DNA Samples from Fungi Reveal New Evolutionary Mushroom 'Tree of Life'

Genetic material from fungi collections may have helped researchers better understand the mushroom "tree of life." Scientists have mapped the relationships between key mushroom species and their evolutionary history that researchers have struggled to piece together for more than 200 years.

The researchers used DNA from frozen, heat-dried and freeze-dried specimens to analyze a dataset of 39 genomes representing most of the known families in Agaricales, the order that houses some of the most familiar types of mushrooms. High throughput sequencing technology actually allowed the scientists to define seven new suborders and the "trunk" of the Agaricales tree.

"Mycology really is one of the last frontiers in biology," said Catherine Aime, one of the researchers, in a news release. "We know there are six to 20 times more species of fungi than plants, but we don't really know much about them. People have tried to figure out how mushrooms are related since the time of Linneaeus. It's gratifying to finally solve this mystery."

Fungi are essential to the health of ecosystems, plants and animals. They decompose fallen wood and other organic matter. Despite their vital role, though, comparatively little is known about them. That's why researchers decided to examine them a bit more closely in this latest effort. Advances in technology allowed the scientists to use short DNA sequences to knit together entire genomes and identify genes that could be used as markers to link related species of mushrooms, resulting in the tree of life.

"We've had this view that organisms became more 'selfish' as they evolved, learning how to take advantage of the system by becoming pathogens," said Aime. "But it's possible that selfishness happened first, and over time, some of these species coevolved to become more mutualistic."

The findings reveal a bit more about fungi and show how they may have evolved. The researchers hope that future technology may help them understand fungi even better over time.

The findings are published in the Biological Journal of the Linnean Society.

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