PEET: Monographic Studies of Southeast Asian Saprotrophic Agaricales (Fungi)

San Francisco State University, San Francisco CA

Investigators

Abstract

Saprotrophic fungi play major ecological roles in litter decomposition, nutrient recycling and retention, soil genesis, litter binding that inhibits erosion, and as food sources for innumerable animals. Additionally, some mushroom species cause extensive damage to economically important food crops, while others produce biomedically important antibiotics. Understanding the diversity, ecological roles, and phylogenetic relationships of these decomposer organisms is essential to understanding how ecosystems function and persist, especially in tropical ecosystems where nutrient turnover is so rapid. Dr. Dennis Desjardin at San Francisco State University, a mycologist with a productive record of research on the mushrooms of the Pacific Rim and especially Indonesia, will conduct monographic studies of the saprotrophic agarics (gilled mushrooms) from underexplored regions of Southeast Asia. Special emphasis will be given to the genera Marasmius, Marasmiellus, and Mycena, which are the most diverse yet understudied genera of decomposer mushrooms in tropical ecosystems. Approximately 25% of all mushroom species encountered in Southeast Asia belong to these three genera, and nearly one third of them represent species new to science. Monographic studies are imperative in order to build a taxonomic foundation to support biodiversity studies, and to provide raw materials for phylogenetic analyses and for the screening of biomedically important compounds. A central focus of this five-year project is on the integration of traditional morphological and ecological studies with molecular phylogenetic analyses. Training of undergraduate and graduate students from Southeast Asia and the US entails coursework in systematics, laboratory and museum studies, and extensive fieldwork in Southeast Asia. All aspects of data documentation will be computerized and Internet-distributed, including specimen databasing, taxonomic and phylogenetic analyses, nomenclature and bibliographic databasing. Collaborations with colleagues and students from Southeast Asia will build lifelong partnerships that enhance taxonomic expertise across international borders.