, a number of Atheliales genera were retrieved in other orders with strong support: Byssoporia in Russulales, Digitatispora in Agaricales, Hypochnella in Polyporales, Lyoathelia in Hymenochaetales, and Pteridomyces in Trechisporales. Based on this result, we assembled another dataset focusing on the clade with Atheliales sensu stricto and representatives from Lepidostromatales and Boletales as outgroups, based on ITS (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2), LSU, rpb2, and tef1. The reconstructed phylogeny of Atheliales returned five distinct lineages, which we propose here as families. Lobulicium, a monotypic genus with a distinct morphology of seven-lobed basidiospores, was placed as sister to the rest of Atheliales. A new family is proposed to accommodate this genus, Lobuliciaceae fam. nov. The remaining four lineages can be named following the family-level classification by Jülich (1982), and thus we opted to use the names Atheliaceae, Byssocorticiaceae, Pilodermataceae, and Tylosporaceae, albeit with amended circumscriptions.