Epitypification with DNA information can develop taxonomy of mushrooms and lichens

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24300314
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Museology
• Research Institution: National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Ohmura Yoshihito 独立行政法人国立科学博物館, 植物研究部, 研究主幹 (40414362)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 保坂 健太郎 独立行政法人国立科学博物館, 植物研究部, 研究主幹 (10509417)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 分類学 / タイプ標本 / 系統 / キノコ / 地衣類

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Type specimens are the base of scientific name of organisms and having important value for science. Although DNA information have become an important factor in modern taxonomy, it is generally difficult to get them from old type specimens. The aims of this study are (1) to show DNA in the type specimens of mushrooms and lichens stored in a herbarium are deteriorated with fragmentation of sequence over time and (2) to designate epitypes collecting from type-localities to complement the DNA information.
The DNA from specimens of a lichen stored in the National Museum of Nature and Science were found to be fragmented into ca. 500 bp after 10 years, ca. 200 bp after 15 years, and <150 bp after 20 years; and those of mushroom were less than 230 bp after c. 50 years.
A total of 245 taxa including mushrooms and lichens with DNA information were newly collected through this project, among which 8 taxa are worth for designation as epitype with high consistency to the original type.

Free Research Field

植物分類学