Pyronemataceae

Berch, Shannon M., Witte, Thomas E. & Tanney, Joey B., 2023, Preliminary assessment of the ectomycorrhizal fungi of Quercus garryana on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, Botany 101 (6), pp. 424-448 : 426-440

Pyronemataceae

We detected two species of the truffle genus Genea in this study, neither of which could be identified to species or closely matched collections of Genea from Garry oak in Oregon. Truffle dog teams in BC are finding many collections of Genea (pers. comm. S. Berch); sequencing these apothecia combined with morphological identification will likely help us identify Genea spp. associated with Garry oak ECM roots.

Our analysis clusters the ITS sequence of collection SP63a with species of Myrmecocystis , which are sequestrate fungi. Myrmecocystis mediterranea J.M. Vidal, Kaounas, G. Moreno & P. Alvarado, 2018 is a European species associated with Quercus and Pinus ( Alvarado et al. 2018) , whereas Myrmecocystis cerebriformis Harkn., 1899 (= Genabea cerebriformis (Harkn.) Trappe ) was originally collected under oaks in California ( Harkness 1899). We have no vouchered collections of Myrmecocystis or Genabea species from BC ( Kroeger and Berch 2017). Fungi identified only as Pyronemataceae sp. and not placed within genera but clustering distantly with Myrmecocystis were detected in Garry oak ECMs from Oregon (SP052 and SP116).

We detected a fungus at Vanier Park (VP) related to a Humaria collected in Indiana and identified as Humaria hemisphaerica (F.H.Wigg.) Fuckel ( Fig. 1; H. hemisphaerica Mycomap 6245), which also clustered with sequences detected in ECMs of Q. garryana in Oregon. Alvarado et al. (2018) observed high genetic diversity of taxa identified as H. hemisphaerica and concluded the existence of cryptic species. They stated that a global sampling effort would be required to resolve taxonomic issues within Humaria .

Two Tarzetta species were detected from ECMs of Garry oak in BC and Oregon; the genus seems to consist exclusively of ectomycorrhizal species ( Hansen et al. 2013). Van Vooren et al. (2019) stated that previously the genus Tarzetta contained around ten species distributed worldwide but their phylogenetic analyses indicated a higher diversity and possible host specificity for several species based on ECM sequences available in public databases such as GenBank. According to identifications in GenBank, some of the sequences from Garry oak in Oregon resembled Tarzetta cupularis (MC 18-5-26, SOC973), but the comment by Van Vooren et al. (2019) and our phylogenetic tree here suggest these are undescribed species.

Smith et al. (2007) observed an Otidea species in ECMs of Quercus douglasii Hook. & Arn. in California. In BC, five Otidea species have been documented ( Kroeger and Berch 2017) and over 60 collections exist in University of British Columbia (UBC) and Pacific Forestry Centre Forest Pathology Herbarium (DAVFP); however, none of these collections have been sequenced and accessioned into GenBank. One of the Otidea species we detected in Garry oak ECM (SP69a, VP49a) clusters with a fungus called O. cf. bufonia (also called Otidea cochleata (L.) Fuckel from Jersey, UK, by Brock et al. 2009), which is European in distribution. It is likely that this Otidea sp. is a related species native to western North America. The other Otidea we detected (NRL4BL) clusters closely with a collection from Oregon in the Otidea alutacea (Pers.) Massee, 1895 complex ( Olariaga et al. 2015).

Pyronemataceae taxa are interesting because they have broad trophic strategies and are reported as saprotrophs, ECMs, and foliar endophytes ( Hughes et al. 2020). Additionally, fire disturbances can stimulate rapid and prolific sporulation in Pyronemataceae species, which have been observed following prescription burns on protected Garry oak stands in Vancouver Island (James Miskelly, pers. comm.). First Nations communities in BC used to manage Garry oak ecosys-

Botany

101

:

424

–

448

(

2023

)

| 25 dx. / 23 doi. / 06 org / 239.228 on / 10.1139 cjb- 189.6. 2023 - by 0024 com. cdnsciencepub from Downloaded Botany

Canadian Science Publishing

428

25 / 23 / 06 on 239.228. 189.6 by com. cdnsciencepub Botany from 101 Downloaded: 424 – 448 (2023 Botany |). dx doi. org / 10.1139 / cjb- 2023 - 0024

Canadian Science Publishing

Botany

101

:

424

–

448

(

2023

)

| 25. dx / 23 doi. 06 / / org on 10.1139 239.228 / cjb-. 189.6 2023 - by 0024 com. cdnsciencepub from Downloaded Botany

429 Canadian Science Publishing

25 / 23 / 06 on 239.228. 189.6 by com. cdnsciencepub Botany from 101 Downloaded: 424 – 448 (2023 Botany |. dx) doi. org / 10.1139 / cjb- 2023 - 0024

Canadian Science Publishing

Botany

101

:

424

–

448

(

2023

)

| 25 dx. / 23 doi. / 06 org / on 10.1139 239.228 cjb- /. 189.6 2023 - by 0024 com. cdnsciencepub from Downloaded Botany

431 Canadian Science Publishing

25 / 23 / 06 on 239.228. 189.6 by com. cdnsciencepub Botany from 101 Downloaded: 424 – 448 (2023 Botany | dx). doi. org / 10.1139 / cjb- 2023 - 0024

Canadian Science Publishing

Botany

101

:

424

–

448

(

2023

)

| 25 dx. / 23 doi. / 06 org / on 10.1139 239.228 cjb- /. 189.6 2023 - by 0024 com. cdnsciencepub from Downloaded Botany

433 Canadian Science Publishing

434

25 / 23 / 06 on 239.228. 189.6 by com. cdnsciencepub Botany from 101 Downloaded (: 424 – 448 2023 Botany. dx |) doi. org / 10.1139 / cjb- 2023 - 0024

Canadian Science Publishing

25 / 23 / 06 on 239.228. 189.6 by com. cdnsciencepub from Downloaded Botany 25 / 23 / 06 on 239.228. 189.6 by com. cdnsciencepub from Downloaded Botany 25 / 23 / 06 on 239.228. 189.6 by com. cdnsciencepub from Downloaded Botany 25 / 23 / 06 on 239.228. 189.6 by com. cdnsciencepub from Downloaded Botany 25 / 23 / 06 on 239.228. 189.6 by com. cdnsciencepub from Downloaded Botany 25 / 23 / 06 on 239.228. 189.6 by com. cdnsciencepub from Downloaded Botany

0.5

tems through burning to reduce shrubs and improve habitat for edible native plants such as camas ( Camassia quamash (Pursh) Greene ) ( Whitlock and Knox 2002). Now that burning is suppressed in these ecosystems, it is possible that the fruiting of some Pyronemataceae associated with Garry oak has declined markedly, leading to their being undercollected and under-represented in fungal collections. Based on the known ecology of some Pyronemataceae species, field collecting after natural or prescription fires in Garry oak stands or even constructing pyrocosms with Garry oak soils ( Bruns et al. 2020) offers a straightforward mean to connect unidentified pyrophilous species with identifiable specimens.