AUTHOR=Corrales Adriana , Wilson Andrew W. , Mueller Gregory M. , Ovrebo Clark 

TITLE=Novel Laccaria Species From Juglandaceae Forest in Panama With Notes on Their Ecology

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2020.01597

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2020.01597

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>Since 2013 there have been 22 new species of <italic>Laccaria</italic> described worldwide. Only three of these represent species from the neotropics. In Panama, <italic>Laccaria</italic> is abundant in monodominant <italic>Oreomunnea mexicana</italic> (Juglandaceae) forests based on sporocarps and environmental sequencing of roots. This study uses a combination of morphological and phylogenetic evidence to document up to seven species of <italic>Laccaria</italic> from these forests, one previously described, three described as new, and three requiring more data before being formally described. Molecular data used for phylogenetic analysis include the nuclear ribosomal ITS and 28S regions, along with <italic>TEF1</italic> and <italic>RPB2</italic>. <italic>Laccaria stellata</italic>, has previously been reported from <italic>O. mexicana</italic> cloud forests of Panama. <italic>Laccaria dallingii</italic> sp. nov., <italic>L. nitrophila</italic> sp. nov., and <italic>L. fortunensis</italic> sp. nov. are described as new based on morphology and phylogenetic analysis of multiple collections. A taxon referred to as “PAN sp3” is resolved sister to <italic>L. stellata.</italic> Phylogenetic analysis also resolved two separate clades of Panamanian <italic>Laccaria</italic> as sister to <italic>L. roseoalbescens</italic>, a species previously described from Mexico. These three taxa are not described in this paper as there is too little material from which to make effective morphological descriptions even though their placement in phylogenetic analysis identify them as being unique. Ecologically, all described species except for <italic>L. fortunensis</italic> were amplified from <italic>O. mexicana</italic> ectomycorrhizal root tips. <italic>L. nitrophila</italic> was one of the most recovered species from the roots of <italic>O. mexicana</italic> in a previous study, and it has been shown to respond positively to long term nitrogen addition. Our results expand the knowledge of <italic>Laccaria</italic> diversity for Central America and highlight that at least some species of <italic>Laccaria</italic> are nitrophilic in neotropical Juglandaceae forests as well as in temperate forests.</p>