Morchella sextelata
| Morchella sextelata | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Pezizomycetes |
| Order: | Pezizales |
| Family: | Morchellaceae |
| Genus: | Morchella |
| Species: | M. sextelata |
| Binomial name | |
| Morchella sextelata M.Kuo (2012) | |
Morchella sextelata is a species of fungus in the Morchellaceae family.[1] Found in North America (in Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico,[2] and Yukon Territory), it was described as new to science in 2012.[1]
Morchella sextelata is one of four species of wildfire-adapted morel in western North America, the others being M. capitata, M. septimelata, and M. tomentosa. M. sextelata cannot be reliably distinguished from M. septimelata without the use of DNA analysis.[1] M. sextelata has also been found in China, but it remains unclear whether dispersal between these distant locations occurred naturally or through accidental introduction by humans.[3]
M. sextelata, identified as phylogenetic species "Mel-6", has been shown to colonize the non-native species Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) as an endophyte, increasing the overall growth of the grass, as well as the abundance of seeds and their tolerance to extreme heat (60-65°C). This is hypothesized to be a contributing factor in the success of cheatgrass as an invasive species in western North America.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Kuo M, Dewsbury DR, O'Donnell K, Carter MC, Rehner SA, Moore JD, Moncalvo J-M, Canfield SA, Stephenson SL, Methven AS, Volk TJ. (11 April 2012). "Taxonomic revision of true morels (Morchella) in Canada and the United States". Mycologia. doi:10.3852/11-375.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Baynes, M. A., Newcombe, G., Dixon, L., Castlebury, L. and O’Donnell, K. (January 2012). "A novel plant-fungal mutualism associated with fire" (PDF). Fungal Biology 116 (1): 133–144. doi:10.1016/j.funbio.2011.10.008. PMID 22208608.
- ↑ Du, X.-H., Zhao, Q., O’Donnell, K., Rooney, A. P. and Yang, Z. L. (2012). "Multigene molecular phylogenetics reveals true morels (Morchella) are especially species-rich in China". Fungal Genetics and Biology. doi:10.1016/j.fgb.2012.03.006.