DNA-based approaches to identify forest fungi in Pacific Islands: A pilot study

Abstract

DNA-based diagnostics have been successfully used to characterize diverse forest fungi (e.g., Hoff et al. 2004, Kim et al. 2006, Glaeser & Lindner 2011). DNA sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and large subunit (LSU) regions of nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) has proved especially useful (Sonnenberg et al. 2007, Seifert 2009, Schoch et al. 2012) for identification. Most DNA-based identifications of forest fungi involve taxa that have been previously wellcharacterized by morphology or mating tests. However, the efficiency of DNA-based identifications of forest fungi in soils or rotting wood, especially in biodiversity hotspots like the Pacific Islands, is largely unexplored. We are conducting a preliminary study with the following objectives: 1) to determine the efficacy of DNA-based identifications of fungi associated with roots and wood rot in the Pacific Islands, from Hawaii to the Philippines; and 2) to evaluate the usefulness of sequences from nuclear rDNA regions, such as the LSU and ITS, for identifying the fungi collected in our surveys.

Citation

Case, Anna E.; Ashiglar, Sara M.; Cannon, Phil G.; Militante, Ernesto P.; Tadiosa, Edwin R.; Quintos-Manalo, Mutya; Pampolina, Nelson M.; Hanna, John W.; Brooks, Fred E.; Ross-Davis, Amy L.; Kim, Mee-Sook; Klopfenstein, Ned B. 2013. DNA-based approaches to identify forest fungi in Pacific Islands: A pilot study. In: Browning, John; Palacios, Patsy, comps. Proceedings of the 60th Annual Western International Forest Disease Work Conference; October 8-12 October 2012; Tahoe City, CA. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Health Technology and Enterprise Team. p. 149-151.