Abstract
Amanita exitialis is a poisonous mushroom and has caused many deaths in southern China. In this study, we collected 118 fruiting bodies of A. exitialis from seven different sites in Guangdong Province in southern China and investigated their genetic relationships using 14 polymorphic molecular markers. These 14 markers grouped the 118 fruiting bodies into 20 multilocus genotypes. Among these 20 genotypes, eight were each found only once while the remaining 12 were each represented by two to 54 fruiting bodies. Interestingly, among the 12 shared genotypes, four were shared between/among local populations that were separated by as far as over 80 km, a result consistent with secondary homothallic reproduction and long-distance spore dispersal. Despite the observed gene flow, significant genetic differentiations were found among the local populations, primarily due to the over-representation of certain genotypes within individual local populations. STRUCTURE analyses revealed that the 118 fruiting bodies belonged to three genetic clusters, consistent with divergence within this species in this geographic region. Interestingly, we found an excess of heterozygous individuals at both the local and the total sample level, suggesting potential inbreeding depression and heterozygous advantage in these populations of A. exitialis. We discuss the implications of our results for understanding the life cycle, dispersal, and evolution of this poisonous mushroom.
Highlights
Over the last decade, more than 10,000 mushroom poisonings have been reported inChina, including at least 788 deaths
In addition to the test of Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium, we examined the relationship between physical distance and genotypes of our fruiting bodies within each of the seven sites to determine the potential size of genetic individuals at each site
We developed 14 molecular markers and used these markers to analyze their patterns of genetic variation within and among 118 fruiting bodies of the poisonous mushroom A. exitialis from seven sites in Guangdong Province in southern China
Summary
More than 10,000 mushroom poisonings have been reported inChina, including at least 788 deaths. In. China, 480 mushroom taxa are known to be poisonous [2], among which 12 belonged to the genus Amanita [3,4,5]. 480 mushroom taxa are known to be poisonous [2], among which 12 belonged to the genus Amanita [3,4,5] These 12 Amanita species contain the lethal amanitin toxins and are among the deadliest mushrooms known. From 1994 to 2012, more than 90% of fatal mushroom poisonings were caused by ingestion of lethal amanitas in Australia, East Asia, and North America [6,7,8,9]. Yang & T.H. Li caused at least 116 poisoning cases including
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
