ABSTRACT

Over 80 species are recognized in the commercially important genus Morchella, many of them endemic to specific regions or continents. Among them, M. anatolica and M. rufobrunnea are the earliest diverging lineages and are key in decoding the evolutionary history, global biogeography, and ecological trends within this iconic genus. Early ancestral area reconstruction (AAR) tests postulated a western North American origin of morels but had not included in the analyses M. anatolica, whose phylogenetic identity remained at the time unresolved. Following new collections of M. anatolica and M. rufobrunnea from the Mediterranean islands of Cyprus, Kefalonia, Lesvos, Malta, and Zakynthos, we performed revised AAR tests to update the historical biogeography of the genus. Our results, inferred from multilocus analysis of an expanded data set of 79 phylospecies, challenge previous reconstructions and designate the Mediterranean basin as the most likely place of origin for morels. Detailed morphoanatomical analyses demonstrate that ascocarp rufescence, the nondarkening apothecial ridges, the absence of a sinus, and the stipe pruinescence are all stable synapomorphic features of sect. Rufobrunnea, which could be interpreted as ancestral for the genus. The saprotrophic mode of nutrition, suggested by the prolific in vitro growth of M. anatolica, might also be an ancestral trait. Emended descriptions, including extensive imagery and scanning electron microscopy, are provided, and a new evolutionary hypothesis of the genus is proposed.

摘要

在具有重要商业价值的羊肚菌属中，有 80 多种被认可的物种，其中许多是特定地区或大陆的特有种。其中，M. anatolica和M. rufobrunnea是最早分化的谱系，并且是解读这一标志性属的进化历史、全球生物地理学和生态趋势的关键。早期祖先区重建 (AAR) 测试假设羊肚菌起源于北美西部，但未包括在分析中的M. anatolica，其系统发育同一性在当时仍未得到解决。继M. anatolica和M. rufobrunnea 的新系列之后来自地中海岛屿塞浦路斯、凯法利尼亚岛、莱斯沃斯岛、马耳他和扎金索斯岛，我们进行了修订的 AAR 测试以更新该属的历史生物地理学。我们的结果是从 79 个系统种的扩展数据集的多位点分析中推断出来的，挑战了以前的重建，并将地中海盆地指定为羊肚菌最有可能的原产地。详细的形态解剖学分析表明，子囊果皮发红、不变暗的果皮脊、没有窦和叶柄发红都是 sect. 稳定的突触特征。Rufobrunnea，可以解释为该属的祖先。M. anatolica的多产体外生长表明的腐生营养模式，也可能是祖先的特征。提供了改进的描述，包括广泛的图像和扫描电子显微镜，并提出了该属的新进化假设。