Beech forests and their fungi

Unfortunately, Toni is not longer able to speak this Wednesday, so David will be giving us a talk instead.

Dr David Orlovich, Department of Botany, University of Otago

Through many wonderful collaborations, we have been using new genomics tools to explore the past, present and future of our native forests and the fungi that support them. We used genotyping by sequencing to study the population genetics of silver beech. I will give an update on our research that gives tantalising clues to how silver beech spread in the South Island following the last ice age. However, beech trees can’t grow on their own, and we are also discovering many new species of ectomycorrhizal fungi that help beech trees to grow. The distribution of these fungi is still poorly understood, and again, new genomics tools will come to the rescue. We aim to understand if barriers to beech tree dispersal are also barriers to the spread of fungi. Watch this space! Finally, whole genome sequencing is allowing us to understand the genetic basis for the incredible diversity of mushrooms and truffles in our forests, and I will give an update on our research that seeks to understand the mechanisms that give rise to so many truffles in the NZ bush.