Unidentified specimens in herbarium can develop mushroom taxonomy: integration of accumulation of DNA information and fieldwork

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K16279
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Cultural assets study and museology
• Research Institution: Chiba Institute of Science
• Principal Investigator: Kasuya Taiga 千葉科学大学, 危機管理学部, 講師 (90712513)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 分類学 / 系統 / 生物地理 / きのこ / 標本庫 / 新種 / 日本新産種

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Preservation status of DNA information of mushroom specimens housed for a long time in museum herbarium has been evaluated. If we cannot obtain DNA information among herbarium specimens, we conducted alternative fieldwork and collected new specimens to complement the DNA information. Moreover, species taxonomy of unidentified specimens of mushrooms preserved in Japanese museum inferred from morphological characteristics and DNA information has been studied. As a result, we detected several Basidiomycete mushrooms regarded to new taxa or new to Japanese mycobiota. Furthermore, the necessity of taxonomic reexamination such as the presence of cryptic species was shown in several known species of mushrooms in Japan based on morphological observations and molecular phylogenetic analyses.

Free Research Field

菌学