EVOGENE Seminar: Inger Skrede - Evolutionary necessities for invading buildings, comparative and population genomic analyses in the dry rot fungus

Inger Skrede from Oslo Mycology Group at Evogene will give the talk entitled "Evolutionary necessities for invading buildings, comparative and population genomic analyses in the dry rot fungus".

 

Abstract: Many organisms benefit from being adapted to niches shaped by human activity, and have successfully invaded human-made habitats. One such species is the dry-rot fungus Serpula lacrymans that decomposes coniferous construction wood. This species has spread from its natural high mountain habitat in Asia to houses in temperate regions worldwide. In this study, we analyse which physiological and genomic features separate S. lacrymans from close relatives growing in forests, and which features that varies between different S. lacrymans populations growing in houses. We demonstrate that S. lacrymans is more specialized in which wood species it prefers and has a less antagonistic behaviour than its wild relative S. himantioides, which encounters many more competitors in its natural habitat. Further, genomic mechanisms related to intracellular transport, specialized metabolism and wood decomposition mechanisms seem to have been important to shape the different Serpula species. Moreover, the different populations of S. lacrymans behave differently and have a different evolutionary history. Thus, in order to understand what makes a successful invader of the built environment the population history is also an important part of the puzzle. I will present recent results of these analyses.

Published Apr. 18, 2018 11:50 AM - Last modified May 2, 2018 2:16 PM