title: Evolutionary history of Serpulaceae (Basidiomycota): molecular phylogeny, historical biogeography and evidence for a single transition of nutritional mode.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The fungal genus Serpula (Serpulaceae, Boletales) comprises several saprotrophic (brown rot) taxa, including the aggressive house-infecting dry rot fungus Serpula lacrymans. Recent phylogenetic analyses have indicated that the ectomycorrhiza forming genera Austropaxillus and Gymnopaxillus cluster within Serpula. In this study we use DNA sequence data to investigate phylogenetic relationships, historical biogeography of, and nutritional mode transitions in Serpulaceae.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our results corroborate that the two ectomycorrhiza-forming genera, Austropaxillus and Gymnopaxillus, form a monophyletic group nested within the saprotrophic genus Serpula, and that the Serpula species S. lacrymans and S. himantioides constitute the sister group to the Austropaxillus-Gymnopaxillus clade. We found that both vicariance (Beringian) and long distance dispersal events are needed to explain the phylogeny and current distributions of taxa within Serpulaceae. Our results also show that the transition from brown rot to mycorrhiza has happened only once in a monophyletic Serpulaceae, probably between 50 and 22 million years before present.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study supports the growing understanding that the same geographical barriers that limit plant- and animal dispersal also limit the spread of fungi, as a combination of vicariance and long distance dispersal events are needed to explain the present patterns of distribution in Serpulaceae. Our results verify the transition from brown rot to ECM within Serpulaceae between 50 and 22 MyBP.
authors.affiliation: Microbial Evolution Research Group (MERG), Department of Biology, University of Oslo, P,O, Box 1066 Blindern, N-0316 Oslo, Norway. inger.skrede@bio.uio.no
authors.forename: Inger
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Skrede
authors.forename: Ingeborg B
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Engh
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Binder
authors.forename: Tor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Carlsen
authors.forename: Håvard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kauserud
authors.forename: Mika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bendiksby
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D001487:Basidiomycota / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: D005656:Fungal Proteins