Abstract
The endophytic lifestyle has played an important role in the evolution of the morphology of reproductive structures (body) in one of the most problematic groups in fungal classification, the Leotiomycetes (Ascomycota). Mapping fungal morphologies to two groups in the Leiotiomycetes, the Rhytismatales and Hemiphacidiaceae reveals significant divergence in body size, shape and complexity. Mapping ecological roles to these taxa reveals that the groups include endophytic fungi living on leaves and saprobic fungi living on duff or dead wood. Finally, mapping of the morphologies to ecological roles reveals that leaf endophytes produce small, highly reduced fruiting bodies covered with fungal tissue or dead host tissue, while saprobic species produce large and intricate fruiting bodies. Intriguingly, resemblance between asexual conidiomata and sexual ascomata in some leotiomycetes implicates some common developmental pathways for sexual and asexual development in these fungi.
Highlights
Body size and shape are traits that correlate with diverse aspects of the biology of a species, from genetics, physiology and life history to ecology
Form and function are often correlated through change of ecological role, and the mysterious origins of diverse leaf endophytes may be addressed by studies that relate phylogeny, ecology, and morphology to the evolutionary history of fungi
The clade including the Leotiomycetes and the Sordariomycetes received weak support (56% bootstrap proportions (BP)), a result that is consistent with previous studies using diverse molecular markers
Summary
Body size and shape are traits that correlate with diverse aspects of the biology of a species, from genetics, physiology and life history to ecology. For this reason, biologists have long been interested in understanding how body size and shape evolve [1]. Studies of symbiotic relationships between higher fungi and plants have been largely relegated to underground mycorrhizas and root endophytes, most of which are mushroom-forming basidiomycetes. Form and function are often correlated through change of ecological role, and the mysterious origins of diverse leaf endophytes may be addressed by studies that relate phylogeny, ecology, and morphology to the evolutionary history of fungi
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