The genus <i>Trichaptum</i> in North Asia

Abstract

It is shown that in North Asia (Urals, Siberia, Far East) the genus Trichaptum is represented by four widespread sympatric species (Trichaptum abietinum, T. biforme, T. fuscoviolaceum, T. laricinum) and T. quercinum found in the Far East. The geographic range of T. fuscoviolaceum, T. abietinum, T. biforme cover the whole of North Asia, whereas T. laricinum is absent in the Far East. The revealed sympatric nature of species is based on their predominant use of wood various coniferous (T. fuscoviolaceum, T. abietinum, T. laricinum) and deciduous (T. biforme) tree species. The widest trophic niche is in T. fuscoviolaceum and it overlaps by 70–80% with the niches of T. abietinum, T. laricinum. The narrowest trophic niche that does not overlap with other species of the genus is in T. biforme. The trophic spectra and preferences of all species in North Asia are close to those in Europe, and it shows stability and species specificity of these ecological characteristics. Phylogenetically, T. abietinum and T. fuscoviolaceum are the closest in ITS and LSU rDNA regions, while T. biforme and T. laricinum are strongly and equally distant from each other and from T. abietinum and T. fuscoviolaceum. During ITS and LSU clustering, the sequences are grouped in full accordance with the hymenophore structure of the fungi from which they were isolated; the same groups also include sequences of the corresponding fungi from Europe, China, and North America. This shows that in T. fuscoviolaceum, T. abietinum, T. biforme, T. laricinum, the structure of the hymenophore is a good diagnostic species character, and also that their North Asian populations do not show significant differences from European and North American populations. A database on diversity, distribution, ecology of fungi of the genus Trichaptum in North Asia has been uploaded to GBIF for public access.