FROM TURF TO TURF: FUNGAL INVASION OF ASCOCORYNE TURFICOLA IN A NORTHERN MICHIGAN BOG

<p>This is the first paper to report <em>Ascocoryne turficola</em> Boud. 1905 (Helotiales: Ascomycota) within the United States. It is an obligate bog fungus native to Europe and Siberia, where it is extremely rare across most of its range. <em>A. turficola</em> appeared at Lily Pond Bog in Marquette, Michigan (87.47º W, 46.59º N) in 2019, almost contemporaneous with anecdotal reports in Minnesota and Ontario. Since 2019, the Lily Pond population has exploded and become the dominant fungus in this bog but has yet to spread to similar bogs nearby. This species is adapted to long distance dispersal and carries the potential to continue spreading. Using a combined approach of NMDS ordination and a case-controlled, binomial logistic repression, I modeled the vegetation and environmental variables associated with <em>A. turficola</em>. The strongest plant indicators were <em>Rhynchospora alba </em>and <em>Eriophorum virginicum</em>. Although not indicator species, ericaceous shrubs were present in 100% of plots with <em>A. turifcola</em>, suggesting a possible ericoid mycorrhizal relationship (ERM), which is especially common among fungi in the Helotiales. <em>A. turficola</em> occurrence also peaked at a pH of 4.3, and declined sharply at higher and lower pH. The associated vegetation, preference for intermediate pH and bare peat close to the water table—all demonstrate that <em>A.</em> <em>turficola</em> prefers “hollows” or “hollow edges” rather than more acidic sphagnum hummocks. ITS barcode sequencing and BLAST analysis showed a 99.9% genetic match to samples from Scotland. Here I discuss a single species but hope to highlight phenomena that are more common than previously thought.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Biology

Year dc:date.available

2024

Author dc:creator

• Coscarelli-Trott, Evan L

Contributors dc:contributor

• Alan Rebertus

• fungi
• bog
• phylogeography
• distribution
• mycology
• invasive
• peatland
• mycorrhizae
• Biodiversity
• Biology
• Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
• Environmental Health
• Molecular Genetics
• Population Biology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://commons.nmu.edu/theses/858

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:commons.nmu.edu:theses-1916