Differences in Cultural Characters and Electrophoretic Patterns Among Sibling Species in Four Different Species Complexes (Corticiaceae, Basidiomycetes)

Abstract

Sibling species have been demonstrated in Peniophora cinerea, Phlebia lilascens, P. livida, and P. subochracea by the use of incompatibility tests. Here, cultural characters, nuclear behavior, and isoelec? tric focusing of buffer-soluble mycelial proteins have been used to find differences not seen in fruitbody morphology. The methods used are evaluated and the relationships among the siblings are discussed. Sibling species complexes have been reported in a number of taxa in Aphyllophorales as well as in other Basidiomycotina. Sibling species are identical or very similar in fruitbody morphology but shown to be distinct from each other by intercompatibility tests. Several methods have been applied to demonstrate measurable differences, like culture tests (Boidin, 1977), isoenzyme pat? terns (Nakasone and Micales, 1988), DNA tech? niques (Anderson et al, 1987; Rogers et al, 1988), and others. Moreover, attempts have been made to link the occurrence of different siblings to spe? cialization to certain substrates (Boidin and Lanquetin, 1984a; Hallenberg, 1987) and to use this information in discussions of microevolution. In the present study complementary infor? mation concerning cultural characters and pro? tein banding patterns are given for siblings in Peniophora cinerea (Fr.)Cke., Phlebia lilascens (Bourd.) Erikss. & Hjortst, P. livida (Fr.) Bres., and P. subochracea (Bres.) Erikss. & Ryv. With the exception of Phlebia lilascens, these sibling complexes have been reported earlier (Hallen? berg, 1984, 1986b, 1988).