Helvella lacunosa (left) and Helvella arctoalpina (right) photographed in situ at Svalbard and Oppland, Dovre (Photos: T. Schumacher)
Project description:
Helvella is a genus of Ascomycota containing many large and often quite spectacular species. They are not uncommon in boreal and temperate forests and most species are believed to be ectomycorrhizal. The ‘variable and feature-less’ macro- and micromorphology hide a much underestimated genetic diversity which form the basis for the recognition of phylogenetic species (phylospecies) and the current Master studies on biodiversity and biogeography of the genus Helvella in Norway. The project will contribute several hitherto formally not recognized species new to science and/or to Norway/Scandinavia. The project is economically supported by Artsdatabanken and includes the implementation of two Master theses and the training of two master students in the fields of molecular systematics and biogeography.
Methods: Helvella species are unculturable and the project will involve extensive field/work /collecting trips, macro- and microscopic examination and Sanger DNA sequencing of ascocarps with primary and secondary barcode markers to map and analyze distributional patterns of species and species groups in Norway.
Expectations: The student will get a desk close to the rest of the group and is expected to participate in daily and weekly discussions and meetings. The master student is expected to work independently in the DNA lab, after training. The student must be ready to learn new computational tools for handling and analyzing large amount of data.
Supervisors: Trond Schumacher, Cecilie Mathiesen and Inger Skrede. The master student will be a part of ‘soppgruppa’ (mycology group) at Evogene