Evolution and genomic signatures of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

• The colonization of land and the diversification of terrestrial plants is intimately linked to the evolutionary history of their symbiotic fungal partners. Extant representatives of these fungi include at least two lineages of mutualistic plant symbionts, the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and the mycorrhizal fungi in Endogonales, as well as fungi with saprotrophic, pathogenic and endophytic life styles. Their evolutionary relationships remained enigmatic and the taxonomic rank is currently fluid. We recognize three phyla and use a balanced taxon sampling and broad taxonomic representation for phylogenomic analysis that rejects a hard polytomy and resolves Glomeromycota as the sister to Mucoromycota and Mortierellomycota. Analysis of gene family contractions and expansions indicate that arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) fungi and Endogonales represent two independent transitions to mutualistic plant symbiosis and that these occurred early in the divergence of these lineages.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi -- Evolutionsbiologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences -- Evolutionary Biology (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi -- Genetik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences -- Genetics (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi -- Biologisk systematik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences -- Biological Systematics (hsv//eng)

Keyword

AM fungi

Phylogenomic

Genomics

Glomeromycota

Mucoromycota

Mortierellomycota

gene family evolution

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

ovr (subject category)