EVOGENE seminar FunGen

For the Evogene seminar Monday 21th August Sundy Maurice and Jørn Henrik Sønstebø will present the project FunGen and a case study of the genetic structure among 11 polypore fungal species. Fungal Conservation Genetics (FunGen) is a collaborative project with NINA, NIBIO and SLU, aiming to reveal the effect of forest fragmentation on the genetic variation of wood-decay fungi throughout Fennoscandia. Jørn Henrik Sønstebø is a population geneticist who has recently joined the mycology Group, will briefly present his background (NMBU, NIBIO, NIVA, NHM, UiO etc. and how FunGen will benefit from his expertise.

 

Abstract: Forest loss and fragmentation is recognized as one of the main global threats to biodiversity. The boreal forests of Fennoscandia have undergone dramatic changes during the last centuries, where intensive forest management and short rotation times have led to the loss and fragmentation of natural forests. This has in turn resulted in biodiversity decline. However, very little is hitherto known about how genetic variation within species, the basic biodiversity component, has been affected by habitat fragmentation. Using RAD sequencing, we analyse how polypores, a group of wood-dependent fungi, which provide essential ecosystem services in boreal forests as nutrient cyclers, have been affected genetically. We correlate the spatial distribution of genetic variation in common (non-red-listed) and rare (red-listed) polypore species with forest characteristics, current and historic forest connectivity, environmental variables and spatial data. In addition, we investigate whether populations of red-listed fungal species can be restored by placing inoculated wood plugs in old-growth and culture forests.

Published Aug. 17, 2017 12:58 PM - Last modified Aug. 17, 2017 1:23 PM