Reconstructing the early evolution of Fungi using a six-gene phylogeny.
The ancestors of fungi are believed to be simple aquatic forms with flagellated spores, similar to members of the extant phylum Chytridiomycota (chytrids). Current classifications assume that chytrids form an early-diverging clade within the kingdom Fungi and imply a single loss of the spore flagellum, leading to the diversification of terrestrial fungi. Here we develop phylogenetic hypotheses for Fungi using data from six gene regions and nearly 200 species. Our results indicate that there may have been at least four independent losses of the flagellum in the kingdom Fungi. These losses of swimming spores coincided with the evolution of new mechanisms of spore dispersal, such as aerial dispersal in mycelial groups and polar tube eversion in the microsporidia (unicellular forms that lack mitochondria). The enigmatic microsporidia seem to be derived from an endoparasitic chytrid ancestor similar to Rozella allomycis, on the earliest diverging branch of the fungal phylogenetic tree.
James
Timothy Y
TY
Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708-0338, USA. tyj2@duke.edu
Kauff
Frank
F
Schoch
Conrad L
CL
Matheny
P Brandon
PB
Hofstetter
Valérie
V
Cox
Cymon J
CJ
Celio
Gail
G
Gueidan
Cécile
C
Fraker
Emily
E
Miadlikowska
Jolanta
J
Lumbsch
H Thorsten
HT
Rauhut
Alexandra
A
Reeb
Valérie
V
Arnold
A Elizabeth
AE
Amtoft
Anja
A
Stajich
Jason E
JE
Hosaka
Kentaro
K
Sung
Gi-Ho
GH
Johnson
Desiree
D
O'Rourke
Ben
B
Crockett
Michael
M
Binder
Manfred
M
Curtis
Judd M
JM
Slot
Jason C
JC
Wang
Zheng
Z
Wilson
Andrew W
AW
Schüssler
Arthur
A
Longcore
Joyce E
JE
O'Donnell
Kerry
K
Mozley-Standridge
Sharon
S
Porter
David
D
Letcher
Peter M
PM
Powell
Martha J
MJ
Taylor
John W
JW
White
Merlin M
MM
Griffith
Gareth W
GW
Davies
David R
DR
Humber
Richard A
RA
Morton
Joseph B
JB
Sugiyama
Junta
J
Rossman
Amy Y
AY
Rogers
Jack D
JD
Pfister
Don H
DH
Hewitt
David
D
Hansen
Karen
K
Hambleton
Sarah
S
Shoemaker
Robert A
RA
Kohlmeyer
Jan
J
Volkmann-Kohlmeyer
Brigitte
B
Spotts
Robert A
RA
Serdani
Maryna
M
Crous
Pedro W
PW
Hughes
Karen W
KW
Matsuura
Kenji
K
Langer
Ewald
E
Langer
Gitta
G
Untereiner
Wendy A
WA
Lücking
Robert
R
Büdel
Burkhard
B
Geiser
David M
DM
Aptroot
André
A
Diederich
Paul
P
Schmitt
Imke
I
Schultz
Matthias
M
Yahr
Rebecca
R
Hibbett
David S
DS
Lutzoni
François
F
McLaughlin
David J
DJ
Spatafora
Joseph W
JW
Vilgalys
Rytas
R
D008411:Chytridiomycota / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005658:Fungi / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D005800:Genes, Fungal / Q000235:genetics*; D016814:Microsporidia / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny